Australian prime minister did not tell Trump of refugee deal

The Australian prime minister on Monday confirmed that he did not tell President-elect Donald Trump that the United States had agreed to resettle an unspecified number of refugees languishing at Australia’s expense in Pacific island camps.

In announcing the deal on Sunday, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull would not say whether he had discussed it with Trump during their telephone conversation on Thursday.

Turnbull could not say whether the refugees would be resettled before the Trump administration takes over on Jan. 20. The numbers and timing would be decided by the United States.

The Obama administration had agreed to resettle refugees among almost 1,300 asylum seekers held at Australia’s expense on the island nations of Nauru and Papua New Guinea. Another 370 who came to Australia for medical treatment and then refused to return to the islands would also be eligible.