Germany Receives Second Batch of Syrian Refugees

As part of a U.N. program to relocate Syrian refugees in Western countries, Germany has received on Thursday 106 Syrians who left Lebanon through Rafik Hariri International Airport heading to Berlin, escaping more than two years of bloodshed in their war-torn country.

“106 Syrian refugees most of whom are women and children, flew to Germany where they were accepted for temporary resettlement,”said Roberta Russa of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

“The plan comes as part of the 4,000 refugees that Germany has accepted to receive on a two-year basis. They will be permitted for a minimum of two years stay,” she added.

Russa added that the names of the 4,000 refugees planned to be received by Germany have been agreed upon in collaboration with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and the Lebanese government.

Moreover, she pointed out that the criteria has taken into consideration “the humanitarian needs of these individuals and families, such as their health conditions as well as the cultural ties that some have with Germany.”

Germany has already welcomed more than 100 Syrian refugees in September under the European country's relocation program.

More than two million Syrians, who have fled their conflict-torn homeland, are in countries neighboring Lebanon including Jordan, Turkey and Iraq, which along with the UNHCR have appealed for more international help to shoulder the burden.

With no sign of an end to the Syrian civil war, which broke out in 2011, UNHCR has appealed to rich countries to offer a haven for some 12,000 of the most vulnerable refugees.

Besides Germany, Austria has offered 500 places. Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland have also pledged more than 1,650 places together.

The United States has also told the UNHCR that it was willing to consider an unspecified number of cases, and talks are under way with Britain, reports say.