West to blame for refugee crisis in Europe: Commentator

Press TV has interviewed Bill Jones, with the Executive Intelligence Review from Washington, to discuss the refugee crisis in Europe.

Following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: What is the main reason behind the recent immigration phenomenon? What's causing such an influx of immigrants?

Jones: I think it is a result of war and it is a result of wars that were started by the West, beginning with the Iraq war way back when under President Bush. That has created devastation and chaos in the entire region. And it was followed up by President Obama with his foolish attempt to try and create so-called democracy in the Arab world, which led to all kinds of chaos in Egypt and other countries, and the war that is being conducted against President Assad is also a result of that. So you have a war-stricken area and therefore you have this tremendous flow of refugees. I take my hat off to Ban Ki-moon. I think this is a well-needed demand from him that the West has got to react because the West has caused the problem.

Relievingly, refugee situation is just part of the solution, however. But it is the most immediate need at this point. People who are fleeing the devastation in their countries should not be subject to being killed on the way to seeking a place of refuge.

Press TV: How much do you think there is the political will to change immigration policies and laws in a way to prevent such harrowing deaths?

Jones: In the immediate situation, sometimes they will have to go against the mainstream thinking, because people in Europe are scared because they are getting this tremendous influx of refugees. But temporarily, this is the only solution that exists at this point. It is trying to create safe havens for them - jobs if necessary, if not at least relief so that they do not starve - and also access to places in the country where they can have some kind of relief from their situation.

In the long term, we have to look at the whole situation within the Middle East region, and devise a program for economic development: Stopping the wars, again one should work with all the parties who are willing to create peace in the region, including the regime of Assad, which has been a stabilizing factor for the most part in the region, discontinue this attempt to destabilize legitimate governments in the region and then try and figure out a way out of doing the type of infrastructural development that is being done in Asia now with this ‘one belt one road policy’ of the Chinese. Trying to do some of that in the Middle East to create a framework in which people can go back to their countries.

But immediately we have got to see that people stop dying as a result of the attempts to keep them out of Europe and to prevent them from coming in there. That is a criminal policy and that should be stopped now and what Ban Ki-moon has said, I think, should be heeded to by all the governments in the West. That is the only short-term measure that can be conducted at this point.

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