Lots of questions remain on the details and feasibility of Sawiris’s idea.
An Egyptian billionaire has said
he wants to buy and develop an island from Greece or Italy in order to
house hundreds of thousands of migrants fleeing Syria and other
countries.
Sawiris,
the chief executive of a mobile phone operator in the Middle East and
Africa, said on Twitter that he would grant this purchased island
independence and provide jobs to migrants “for them building their own country.”
Lots of questions remain on the details and feasibility of Sawiris’s idea.
The
billionaire admitted to the AFP that his plan could face various
hurdles, such as convincing Greece or Italy to sell him an island and
determining legal matters like jurisdiction and customs regulations.
Sawiris,
who says he is planning to discuss his plan with the governments of
Greece and Italy, estimates that an island would cost between $10 and
$100 million, with considerable additional costs in infrastructure to
build housing, schools, hospitals and other basic needs.
More
than 300,000 migrants have arrived on the shores of southern Europe
this year, trying to escape conflict and poverty in Syria, Afghanistan
and other nations.
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