Leading British and French non-governmental organisations working on behalf of refugees and asylum seekers, issued the following statement today, in advance of tomorrow’s meeting between British Home Secretary David Blunkett and his French counterpart, Daniel Vaillant, Minister of the Interior, to discuss the Sangatte situation.
We, the undersigned, call on both Ministers to:
- acknowledge that the Sangatte centre is a symptom, not the cause of the situation
- recognize that the solution lies in working with other European governments on setting the same, high standards for receiving asylum seekers, processing their cases and defining who is in need of protection
- respond humanely to asylum seekers wishing to join family members
- ensure that people in both countries are informed of their right to make an asylum claim, with the benefit of full access to the UNHCR, legal advice and NGOs
- maintain a calm approach, avoiding inflammatory language that might fuel racism and xenophobia.
Signatory organisations
All signatories below are members of the European Council for Refugees and Exiles (ECRE):
| UK: | France: |
|---|---|
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ENDS
For further information please contact:
UK
Jean Candler/Sarah Campion, Press Office, Refugee Council, 020 7820 3057/020 7840 4404, out of hours pager no: 0870 0555500 and ask for pager 865169
Neil Durkin, Press Office, Amnesty International UK, 020 7814 6241
France
France Terre d’Asile: Pierre Henri, director, tel +33 1 53 04 39 97; fax +33 1 53 04 02 40 e-mail ftdaparis@aol.com
Forum Rfugis: Olivier Brachet, director or Christelle Bonville, tel +33 4 78 03 74 45; fax +33 4 78 03 28 74 email vplanes@forumrefugies.org
Amnesty International (France): Patrick Delouvin tel +33 1 53 38 65 16; mob +33 6 20 45 86 84
