London [UK], Jan. 29 : British Prime Minister Theresa May has repeatedly refused to condemn the ban on refugees and entry for citizens of seven Muslim-majority nations imposed by U.S.
President Donald Trump. She was speaking just a day after meeting the new President in Washington, where the pair pledged their commitment to the "special relationship" between Britain and the U.S., reports the Independent.
May who is presently in Turkey for bilateral talks, held a joint press conference with Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.
Their talks were overshadowed by global debate over Trump's executive order to ban Syrian refugees from entering the US indefinitely, halt all other asylum admissions for 120 days and suspend travel visas for citizens of "countries of particular concern", including Syria, Iraq and other Muslim-majority nations.
When pressed for her view on Trump's executive order, May replied: "The United States is responsible for the United States' policy on refugees, the United Kingdom is responsible for the United Kingdom's policy on refugees." Yvette Cooper, the former shadow Home Secretary, sent a letter to the Prime Minister urging her to echo condemnation from French and German ministers over the "deeply troubling" executive order.
Ed Miliband, the former Labour leader, said the Prime Minister's refusal to condemn Mr Trump's Muslim ban "is shocking, wrong and cannot stand".
He added: "It flies in the face of the values of people across Britain." Meanwhile, the United Nations has condemned Trump's ban on refugees.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and International Organisation for Migration called on the new President's administration to continue offering asylum to people fleeing war and persecution, a right protected by international law.
"The needs of refugees and migrants worldwide have never been greater and the US resettlement program is one of the most important in the world," the two agencies said in a joint statement.
Source: ANI
