Miqati Will Request Aid for Syrian Refugees in Lebanon at U.N. General Assembly

Prime Minister Najib Miqati traveled to New York City on Saturday to take part in the United Nations General Assembly, where he is likely to stress the Lebanese government's policy of disassociating itself from the Syrian crisis, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday.

He will likely also demand the international community's assistance in catering to the needs of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

The premier left Beirut for New York on Saturday morning at the head of a delegation and he is scheduled to deliver Lebanon's speech at the General Assembly on Thursday.

The U.N. says more than 1.2 million Syrians, over half of them children, have become internally displaced in the country while an estimated 250,000 refugees sought shelter in neighboring Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq, with around 40,000 refugee in Lebanon.

While in New York, Miqati may hold talks with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, French President Francois Hollands, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and a number of other officials.

He is also expected to attend the official reception U.S. President Barack Obama will be holding in honor of the delegations attending the General Assembly.