Suleiman Pushing for Return of Refugees to Syria
President Michel Suleiman has said Lebanese authorities would push for the return of some of the Syrian refugees, who have escaped to Lebanon, to safe areas in their country.
In remarks to An Nahar newspaper published on Monday, Suleiman said: “Their return would take place through coordination with the local administration.”
“Some of the displaced could return to safe areas in Syria or could be placed in camps inside Syria under the supervision of international agencies,” he said.
The issue will be discussed at a ministerial-level gathering to be held on Monday as part of UNHCR's annual Executive Committee gathering in Geneva.
Those discussions will seek to build consensus for large-scale commitments incorporating humanitarian and emergency development support.
Suleiman said the possible return of the refugees would be managed by a committee that he had proposed to form during last week's International Support Group for Lebanon meeting that was held on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.
“We are determined to implement the decisions reached at the meeting by holding similar conferences,” Suleiman told An Nahar.
Monday's Geneva conference will form three committees to resolve the Syrian refugee crisis – one that deals with finances, the other works on sending them to other countries and the third to find refuge to them inside Syria.
Meanwhile, Suleiman, whose visit to Saudi Arabia that was scheduled to take place on Tuesday has been postponed, is set to travel to the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.
As Safir daily said that his talks with UAE officials will focus on the situation of the Lebanese community there, in addition to bilateral ties and the conflicts in the region.
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