Riachi Launches Campaign to Mitigate Tension over Refugees in Lebanon
Minister of Information Melhem Riachi launched on Thursday a media campaign devised to mitigate the growing tension in the Lebanese community as the result of hosting scores of Syrian refugees.
"There is a problem which we need to resolve. We need to prevent tension between the Lebanese people and the Syrian refugees,” said Riachi in a press conference he held in the presence of UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag.
"There is a pressing need of an overarching media campaign to raise awareness over the relation between the hosts and the guests," he added, pointing out that the United Nations announced its support for the campaign.
For her part, Kaag, hailed Riachi's efforts as "a positive message that construes Lebanon's capacity and resilience.”
She stressed: “The international community must hear the suffering of Lebanon which is hosting the displaced with an open heart, generosity and hospitality.
"There is tension between the Lebanese and Syrian refugees; this rivalry is manifest at the job market," said Kaag.
"We want to treat the refugees in a proper way and we want for them to return to their country," she added.
"Dialogue must be promoted and launched; and media means have a very important role in that regard," she continued.
"We want to collaborate with the civil society. The goal is Lebanon's prosperity and the integrity of its territories," she concluded.
More than one million Syrians are registered with the United Nations as refugees in Lebanon, a country of just four million people.
Source: Naharnet
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