Miqati Urges Establishment of Camps inside Syria to Host Refugees
Caretaker Premier Najib Miqati reiterated on Wednesday his call on the international community to set up camps inside Syrian territories to host the refugees after they posed a huge burden on Lebanon.
“The international community should take seriously the idea to establish safe camps inside Syria,” Miqati said at the international fundraising conference in Kuwait.
He lamented that the war in Syria had severe repercussions on the Lebanese economy, leading to a drop in investments and a paralysis in trade and tourism.
Studies carried out between 2012 and 2014 have shown that the GDP shrank 7.5 billion dollars, costing the treasury 5.1 billion dollars, he said.
Miqati warned that unemployment doubled, reaching 20 percent mainly in poor areas.
Lebanon is in desperate need for humanitarian assistance to the refugees and assistance to the economy, he said.
Its urgent needs for 2014 to avoid a further deterioration in services go beyond 800 million dollars, Miqati added.
He thanked Kuwait and its Emir and all the donor countries, hoping their efforts would lead to a political solution to end Syria's crisis.
Kuwait Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah opened the conference with a pledge of $500 million towards an unprecedented $6.5 billion appeal by the United Nations to aid millions of Syrians.
Addressing Arabs and the international community at the end of his speech, Miqati said: “Don't forget Lebanon …. Preserve Lebanon.”
He also urged them to keep Lebanon at a distance from the regional turmoil.
After the conference, Miqati held talks with the Kuwaiti Emir.
A statement issued by Miqati's press office said discussions focused on bilateral ties.
He also held separate talks with U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi, Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and a number of other officials.
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