John Kerry to visit UK for Syria crisis talks

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34264512

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US Secretary of State John Kerry is to visit the UK later this week for talks on the Syria crisis.

Mr Kerry's three-day visit will begin on Friday, and he will meet Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond in London.

The US State Department says they will discuss "the ongoing crisis in Syria and refugee situation".

David Cameron has announced that the UK will accept up to 20,000 refugees from camps surrounding Syria, but Labour says that is "not enough".

The new arrivals to the UK will be offered five-year humanitarian visas, under the Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme, and their resettlement will be paid for in the first year from the overseas aid budget..

While in the UK, Mr Kerry will also hold talks with United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed.

Stranded

The EU is facing a huge influx of migrants, many fleeing conflict and poverty in countries including Syria, where a civil war has been raging since 2011.

Hundreds of migrants are currently stranded at the Serbia-Hungary border after the Hungarian government closed the frontier with a new razor-wire fence.

The US has allowed 1,500 Syrians to resettle since the start of the conflict, and the Obama administration has said a further 10,000 will be admitted over the next year.

According to the White House, the US is the single largest donor to the Syrian crisis response, having given over $4bn (£2.6bn) since it began.

But some, such as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon's special representative on migration, have said money is not enough and more refugees must be allowed to resettle in countries like the US.