US Vice President Mike Pence said on Saturday the United States would honour a controversial refugee deal with Australia, under which the United States would resettle up to 1,250 asylum seekers, a deal President Donald Trump had described as "dumb". "We will honour this agreement out of respect to this enormously important alliance," Pence said at Turnbull's harbourside official residence in Sydney. Australia is one of Washington's staunchest allies and has sent troops to fight alongside the US military in conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Asylum-seeker advocates welcomed the US commitment, although they remained concerned that "extreme vetting" could see fewer than 1,250 resettled in the United States. "It speaks volumes for the commitment, the integrity of President Trump," he said.

Source: The Star April 22, 2017 06:22 UTC