Hollande to Visit Beirut over Refugee Crisis
French President Francois Hollande said Monday that he would visit Beirut to meet with Lebanese officials and inspect Syrian refugee encampments.
Speaking at his bi-annual press conference, Hollande said that his trip to Lebanon would come after the U.N. General Assembly session in New York later this month.
The International Support Group for Lebanon will meet on the sidelines of the session.
Hollande said he will travel to Lebanon to visit a refugee encampment and assess the needs of the displaced Syrians.
He said the Syrian war had severe consequences on Lebanon, which is witnessing a political crisis.
“A president has not been elected and the parliament is finding difficulty in holding a session. We should stand by the Lebanese,” the president stated.
Hollande said the European Commission was preparing to unveil a proposal for mandatory quotas for EU states to relocate 120,000 refugees, "which for France will represent 24,000 people. We will do it."
European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker will unveil the proposals for mandatory quotas on Wednesday.
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Source: Agence France Presse, Naharnet
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