Mikati urges International Community to cooperate with Lebanon on refugee return to Syria-[REPORT]

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati urged on Monday the International Community to cooperate with Lebanon to return the displaced Syrians to their homeland, otherwise, Lebanon "will take a position that is undesirable for Western countries, which is to work on getting the Syrians out of Lebanon through legal means, enforcing Lebanese laws."

 

Mikati’s comments were made during the launch of the 2022 Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP) at the invitation of the Ministry of Social Affairs, whereby he indicated that “Lebanon has been under unbearable pressure due to the presence of more than 1.7 million displaced Syrians and Palestinian refugees living in all parts of the country, in 97% of Lebanon's municipalities.”

 

“We have welcomed the displaced Syrians warmly and with conviction, since it is our humanitarian duty. Lebanon has shown the highest levels of embrace and hospitality for them, despite the reality of the vulnerability and fragility of our host communities, which are increasingly in need,” Mikati stated.

 

This as United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon and Humanitarian Coordinator Najat Rushdi stressed that "nine out of ten Syrians in Lebanon live in poverty, while poverty levels have also increased significantly among the Lebanese, immigrants and Palestinians populations.”

 

In this regard, Canadian Ambassador to Lebanon Chantal Chastenay spoke on behalf of the donor countries, whereby she mentioned the Brussels Conference, in which 4.1 billion dollars were pledged to the displaced Syrians and host communities.

 

She then reaffirmed the commitment to a political solution to Syria’s crisis, and the focus on the recovery process within the country, promising to support the host countries.

 

In turn, Caretaker Minister of Social Affairs Hector Hajjar pointed out that the Lebanese state is no longer able to bear the burdens of this file, noting that it has incurred multi-dimensional losses for many years.