Sweden grants blanket asylum to Syrian refugees
Agence France Presse
Published ? Tuesday 3 September 2013
Last Update 4 September 2013 12:12 pm
STOCKHOLM: Sweden on Tuesday became the first European Union country to announce it will give asylum to all Syrian refugees who apply.
?All Syrian asylum seekers who apply for asylum in Sweden will get it,? Annie Hoernblad, the spokeswoman for Sweden?s migration agency, told AFP.
?The agency made this decision now because it believes the violence in Syria will not end in the near future.?
The decision, which will give refugees permanent resident status, is valid until further notice, added Hoernblad.
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Swedish Migration Minister Tobias Billstroem called on other countries to recognize their duty to help the Syrian people.
?No other conflict on earth today is as terrible as the long and bloody conflict in Syria. That should make many politicians, inside and outside the EU, think about our responsibilities,? he told the Swedish tabloid newspaper Aftonbladet....
