Egypt tycoon ‘in talks to buy two islands for refugees’

IT’S so crazy it might just work. The billionaire offering to buy an island for refugees is in talks with two owners and has met the UN.

Undated. Sunset on island of Santorini. Greece. Greek Islands. Travel.

EGYPTIAN billionaire Naguib Sawiris, who offered to buy a Mediterranean island to help hundreds of thousands of Syrians fleeing war, said Monday he was in talks to buy two private Greek islands.

The businessman announced earlier this month he was looking to buy an island which would “host the migrants and provide jobs for them building their new country”.

More than 2300 people have died at sea trying to reach Europe since January, many of them Syrians fleeing their country’s four-and-a-half year conflict.

A statement from Sawiris’ company on Monday said he had “identified two privately owned Greek islands that constitute a good opportunity for the project.

“We have corresponded with the owners and expressed our interest to go into negotiation with them,” it said.

After seeing the Greek election result can't see why it was needed ? Loss of time and money .. Anyhow will i now get an ok on #aylanisland?

— Naguib Sawiris (@NaguibSawiris) September 20, 2015

The tycoon said he had been approached by the UN’s refugee agency UNHCR to co-operate on the project, which he estimates would require $100 million (90 million euros) to get off the ground.

Sawiris is the chief executive of Orascom TMT, which operates mobile telephone networks in a number of Middle Eastern and African countries plus Korea, as well as underwater communications networks.

He also owns an Egyptian television channel.

The plan is to get a Greek island, like Santorini.