British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has stated that under half of Europe’s migrant influx comes from war-torn Syria, pointing out that many of them are economic migrants who should be sent home.
With well over a million people expected to reach Europe in 2016 as part of the ongoing migrant crisis, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond used the occasion of a visit to the Al Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan (pictured) to warn that most migrants are not fleeing the brutality of the Syrian civil war.
He said that in fact most of the incomers from the Middle East are economic migrants “from across a wide range of countries” who should be returned back to their homes, reports the Daily Mail.
“The influx from the region has opened up a flood which includes many people coming from other parts of the world, often via this region but not originating from Syria, not being originally displaced by this conflict.”
The comments of the Foreign Secretary echo recent statements from European Commissioner Frans Timmermans. As Breitbart London previously reported, he said:
“More than half of the people now coming to Europe come from countries where you can assume they have no reason whatsoever to ask for refugee status. More than half, 60 per cent.”
Mr. Hammond went on to support Prime Minister David Cameron’s recent comments on how people reach Europe, adding:
“And as our Prime Minister has said often, we need to break the link between getting in a boat and being able to stay permanently in Europe.
“The properly ordered way of doing things is they should be returned to their country of origin.
“There is a recognition across the European Union of this, that one of things the European Union is not doing effectively is returning asylum, non-legitimate refugees – promptly to their countries of origin.
“Getting this right is the key to solving this crisis.”
Concluding with an appeal for foreign aid for refugee camps in the Middle East, which will be heard again at a donor conference for Syria in London tomorrow, Mr. Hammond pointed out that “if the migration crisis in Europe is going to be solved or at least reduced, it starts with providing proper facilities in camps like this.”