Syrian refugees arrive at the Trabeel border, near the northeastern Jordanian border with Syria, and Iraq, September 10, 2015. (Reuters Photo)
The United Nations refugee agency welcomed today an offer by Washington to take 10,000 Syrian refugees but said it was inadequate given the scale of the exodus of people fleeing war and persecution.
"Of course the United States could and should do much more, but it is a step in the right direction," William Spindler, spokesman of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told a Geneva news briefing.
President Barack Obama has directed his administration to prepare to take in at least 10,000 Syrian refugees over the next year, the White House said on Thursday.
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