Germany offers 19 million USD to assist Syrian refugees in Lebanon

The Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati met on Thursday with the German Ambassador to Lebanon Birgitta Maria Siefker-Eberle, and discussed with her the latest developments, in the presence of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Representative in Lebanon Ninette Kelley and the UNICEF Representative in Lebanon Annamaria Laurini.           

The German ambassador stressed that she tackled the critical issue of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon, noting that the Lebanese government launched on the third of December 2012, a call on the International Community to act in this regard.                

She added that an amount of at least $179 Million USD is needed during the first half of 2013 to help Lebanon deal with this big challenge where it is expected that around 150 thousand Syrians will enter Lebanon.                    

On the other hand, the ambassador considered that her country responded to the plan placed by the Lebanese Government, as Germany has engaged in ensuring 10% of the amount included in the plan (which is equivalent to 14 million and 730 thousand Euros, or 19 million and 200 thousand USD).