Bassil Meets Syrian Ambassador, Discuss UNRWA File

Caretaker Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil has met on Monday with Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Abdul Karim Ali, the State-run National News Agency reported.

The two men discussed the latest developments after a U.S. decision to halt funding for the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA.

Bassil had on Sunday blasted the U.S. decision, stressing that Lebanon will not accept “naturalization or partitioning.”

Washington, which until last year was by far the biggest contributor to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), said Friday it would no longer fund the "irredeemably flawed operation".

Some 450,000 refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with many living in the country’s 12 refugee camps.

Palestine refugees represent an estimated ten per cent of the population of Lebanon.

The ongoing conflict in Syria has forced many Palestine refugees from that country, including men, women and children, to flee to Lebanon in search of safety.