Belgium sends back asylum seekers

Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme said that there have not been any new demands from Serbian and Macedonian citizens seeking asylum in Belgium. While in Pristina, Leterme reiterated that citizens from Serbia and Macedonia seeking political asylum in Belgium will be sent home soon, adding that the number of demands for asylum has drastically fallen over the last several days. Belgium sends back asylum seekers He reminded that Belgium will take over the EU presidency in the second half of 2010, adding that the Western Balkans will be a priority. “I can say that since we met with Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic, and yesterday with Skopje leaders, the number of people applying for political asylum has drastically decreased in Belgium. This shows that our efforts have been positive and productive. I think that the problem was addressed in the right way and that it was solved with good cooperation with Prime Ministers Cvetkovic and Gruevski,” Leterme said. He added that he is concerned about future visa liberalization for citizens of other countries, taking into consideration what happened with Serbian and Albanian citizens. It was announced on Wednesday that the first bus with fake asylum seekers, as the Belgian media and officials qualified them, is expected to arrive to Serbia tomorrow. The government in Brussels said that the persons in question, many of whom threw away their biometric passports, cannot be granted asylum, as they come from the countries that have democratic regimes and respect human rights and civil liberties. All asylum-seekers from south to return Melchior Wathelet, Belgian secretary of state for migration and asylum affairs, on March 9 told representatives of authorities in Presevo and Bujanovac that no citizen from southern Serbia seeking asylum in Belgium could claim it for economic reasons. Together with European Commission official Jean Louis de Brouwer and Belgian Ambassador to Serbia Denise de Hauwere, Wathelet visited Bujanovac and discussed the issue of the increased number of asylum seekers in Belgium from southern Serbia with the representatives of ethnic Albanians from Bujanovac and Presevo. The visitors met with Bujanovac Mayor Saip Kamberi and Presevo Mayor Ragmi Mustafa, other members of local governments and Riza Halimi, the only ethnic Albanian member of Serbia's parliament, and stated that none of the citizens who sought asylum in Belgium after the European Union lifted visas for Serbia could be granted asylum for economic reasons. Wathelet stated that the visa-free regime did not mean that Serbian citizens could get jobs, homes or money in Belgium, and that people who believed someone's false promises were the biggest victims, as nobody could hope for asylum based on economic circumstances. Kamberi appealed to Belgium and other EU countries to view "the problem of persons attempting to get asylum more seriously, and to encourage both their own governments and the government of Serbia to invest more in Bujanovac and Presevo." According to official records, 58 Serbian citizens filed for asylum in Belgium in January, 330 in February, and 59 in the first seven days of March. The asylum-seekers were mainly ethnic Albanians from southern Serbia.

Belgium sends back asylum seekers

He reminded that Belgium will take over the EU presidency in the second half of 2010, adding that the Western Balkans will be a priority.

“I can say that since we met with Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković, and yesterday with Skopje leaders, the number of people applying for political asylum has drastically decreased in Belgium. This shows that our efforts have been positive and productive. I think that the problem was addressed in the right way and that it was solved with good cooperation with Prime Ministers Cvetković and Gruevski,” Leterme said.

He added that he is concerned about future visa liberalization for citizens of other countries, taking into consideration what happened with Serbian and Albanian citizens.

It was announced on Wednesday that the first bus with fake asylum seekers, as the Belgian media and officials qualified them, is expected to arrive to Serbia tomorrow.

The government in Brussels said that the persons in question, many of whom threw away their biometric passports, cannot be granted asylum, as they come from the countries that have democratic regimes and respect human rights and civil liberties.

All asylum-seekers from south to return

Melchior Wathelet, Belgian secretary of state for migration and asylum affairs, on March 9 told representatives of authorities in Preševo and Bujanovac that no citizen from southern Serbia seeking asylum in Belgium could claim it for economic reasons.

Together with European Commission official Jean Louis de Brouwer and Belgian Ambassador to Serbia Denise de Hauwere, Wathelet visited Bujanovac and discussed the issue of the increased number of asylum seekers in Belgium from southern Serbia with the representatives of ethnic Albanians from Bujanovac and Preševo.

The visitors met with Bujanovac Mayor Saip Kamberi and Preševo Mayor Ragmi Mustafa, other members of local governments and Riza Halimi, the only ethnic Albanian member of Serbia's parliament, and stated that none of the citizens who sought asylum in Belgium after the European Union lifted visas for Serbia could be granted asylum for economic reasons.

Wathelet stated that the visa-free regime did not mean that Serbian citizens could get jobs, homes or money in Belgium, and that people who believed someone's false promises were the biggest victims, as nobody could hope for asylum based on economic circumstances.

Kamberi appealed to Belgium and other EU countries to view "the problem of persons attempting to get asylum more seriously, and to encourage both their own governments and the government of Serbia to invest more in Bujanovac and Preševo."

According to official records, 58 Serbian citizens filed for asylum in Belgium in January, 330 in February, and 59 in the first seven days of March. The asylum-seekers were mainly ethnic Albanians from southern Serbia.