Russian, Chinese 'Veto' Stopping Refugees from Returning to Safe Areas in Syria

The top U.N. official for humanitarian aid, Valerie Amos, has informed Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas that Lebanon's demand to send Syrian refugees to safer areas inside Syria has been met with Russian and Chinese veto.

According to Derbas, Amos said she informed the major powers four times about Lebanon's request. But she was confronted with veto from the Russian and Chinese diplomats at the U.N.

Derbas told An Nahar daily in remarks published on Thursday that he also informed Amos during her visit to Beirut that Lebanese authorities accepted to host Assyrian refugees out of fears on the minorities in the Middle East.

At least 190 Assyrian Christians remain captives of the Islamic State extremist group, which overran several Christian villages in Syria's eastern Hassakeh province.

The minister said Amos hoped the Kuwait III conference on March 13 would be able to play a determining role in stabilizing the situation in the refugee hosting countries.

There are more than 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Well over half of them are living in insecure dwellings – up from a third last year.

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