United Kingdom pledges additional 115 million pounds for refugees

Boosting aid to regional states hosting refugees was key to tackling the crisis that has seen tens of thousands of asylum-seekers flood into Europe, Cameron said, reiterating his argument against charges that London was not doing enough.

Britain had accepted 216 Syrian refugees under the scheme before this month’s announcement and has granted asylum to nearly 5,000 since the Syrian conflict broke out in 2011 – far fewer than countries such as France, Germany and Sweden.

“On migration, they agreed that we must use tomorrow’s European Council to focus on a more comprehensive approach, in particular increasing assistance for the countries neighbouring Syria to enable more refugees to stay there”, the spokesman said.

Slovakia, Romania, Hungary and the Czech Republic all voted against the quota plan to share out refugees from Italy, Greece and Hungary.

However, Mr Cameron reiterated that Britain will not participate in the EU’s emergency plan to relocate refugees across the continent.

Hollande defended Britain’s opposition to being part of a quota system, noting that it was “not in the Schengen area” of passport-free movement.

The staggering waves of people forced to flee a ravaged and destroyed Syria – some 4 million in number – are now seeking a place of safety where they can begin to have some semblance of stability and peace.

“And today I can announce we will commit another £100 million, including £40 million to the vital World Food Programme because we must make sure people in refugee camps are properly fed and looked after, not least to help them but also to stop people wanting to make or thinking of making this very, very hard and very risky journey to Europe“. “We all recognised that there are no easy solutions”.

“They agreed that many things could be settled without having to revise the treaties”, the source added.

Johannes Hahn, the commissioner responsible for ties with the EU’s neighbors, said Wednesday that “this is a signal and hopefully will stimulate our member states to do the same”, and push the total to 1 billion euros.

After speaking for more than an hour on the migration crisis, the situation in Syria and climate change, Mr Cameron and Mr Hollande held late-night talks on the Prime Minister’s proposed renegotiation of Britain’s European Union membership.

“With an average of 6,000 persons arriving every day on European shores, this requires a massive investment”, she said. From there they are walking into Austria.