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The head of the UN refugee agency said that he too would "do something" to escape if he had been stuck in a squalid refugee camp, while asking the rich nations of the world to adequately finance the services in the countries in development.
Speaking to journalists after meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, Filippo Grandi, the High Commissioner for Refugees, said that countries are not receiving enough recognition to host refugees and that they will campaign for Cairo to receive more bilateral development aid to support its efforts.
According to the latest data, Egypt hosts over 242,000 registered refugees from 58 different nationalities, mainly concentrated in Greater Cairo, Alexandria and the northern coast, 55% of whom have fled the war in Syria.
While migratory flows to Europe through the dangerous route of the Mediterranean Sea had fallen dramatically, Grandi said, that the decline had not reduced the number of people fleeing the war and the poverty that was huddling to keep camps in places like Libya.
"If I were a refugee or a migrant or someone going to this center, I would opt for anything to get out of there, even if I knew the risk of death was very high," said Grandi, adding that what Libya had need was to help strengthen the rule of law instead of just naval support, as well as help to stop the illegal traffic of people.
Looking for agreements similar to those of Eastern Europe, EU leaders urged Egypt to help contain the flow of people entering Europe from Africa, offering to strengthen economic cooperation as an incentive.
However, Cairo has stopped establishing the "landing platforms" that Europe seeks, where people rescued at sea could be left for screening.
Grandi made his comments as a Spanish charity organization Proactiva Open Arms said Monday that the Spanish authorities were preventing his ship from sailing to the Mediterranean.
"We are stuck in a door once again." The Port Authority of Barcelona has denied permission to open arms to sail to Med Central, "the charity he wrote in a tweet.
"To prevent us from saving lives is irresponsible and cruel: the cowardly politicians are putting in place a counter for the dead," added Proactiva Open Arms founder Oscar Camps in a separate tweet.
Proactiva Open Arms operates between Libya and southern Europe, helping those in need during the crossing from North Africa.
The charity ship, open arms, docked in southern Spain on December 28, with 311 mostly African migrants who had snatched from the sea off Libya, after both Italy and Malta denied entry on a boat.
The Spanish authorities have said that the ship has violated the maritime regulations ignoring "the obligation to leave the relief at sea in the nearest port".
Spain became the main entry point in Europe for refugees last year, surpassing Greece and Italy, which took measures to prevent those who were rescued from landing in its ports.
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