First 1,000 Syrian refugees arrive in Britain

The first 1,000 Syrian refugees have arrived in Britain under a government scheme to resettle vulnerable people fleeing the conflict, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced Wednesday.

Speaking at the weekly Prime Minister's Questions at Parliament, Cameron said Britain has delivered on its promise of resettling 1,000 Syrian refugees by Christmas.

"I made a promise that we would resettle a 1,000 Syrians by Christmas and I can confirm today that we have met our commitment. The charter flights that arrived yesterday at Stansted and Belfast mean that over a 1,000 have been settled and another flight is coming today," he said.

"The government has provided funding so that all these refugees get housing, healthcare, education and I want to thank all the local authorities and all those who have worked so hard. I said that Britain would do its duty and with these 1,000 we've made a very good start," he added.

The Syrian refugees will be resettled through the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement (VPR) scheme. Cameron announced in September that Britain would accept up to 20,000 vulnerable Syrians over the next five years under the VPR scheme.

Groups of refugees have been arriving in the country over the last three months. More than 50 local authorities from across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have taken a share of the 1,000 refugees resettled, Downing Street said in a statement.

Downing Street said the VPR scheme is part of the government's comprehensive approach to the Syrian crisis.

British warplanes have been bombing the Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria since last year. British government has been pressured by activists, charity organizations and its European allies to accept more Syrian refugees.

Cameron's offer to take in 20,000 Syrian refugees over five years has been criticized as "too low, too slow and too narrow" in an open letter signed by more than 300 lawyers, retired judges and law professors in October. Endit