France says it won't host more than 30,000 refugees-PM

PARIS, Sept 24 (Reuters) - France will not welcome more refugees than the 30,000 it has pledged to host within the next two years as part of a broader European Union plan, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Thursday.

"It won't be more," Valls said on France 2 television. "We cannot welcome to Europe all those who flee Syria's dictatorship."

The 28-country EU plans to take a total 160,000 refugees.

"Immigration has always been an opportunity for our country (...) but all this must be mastered, organised," Valls said.

He said that France was already welcoming 200,000 citizens a year through family reunification, student programmes and economic migration.

On Monday, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development warned Europe could expect a record one million people to request asylum this year as refugees flee war Syria and Iraq. Almost half of that million will likely qualify for asylum, it said.

In what appeared to be efforts to counter concerns over immigration and criticisms by the far-right National Front party, Valls said that refugees who wouldn't be granted asylum would have to leave France.