Paris - In the hope of stemming illegal immigration across the English Channel, the British Home Secretary and the French Interior Minister have agreed to a British presence in Calais and a joint effort at reforming European immigration policy, reports Lara Marlowe.
The presence of nearly 1,700 mostly Kurdish and Afghan refugees in a Red Cross camp at Sangatte, near Calais, had prompted a public outcry in Britain. The refugees make nightly attempts to board ferries or freight trains for Britain.
The Home Secretary, Mr David Blunkett, travelled to Paris on September 12th and 13th for consultations with his French counterpart, Mr Daniel Vaillant. In a joint statement issued after Mr Blunkett's return to London, the French promised not to open a second reception centre "for those attempting to enter the UK illegally". The British minister was not able to persuade Mr Vaillant to shut down the Sangatte camp, as he has twice demanded.
The ministers said they were committed "to granting asylum to those who are under threat of persecution in their own countries".
France and Britain will "work together to bring forward a new package of measures" to deter trafficking of immigrants, the statement says.