Speaking at a news conference, Mr. Hollande said France would accept the refugees as part of an obligatory scheme to redistribute the hundreds of thousands of people that have arrived in the European Union this year, many from war-torn countries such as Syria who are seeking refuge in Western Europe.
“The important word is ’obligatory,’” Mr. Hollande said.
The plan will redistribute 120,000 of them, Mr. Hollande said.
France also said it would begin reconnaissance flights over Islamic State positions in Syria to identify potential targets, deepening the country’s involvement in the regional conflict.
France has conducted airstrikes against Islamic State’s forces in Iraq, but has previously refused to hit the radical Islamist group in its Syrian home territory. Mr. Hollande didn’t want French airstrikes to bolster Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad, Islamic State’s main foe in Syria’s chaotic civil war. After conducting reconnaissance and identifying targets in Syria, “we will be ready to conduct strikes,” Mr. Hollande said.
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