90,000 Syrian Refugees Headed for Turkey

35,000 Syrian refugees are massed on the border with Turkey following renewed warfare in the Syrian civil war.

Another 55,000 are on the way to Turkey according to the Wall Street Journal.

Merkel Like a Fish Out of Water

Like a tuna fish flopping around on a beach with hopes of flopping into water instead of further into the sand, German chancellor Angela Merkel is headed to Turkey in an alleged “Last Ditch” Effort to Stem Refugee Tide.

German chancellor Angela Merkel will fly to Turkey for “last-ditch” talks to revive a plan to cut the number of refugees entering Europe as the worsening situation in Syria triggers a fresh wave of people fleeing the country.

At least 30,000 people were on Sunday massed at A’zaz, a small town 20 kilometres from the border, sleeping in mosques, packed apartments and on the streets, according to two eye witnesses.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has indicated that he may “if necessary” be willing to allow the refugees into Turkey, which already hosts at least 2.5m Syrians. One Turkish official said that the decision would be taken within days, if not hours. Ms Merkel with give a press conference on Monday with Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkish prime minister.

While pressure from the EU in exchange for €3bn in aid has led to some changes, European diplomats are pushing for more action. The number of migrants arriving in Greece has remained resolutely high, at nearly 70,000 in January.

“This is a last-ditch effort by the chancellor to push Turkey to get serious about the plan,” said a senior EU diplomat.

€3 Billion Wasted

The EU gave €3 billion to Turkey to stem the refugee tide. As I said many months ago, that plan was doomed from the outset.

Had the EU given Greece €3 billion to build a fence coupled with an Australian-like plan to send back all boats headed for Greece and Italy, the EU would have at least gotten something for their money.

Merkel is largely to blame for this mess with her “open arms welcome” to refugees. The US is to blame for backing Al Qaeda alleged “moderate” rebels increasing the carnage in the Syrian civil war. Of course, the US is to blame for making a mess in Iraq that led to the creation of ISIS.

There’s so much political stupidity circulating that it’s hard to know where to start or end. Last week, a Syrian cease-fire peace effort fell apart because Turkey would not let the Kurds sit at the table.

As a result of renewed fighting, close to 100,000 more refugees are at the border of Turkey hoping to get to Germany.

Kiss Merkel’s “Last Ditch” effort a failure. It’s doomed from the start.

Mike “Mish” Shedlock