A number of charities have called on British Prime Minister David Cameron to accept Syrian refugees fleeing the nearly three-year conflict in the Arab country.
In an open letter, published in The Independent on Friday, a coalition of 25 leading aid agencies and charities urged Cameron to sign up for the global resettlement programme for Syrian refugees launched by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Signatories, including representatives of Amnesty International UK, Oxfam, Muslim Aid and Refugee Council, said the UK has a “shared responsibility” to take in some of those displaced by the conflict in Syria.
“How can we call on Syria’s neighbours to keep their borders open to refugees if we keep our own under lock and key?” the group asked.
The UNHCR has demanded western states to accept 30,000 most vulnerable Syrians for resettlement, but Britain has so far refused to take part.
Aid agencies have recently accused the UK of adopting a “no room at the inn” policy on asylum seekers from Syria.
In December last year, British Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper also urged the Tory-led government to offer resettlement to between 400 and 500 of the most vulnerable Syrians “alongside other countries within the UN’s programme.”
Figures by the UK Home Office show that London’s aid contribution to Syria stands at £500 million, with some £217 million being spent inside the Arab country and £236 million in its neighbours.
This comes as Britain has played a major role in fanning the flames of unrest in Syria by arming and training militants fighting against the Syrian government.
Syria has been gripped by deadly crisis since March 2011. According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies — especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey — are supporting the militants operating inside the Arab country.
