Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said on Saturday that a controversial refugee resettlement deal with the United States would go ahead, despite US immigration officials postponing interviews with asylum seekers. Reuters reported on Friday that US officials had pulled planned second-round interviews with detainees in an Australian camp on the Pacific island of Nauru, suggesting Washington is already blocking progress on a controversial refugee resettlement deal.
Detainees and an official source said interview dates were pulled on Saturday, hours after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order that suspended the US refugee programme for 120 days and stopped visits by travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries.
Bishop said both countries were still working through the details of the agreement, which sparked a rare diplomatic spat between the two staunch allies, with Trump berating Australia's prime minister in an angry phone call.
"The agreement is to be honoured by the Trump administration (so) I'm pleased this agreement will continue," Bishop told reporters in Western Australia.
"We remain in contact with the Trump administration and our embassy in Washington is also working with US officials and we expect that vetting process would be as tough as Australia's vetting process in terms of health and security checks," she added.
Bishop said "my understanding is that interviewing and vetting is still
taking place", without providing any further details.
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