EU Migrant Proposal Deal Reached

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EU-Turkey reach deal over migrant crisis - After 48 hours of negotiations, the European Union and Turkey clinched a deal Friday aimed at halting the flow of migrants to the continent, European leaders said.

Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka tweeted: “The deal with Turkey approved. All illegal migrants who reach Greece from Turkey starting March 20 will be returned.” Finland's prime minister also confirmed the deal. Turkey still needs to sign the agreement.

Under the plan, migrants arriving in Greece from Turkey will be sent back to that country in return for financial aid. Many migrants have arrived on the Greek islands by boat after fleeing conflict in Middle Eastern countries such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

In televised remarks Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is not attending the summit, said: "At a time when Turkey is hosting three million, those who are unable to find space for a handful of refugees, who in the middle of Europe keep these innocents in shameful conditions, must first look at themselves."

The terms of the agreement specify that the EU would pay to send migrants coming to Greece who don’t qualify for asylum back to Turkey. For every migrant returned, the EU will accept one Syrian refugee. The Syrians will be distributed among member states. Turkey already hosts  2.7 million Syrian refugees.

In exchange, Turkey has said it wanted its long-stalled application to join the EU to be accelerated, passport-free travel to the EU for its citizens as early as this summer and new diplomatic efforts to be made over Cyprus, an island divided between its Greek and Turkish inhabitants since 1974 following a coup that was supported by Greece.

Turkey is also seeking billions in aid on top of the $3.3 billion already pledged by the EU.

More than a million people came to Europe last year and more than 130,000 have arrived on the continent so far in 2016.