BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany has temporarily suspended any further admission of refugees via a UN resettlement programme, the dpa news agency reported on Tuesday, citing the interior ministry and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).
The ministry had no immediate comment on the report when contacted by Reuters and the UNHCR could not be immediately reached.
Migration has been a contentious issue in government coalition negotiations between Germany’s conservative CDU/CSU bloc and the Social Democrats.
The conservatives are advocating for a stricter approach to asylum seekers in response to rising support of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and several violent incidents involving refugees.
So far in the coalition talks, which are yet to be sealed, the two sides struck an initial agreement to end voluntary federal admission programmes for refugees wherever possible and not launch any new programmes, according to a document seen by Reuters.
According to the interior ministry, Germany planned to offer up to 6,560 places as part of an EU resettlement programme this year. This programme typically accepts refugees of various nationalities or stateless individuals from countries including Egypt, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Pakistan and Libya.
(Reporting by Miranda Murray, Riham Alkousaa and Alexander Ratz, Writing by Rachel More, Editing by Friederike Heine)
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