(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) France has granted asylum to 4,500 Syrian refugees since the outbreak of the civil war in that country in March 2011, it was revealed in a Cabinet session here on Monday.
In addition, 1,277 Iraqis who were victims of religious persecution have also been granted asylum in France over the past five months and 800 of these have already arrived in this country, according to a statement to the Cabinet by Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.
Among the Syrians granted residency here are about 500 people who were in "extreme vulnerability situations" during 2014 in countries neighbouring Syria where they had taken refuge from the fighting, the Cabinet meeting was told.
That operation was carried out in liaison with the High Commission for Refugees and at least another 500 people in camps outside Syria will be accepted in France in 2015 under the same programme, the Foreign Minister told the government.
It is estimated that over three million Syrians have fled their country and sought refuge mainly in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq.
Over 200,000 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict since 20111 and there are also many millions of internally displaced there.
France is also to continue its humanitarian assistance to refugee camps in countries bordering Syria where refugee numbers continue to grow by the day, provoking fears of a humanitarian disaster as humanitarian funding runs short or is not forthcoming from international donors.
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