Derbas Says Social Affairs Ministry to Survey Number of Refugees

Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas stressed on Saturday that the number of registered Syrian refugees didn't drop-off so far.

He revealed in comments published in An Nahar newspaper that his ministry will “carry out a new survey to count the displaced” to unveil the effectiveness of the new measures taken by the state to limit their numbers.

Derbas stressed that the “crossing of Syrians into Lebanon decreased” but the number of those who are registered remained the same.

His comments come in light of a statement by General Security chief Major General Abbas Ibrahim, who said that the numbers of Syrians in Lebanon “decreases by 300,000” since the new implemented measures to control the flow of refugees.

Although Lebanese border officials began informally restricting the entry of Syrians last October, Beirut officially imposed visa regulations in December on their neighbors. The move was the first such in decades.

The UNHCR says there are about 1,150,000 Syrian refugees registered in Lebanon.

Derbas and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil were at loggerheads recently over the Syrian refugee crisis after accusations that the authorities were accepting more displaced Syrians despite a decision not to do so.

Derbas and Bassil briefly argued over the issue during a cabinet session held at the Grand Serail after the foreign minister told the government that he had information about the entry of more Syrian refugees to Lebanon.

Since last September, around 50,000 new refugees have been officially registered, Bassil told the cabinet.

But Derbas denied Bassil's claims.

H.K.

D.A.