Syrian Refugee Camps Not Ruled Out as Miqati Reiterates Humanitarian Commitment

Social Affairs Minister Wael Abou Faour on Wednesday did not rule out setting up camps for Syrian refugees in Lebanon if the number of the displaced sees a dramatic rise.

“The choice of camps is not under discussion but it is not ruled out” in case of a large wave of refugees escaping the fighting between regime troops and rebels, Abou Faour told reporters following a meeting between Prime Minister Najib Miqati and U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos at the Grand Serail.

Abou Faour said that during the meeting, Amos was briefed on the government's plan to help the Syrian refugees whose numbers have soared to 128,841.

While expressing the readiness of the involved ministries to implement the plan, Abou Faour said: “We only need the financial help of the international community.”

Miqati asked for financial assistance from the U.N. under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs to help the Lebanese government in the implementation of its plan, the minister told reporters.

Despite differences on the Syrian crisis there is consensus among Lebanon's different factions to protect the Syrian refugees, Abou Faour stressed.

Lebanon is divided between factions that support Syrian President Bashar Assad and those backing the revolution against him, a legacy of the nearly three decades when Damascus all but ruled Lebanon, until 2005.

There are now 128,841 displaced Syrians in Lebanon, either registered or are in the process of registration, with nearly 7,000 registered in the last week alone, according to the latest weekly report of the U.N. refugee agency.

Amos, who arrived in Beirut on Tuesday, told reporters that she talked with Miqati about the refugees present in Lebanon and “how to support them and to determine how they will be looked after.”

“The U.N. will continue to support the Lebanese government,” she said.

More than 40,000 people have been killed since the uprising against Assad began in March last year, according to activists, while the Amos said around 2.5 million are in need of help inside Syria alone.

Miqati said on twitter following his meeting with Amos that Lebanon “remains committed to the humanitarian duty towards the displaced Syrians” despite a decision by the Lebanese government to steer itself clear of the Syrian crisis.

He said the government will soon call for a meeting of international humanitarian agencies to achieve a unified vision on providing the needed humanitarian assistance to the refugees.