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Britain not to join EU common asylum process: Cameron

Xinhua, March 7, 2016 Adjust font size:

Britain would not join the European Union (EU) common asylum process, British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Monday before an EU-Turkey summit which aimed to stem the missive migrant influx.

"We have an absolutely rock solid opt-out from these things, so there is no prospect of Britain joining a common asylum process in Europe," Cameron told reporters on his arrival for the summit.

"We will have our own approach, our own way of doing things, keeping our own borders. It underlines the best of both worlds, the special status we have," he told reporters.

"It is important that we help the continent of Europe to secure its external border ... that is why we are sending British ship just to do just that," he added.

Meanwhile, in a statement published ahead of the summit, Cameron called "the migrant crisis the greatest challenge facing Europe today" and elaborated Britain's position on this issue.

"Britain has not faced anywhere near the scale of migrants coming to Europe as other countries because we are out of Schengen and retain control of our borders," the statement said.

"But where we can help, we should. And we've got to break the business model of the criminal smugglers and stop the desperate flow of people crammed into makeshift vessels from embarking on a fruitless and perilous journey," it said.

Britain was not included in the EU's passport-free Schengen zone, although it signed up to Europe's Dublin regulation which demands member states to take responsibility for refugees who arrive in their country first.

Europe's Schengen policy was at risk as several European countries have imposed border controls to stem the massive migrant flows.

European leaders were gathering here to seek solutions to better safeguard its passport-free policy and the EU's executive body the European commission was set to outline plans in the coming days to overhaul EU asylum policy, which Britain could choose whether to join or not.

Before the summit, London announced that its naval ship Mounts Bay would support the international response to the migrant crisis in the Aegean Sea. Endit