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PM Cameron to use refugee crisis as leverage to tighten EU borders

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond

British Prime Minister David Cameron will use the ongoing refugee crisis as a leverage to press ahead with a plan to tighten EU’s borders, said UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.

He noted that the crisis may help the UK to push for EU reforms by focusing minds in eastern Europe on the pressure of coping with the refugees.

Hammond went on saying that the crisis could help change views on the UK’s case for migration curbs.

European interior ministers agreed earlier to distribute individuals fleeing war and violence across member states. They over-rode protests from a number of eastern European countries, which have experienced huge numbers of migrants attempting to travel across their borders.

“The migration crisis has thrown into stark relief some of the issues that the European Union has to deal with,” Hammond said.

He went on adding,”Interestingly, some of the countries that we have seen today who have the most robust views on the external migration agenda, have been the ones also with the very strong views around ‘no change to freedom of movement internally.’”

The debates come as the first Syrian refugees to be re-settled in the UK, arrived on Wednesday, the Home Office said. However It refused to provide more details about the exact number of refugees arriving or where they will be housed.

London-based analysts, Rodney Shakespeare says Prime Minister David Cameron is taking advantage of a human tragedy to go ahead with his political agenda.

He also accused UK government of hypocrisy saying the UK and other western governments avoid taking responsibility of their role in the wars in the Middle East and North Africa. 


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