LONDON: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday the first flight carrying asylum seekers to Rwanda would leave in 10-12 weeks, as he set out plans for for his flagship policy to tackle illegal migration.
Speaking at a press conference, Sunak said he would not outline the exact operational details of the plan, but said the government had made specific preparations.
“I can confirm that we’ve put an airfield on standby, booked commercial charter planes for specific slots, and we have 500 highly trained individuals ready to escort illegal migrants all the way to Rwanda with 300 more trained in the coming weeks,” Sunak said.
“We are ready. Plans are in place. And these flights will go come what may.”
Under the timeline Sunak set out, the first flight would leave in July.
Sunak also said he was “confident” that the plan complied with all of Britain’s international obligations, responding to a question about its membership of the European Convention on Human Rights.
“If it ever comes to a choice between our national security — securing our borders — and membership of a foreign court, I’m, of course, always going to prioritize our national security,” he said, referring to the European Court of Human Rights.
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UK’s Sunak says first migrant flight to Rwanda will leave in 10-12 weeks
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UK’s Sunak says first migrant flight to Rwanda will leave in 10-12 weeks
- Prime minister ‘confident’ that the plan complies with all of Britain’s international obligations
Germany scrambles to rescue thousands of stranded tourists
BERLIN: Germany said Monday it would send civilian planes to Saudi Arabia and Oman as part of efforts to evacuate thousands of tourists stranded by the Middle East war.
Some 30,000 Germans are stuck in the region, according to the German Travel Association, since the United States and Israel first attacked Iran on Saturday, sparking a wave of Iranian strikes across the region and beyond.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Germany would soon send planes to Saudi Arabia and Oman, where the airspace remained open, to start evacuating some of the most vulnerable tourists.
“We will send aircraft to Riyadh and Muscat as quickly as possible for particularly vulnerable groups,” he said, adding that he was in talks with national carrier Lufthansa to arrange the flights.
“The safety of our citizens is our top priority,” said Wadephul.
Crisis teams had been sent to Muscat, Doha and Dubai to explore the possibility of evacuating Germans from these locations, including overland, he added.
A team from the German embassy in Cairo was assisting with border crossings from Israel, he said.
Around 5,000 passengers are stuck on two TUI cruise ships in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, according to German media, with reports of crying children and a general mood of fear.
“We were not allowed to leave the ship,” one female tourist, a police officer, told the NTV broadcaster.
“We are well looked after, but I don’t feel safe.”
TUI Cruises said in a statement that “due to the continuing dynamic situation in the region and limited flight connections, we are in close contact with the airlines to enable reliable planning of return journeys.”
Some 30,000 Germans are stuck in the region, according to the German Travel Association, since the United States and Israel first attacked Iran on Saturday, sparking a wave of Iranian strikes across the region and beyond.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Germany would soon send planes to Saudi Arabia and Oman, where the airspace remained open, to start evacuating some of the most vulnerable tourists.
“We will send aircraft to Riyadh and Muscat as quickly as possible for particularly vulnerable groups,” he said, adding that he was in talks with national carrier Lufthansa to arrange the flights.
“The safety of our citizens is our top priority,” said Wadephul.
Crisis teams had been sent to Muscat, Doha and Dubai to explore the possibility of evacuating Germans from these locations, including overland, he added.
A team from the German embassy in Cairo was assisting with border crossings from Israel, he said.
Around 5,000 passengers are stuck on two TUI cruise ships in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, according to German media, with reports of crying children and a general mood of fear.
“We were not allowed to leave the ship,” one female tourist, a police officer, told the NTV broadcaster.
“We are well looked after, but I don’t feel safe.”
TUI Cruises said in a statement that “due to the continuing dynamic situation in the region and limited flight connections, we are in close contact with the airlines to enable reliable planning of return journeys.”
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