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"Asylum after illegal migration must end!"

Belgium intends to accept 1,150 refugees from war zones next year. Most of the refugees will be Syrians currently staying in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. For a first time 50 refugees from Libya are also coming to Belgium.
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It was Belgian asylum and migration secretary Theo Francken who made the pledge during a visit to Lebanon. For a number of years now Belgium has been one of the countries prepared to accept vulnerable refugees with a view to resettlement. All refugees sought refuge in third countries and will be selected thanks to thorough screening.

This year Belgium is accepting 1,150 refugees including 1,050 Syrians. A hundred Congolese from Uganda are also coming to Belgium.

Belgium faces a 15 September deadline to notify the European Commission of its plans for 2018. Mr Francken is proposing accepting 600 refugees from Turkey, 350 from Lebanon and 100 from the Hashemite kingdom. Congolese refugees as well as refugees from Chad, Niger and Libya will be accepted for a first time. Mr Francken told reporters: "I am a supporter of resettlement, a legal form of resettlement of the most vulnerable in the region. Asylum after illegal migration must end!"

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