Abou Faour Reiterates Calls on Arab Countries to Aid with Refugees Influx
Caretaker Social Affairs Minister Wael Abou Faour reiterated on Sunday calls on Arab countries that are keen to aid the Syrian people and preserve stability in Lebanon to help it confront the growing challenge imposed by the large influx of refugees.
“The Lebanese state can no longer endure the displacement crisis,” Abou Faour said in comments published in the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat.
He revealed that the public health system is “on the verge of breaking down due to the burdens caused by the Syrian refugees.”
Abou Faour pointed out that President Michel Suleiman kicked off a series of endeavors on the diplomatic and local levels to avert the dangers arising from the increasing number of refugees.
Suleiman discussed on Saturday with Gulf Cooperation Council ambassadors Lebanon's suggestion to help it confront the influx of Syrian refugees.
The meeting, which was attended by caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour, tackled the proposals made by Lebanese authorities for the contribution of several states in sharing the burden of the refugees.
More than half a million Syrian refugees crossed into Lebanon, the U.N. Refugees Agency reported.
The U.N. said Friday that a total of $3.8 billion is needed to help Syrian refugees who have spilled across the country's borders to escape fighting at home.
The figure for operations inside Syria was put at another $1.4 billion.
More than 94,000 people have been killed since the civil war began in March 2011 after President Bashar Assad's forces cracked down on protests against his regime, according to The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The flood of refugees to Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt has also swelled to more than 1.5 million. Syria's pre-war population was estimated at about 22 million.
Lebanon and Jordan have asked donors for $450 million and $380 million respectively.
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