CALAIS: French President Francois Hollande said Monday the sprawling "Jungle" migrant camp in Calais would be dismantled by the end of this year under a plan to spread asylum seekers around the country.
"I have come to Calais to confirm the decision that I took with the government... to dismantle (the camp) definitively, entirely and rapidly, that means by the end of the year," Hollande said on his first visit to Calais as president.
Hollande called on British authorities to help in assisting the migrants, most of whom are desperate to reach Britain.
"I am determined to see the British authorities play their part in the humanitarian effort that France is undertaking" in Calais, Hollande said, flanked by security forces.
Between 7,000 and 10,000 migrants are currently living in the "Jungle", the launchpad for their attempts to stow away on lorries heading across the Channel to England.
Hollande met police, local politicians, NGOs and business leaders in the northern port city but was not expected to visit the camp itself.
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