Aoun to EU Delegation: Lebanon Will Solve Refugees Crisis 'Regardless of EU, U.N. Opinion'

President Michel Aoun assured on Friday that Lebanon will find a solution for the Syrian refugees crisis “regardless of the EU and U.N.'s opinions because it is an existential threat,” the Presidency media office quoted Aoun.

The President’s remarks came during a meeting with a EU ministerial delegation and head of the European Union Election Observation Mission.

“We will try to find a solution for Syrian refugees crisis regardless of the EU and U.N.'s opinion because it is an existential threat related to Lebanon’s stability, independence and sovereignty,” he said.

“We expect the European union to help us return the Syrian refugees, monitor this return and make sure it is safe and stable, especially that the Syrian government does not refuse their return to safe towns and villages,” added Aoun.

Late in April, the President said he rejects a U.N.-EU joint statement issued during the “Brussels Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region”, noting that it contained a call for a “veiled naturalization” of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

The U.N., the EU and major world powers have recently warned that “present conditions” in Syria are “not conducive for voluntary repatriation in safety and dignity.”

Their statement's were not welcomed in Lebanon, as Lebanese officials, mainly Speaker Nabih Berri and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil rejecting the statement.

Almost one million Syrians are registered as refugees in Lebanon, though many expect the real number is much higher.

Syria's war has killed more than 350,000 people and displaced millions since starting in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

On Lebanon’s Upcoming elections, Aoun explained to the delegation that each Lebanese voter shall vote for one of the competing lists and shall be entitled to cast one preferential vote for a candidate of the same chosen list, with the country divided into 15 electoral constituencies.

Adding, that Lebanese expats in Arab and foreign countries have been able to cast their votes from abroad, a first for Lebanon.