Suleiman Urges Arabs to Share Number of Syrian Refugees, Support Lebanon's Neutrality
President Michel Suleiman demanded Arab nations on Tuesday to share the burden of hosting Syrian refugees, urging also encouraging factions to neutralize the country from the ongoing turmoil in Syria.
“We urge convincing the largest number of Arab countries to share the burden and the number of Syrian refugees,” Suleiman said in a speech he gave at the Arab Summit in the Kuwaiti capital.
Suleiman emphasized on the necessity of hosting refugees in safe regions inside Syria, stressing that Lebanon cannot bear the refugees' crisis on its territories.
"The long-term negative consequences on Lebanon's economy require many years of care and follow-up,” he noted.
The influx of nearly one million Syrian refugees, according to U.N. figures, has swollen Lebanon's population by 25 percent since the war broke out across the border in March 2011.
The United Nations forecasts that registered refugees in Lebanon could reach 1.5 million by the end of the year.
The president also called on Arab nations to continue supporting Lebanon in all fields, particularly urging them to “encourage the different factions to commit to neutralizing Lebanon, control the border with Syria, and draw an end to Israeli violations.”
"Amid the current challenges, an international support committee was formed to help Lebanon and we have reached several conclusions that enable us to face the refugees' crisis,” Suleiman said.
He continued: “The committee also called for disassociating Lebanon from regional turmoil and implementing the Baabda Declaration.”
“We also agreed on new policies to support the army and we welcome the exceptional Saudi donation to the military institution.”
Suleiman described the situation in Syria as the “worst misery since World War II.”
“Lebanon is concerned with the developments in Syria and we are keen on supporting dialogue and communication to reach a political solution in the country,” he said.
“We want a solution that ends the worst misery since WWII, that helps in releasing the kidnapped, on top of them the two abducted bishops, and a solution that preserves the rights of all Syrians without any foreign meddling,” he added.
Suleiman also demanded increasing the financial support given to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), to strengthen its support to the Palestinian refugees in the country.
“We also call for financial aid to continue rebuilding the (northern) Nahr al-Bared refugee camp,” he said.
Separately, Suleiman pledged “to work on holding the presidential elections according to Lebanon's democratic traditions.”
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