0:00:00.000,0:00:01.906
Reem: I came here with my whole family

0:00:02.172,0:00:05.455
and my father used to work as a welder

0:00:05.478,0:00:07.152
and now, here in Germany,

0:00:07.152,0:00:08.397
because we don't have

0:00:08.397,0:00:10.010
a confirmation of residence yet

0:00:10.010,0:00:13.696
he can't work and yesterday

0:00:13.696,0:00:15.474
many people at home asked:

0:00:15.474,0:00:16.761
"Why is it like this,

0:00:16.761,0:00:21.196
foreigners not getting a job as fast

0:00:21.582,0:00:22.662
as Germans?"

0:00:23.246,0:00:25.813
I was gone for two minutes and

0:00:26.129,0:00:28.345
thought, myself: "Why is it like this?"

0:00:28.562,0:00:31.346
I didn't find an answer to this question.

0:00:31.612,0:00:33.353
Merkel: So you don't have

0:00:33.353,0:00:34.653
a confirmation of residence?

0:00:34.843,0:00:39.753
Reem: We had a very hard time lately,

0:00:39.799,0:00:43.706
since we were almost deported

0:00:43.973,0:00:46.573
and things were not going well at school.

0:00:46.874,0:00:49.474
The teachers and students noticed it,

0:00:49.757,0:00:51.795
therefore- Merkel: You were supposed to

0:00:51.795,0:00:53.213
go back to Lebanon?

0:00:53.213,0:00:56.858
Reem: Exactly. And I was really unwell-

0:00:56.862,0:00:58.505
Merkel: What happened now?

0:00:58.505,0:01:02.791
Reem: Now we got a temporary approval.

0:01:03.141,0:01:05.725
We were in Berlin at the embassy,

0:01:05.725,0:01:08.561
got our Lebanese passports

0:01:08.602,0:01:11.468
and now we are waiting for an answer

0:01:11.468,0:01:13.787
at the foreigners' registration office.

0:01:13.787,0:01:16.596
Honestly, I want to see my family, again.

0:01:16.995,0:01:19.162
All of this is really intense.

0:01:19.430,0:01:22.928
I have not seen my family for four years.

0:01:23.146,0:01:24.563
My aunt, grandma, grandpa...

0:01:24.763,0:01:27.544
It's one of the things that really

0:01:27.544,0:01:30.299
bear me down,

0:01:31.759,0:01:33.616
that I really want.

0:01:33.616,0:01:35.243
Merkel: Regarding the asylum bid,

0:01:35.243,0:01:37.134
we have to ask ourselves:

0:01:37.134,0:01:39.577
"Is there a reason for the request?"

0:01:39.577,0:01:42.704
One thing we want to change is,

0:01:42.704,0:01:44.921
as we discussed with the federal states,

0:01:44.921,0:01:45.527
the following:

0:01:45.527,0:01:47.301
When somebody already lives here

0:01:47.301,0:01:49.295
for four years, it is very hard to say:

0:01:49.429,0:01:51.216
"Well, now you learned German, beautifully,

0:01:51.366,0:01:52.728
and are well-integrated,

0:01:52.845,0:01:54.414
but we notice after these four years,

0:01:54.531,0:01:56.064
that your asylum plea is not rightful."

0:01:56.182,0:01:57.515
On the other hand, it is like this:

0:01:57.598,0:02:00.816
Did you come directly from Lebanon

0:02:00.916,0:02:03.064
or are you originally from Syria?

0:02:03.181,0:02:05.064
Reem: Lebanon.

0:02:05.177,0:02:07.415
Merkel: Lebanon is not considered

0:02:07.516,0:02:10.168
a country that is directly involved

0:02:10.168,0:02:12.048
in a civil war.

0:02:12.181,0:02:13.115
Reem: Exactly.

0:02:13.214,0:02:14.314
Merkel: Meaning,

0:02:14.348,0:02:16.098
there are living very many people.

0:02:16.164,0:02:18.098
Palestinian are living in refugee hostels.

0:02:18.164,0:02:20.029
They live under bad circumstances,

0:02:20.103,0:02:21.019
we know that.

0:02:21.096,0:02:23.045
On the other hand,

0:02:23.205,0:02:24.162
there are people who are in need,

0:02:24.227,0:02:25.179
even more.

0:02:25.245,0:02:26.260
They flee the civil war.

0:02:26.527,0:02:29.212
We have to favour their asylum requests.

0:02:29.328,0:02:30.577
Nevertheless, it is not good,

0:02:30.660,0:02:31.876
if the decision takes so long.

0:02:31.974,0:02:33.460
We have to change this

0:02:33.577,0:02:35.777
and we also discussed it with the states.

0:02:35.777,0:02:38.162
We will consider how to deal with those,

0:02:38.162,0:02:40.423
who are living here since many years

0:02:40.513,0:02:42.591
in an intermediate state.

0:02:42.704,0:02:45.176
We now want a faster procedure,

0:02:45.242,0:02:46.892
it might benefit you, too.

0:02:46.958,0:02:48.309
We will say "yes" or "no".

0:02:48.408,0:02:50.723
However, and I have got to say this,

0:02:50.825,0:02:52.611
we will not take in all the people

0:02:52.712,0:02:54.790
living in refugee hostels in Lebanon

0:02:54.889,0:02:55.992
for 25 years.

0:02:56.075,0:02:58.557
The reason is, that there are many

0:02:58.624,0:03:00.409
coming directly from a war zone, still.

0:03:00.469,0:03:01.710
Reem: Understandable.

0:03:01.761,0:03:03.955
There is one question on my mind:

0:03:04.038,0:03:05.591
I am here, now and I live.

0:03:05.657,0:03:09.172
Yet my future is uncertain,

0:03:09.290,0:03:11.357
so long as I don't really know,

0:03:11.457,0:03:12.439
that I can stay here.

0:03:12.621,0:03:13.758
Merkel: Well, of course.

0:03:13.824,0:03:14.841
Reem: Can I -

0:03:14.891,0:03:16.466
Merkel: Therefore,

0:03:16.549,0:03:17.867
there has to be a decision, now.

0:03:17.887,0:03:18.923
Reem: Exactly.

0:03:18.958,0:03:20.291
Merkel: We asked ourselves

0:03:20.340,0:03:21.741
"What should be changed?"

0:03:21.841,0:03:23.440
and what we plan to do is

0:03:23.474,0:03:25.239
to change the system

0:03:25.355,0:03:26.574
so that someone like you does not

0:03:26.658,0:03:27.674
live here for four years

0:03:27.776,0:03:28.788
before a decison is made.

0:03:28.887,0:03:30.422
Reem: Because I have goals just like -

0:03:30.533,0:03:32.558
Merkel: Just like everybody else,

0:03:32.674,0:03:33.612
of course.

0:03:33.696,0:03:35.274
Reem: Exactly. I want to go to uni,

0:03:35.390,0:03:36.539
that's a dream of mine

0:03:36.706,0:03:39.307
and a goal I want to achieve, badly.

0:03:39.407,0:03:43.341
It's really unpleasant

0:03:43.457,0:03:48.888
to watch others enjoy life,

0:03:49.022,0:03:53.721
while not being able to participate.

0:03:53.820,0:03:56.371
Merkel: I understand it.

0:03:56.454,0:04:03.054
However, politics can be hard.

0:04:03.155,0:04:04.720
Now I met you,

0:04:04.802,0:04:08.271
you are an incredibly likeable person.

0:04:08.421,0:04:11.353
But you also know that there are

0:04:11.470,0:04:13.120
thousands of people left

0:04:13.314,0:04:15.219
in Lebanons refugee hostels.

0:04:15.351,0:04:17.104
If we say: "You all can come here"

0:04:17.204,0:04:18.803
and "everybody from Africa can come"

0:04:18.953,0:04:20.119
and "All can come",

0:04:20.302,0:04:22.115
we can't manage that.

0:04:22.265,0:04:24.487
We are in this conflict

0:04:24.604,0:04:26.853
and the only answer is

0:04:26.953,0:04:29.899
not to take so long to decide things.

0:04:30.034,0:04:31.151
It is a fact,

0:04:31.151,0:04:34.186
that some will have to be sent back, though.

0:04:34.321,0:04:35.872
host: Would be nice to take Reems' face

0:04:35.988,0:04:37.872
with You, wouldn't it?

0:04:38.000,0:04:39.654
Each time You discuss this speedup,

0:04:39.770,0:04:41.339
You could remember the friendly face.

0:04:41.455,0:04:43.155
It might encourage You,

0:04:43.322,0:04:44.268
Federal Chancellor.

0:04:44.352,0:04:45.854
Merkel: Encourage to do what? Be faster?

0:04:46.004,0:04:47.838
host: To actively work on it.

0:04:47.904,0:04:49.503
Merkel: We are doing that.

0:04:49.587,0:04:50.671
We are determined

0:04:50.755,0:04:52.802
that the situation is not acceptable

0:04:52.919,0:04:54.239
We have so many familys

0:04:54.339,0:04:55.687
with children going to school

0:04:55.753,0:04:56.818
and something must change.

0:04:56.935,0:04:58.035
host: Could You define a time frame?

0:04:58.118,0:04:59.188
What does determined mean?

0:04:59.272,0:05:02.569
Merkel: I think we might, in one year -

0:05:08.159,0:05:10.193
You did a great job!

0:05:10.193,0:05:11.761
host: Federal Chancellor, I don't think

0:05:11.761,0:05:12.923
this is about doing a great job.

0:05:12.923,0:05:14.903
This is a very burdening situation.

0:05:14.986,0:05:16.119
Merkel: I know,

0:05:16.213,0:05:17.454
that it is a burdening situation.

0:05:17.604,0:05:19.170
And yet again I want to caress her,

0:05:19.287,0:05:20.703
because we don't want

0:05:20.870,0:05:22.186
to get you in such situations.

0:05:22.303,0:05:23.866
Because you had a rough ride,

0:05:24.017,0:05:25.698
but you did a great job

0:05:25.801,0:05:27.453
at explaining to many, many others,

0:05:27.574,0:05:30.511
in what situation one can be.

0:05:35.412,0:05:36.872
host: We wanted to give you this wish

0:05:36.872,0:05:37.772
to take along.

0:05:37.772,0:05:40.082
Merkel: We also spoke about it,

0:05:40.216,0:05:41.965
which is important.

0:05:42.067,0:05:43.900
Sadly, she is not the only one

0:05:44.033,0:05:45.310
in such a situation.

0:05:45.410,0:05:46.881
Also, we spoke about it in carbinet,

0:05:46.999,0:05:48.616
as we met as a government, today.

0:05:48.732,0:05:51.379
By now there are 6.000 or even 7000

0:05:51.531,0:05:54.816
underaged people,

0:05:54.916,0:05:59.573
who are seeking asylum, on their own

0:05:59.573,0:06:03.025
with Germany as a whole

0:06:03.025,0:06:06.078
and the different federal states

0:06:06.078,0:06:09.028
taking care.

0:06:11.476,0:06:13.209
We do it, we want it.

0:06:13.709,0:06:15.560
Even so, this makes us aware

0:06:15.661,0:06:19.376
that at other places in the world

0:06:19.540,0:06:22.726
it is not always as nice as here.

0:06:22.726,0:06:25.212
There are so many people

0:06:25.780,0:06:28.828
living under horrible circumstances.

0:06:29.328,0:06:32.628
Part of this is the conflict between

0:06:32.761,0:06:36.045
Israel and Palestine and the Arabic states

0:06:36.163,0:06:38.894
waiting for resolving, still.

0:06:39.045,0:06:42.111
You and many others suffer as a result.

0:06:42.228,0:06:44.961
For years, decades,

0:06:45.095,0:06:48.712
families and superfamilies

0:06:48.878,0:06:50.812
live in refugee hostels, there.

0:06:50.929,0:06:53.747
At the moment millions of people from

0:06:53.747,0:06:57.263
Syria live in Jordan, Lebanon,

0:06:57.378,0:06:58.462
as you know.

0:06:58.561,0:07:00.608
We want your own countrys

0:07:00.741,0:07:02.610
to become a good home, again.

0:07:02.761,0:07:04.628
We help to achieve this, too.

0:07:04.728,0:07:07.028
We can not welcome everyone to Germany,

0:07:07.161,0:07:09.894
our political task also is to create

0:07:10.010,0:07:12.367
good circumstances in other countrys,

0:07:12.367,0:07:13.137
again.

0:07:13.137,0:07:15.000
Germany helps to do that, too.