Ban Hails Lebanon's Efforts to Confront Burden of Syrian Conflict
U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday that Lebanon was able to confront the turmoil in the neighboring country Syria “outstandingly,” stressing that the international community was unified over maintaining the country's stability.
“The international support group for Lebanon is set to enable the United Nations and it's key partners to aid Lebanon in various fields,” Ban said in comments published in An Nahar newspaper.
He noted that the support group was established to reflect the unity of the international community concerning Lebanon and its needs.
The UNHCR has registered more than 746,000 Syrians in Lebanon, though many others remain unregistered.
The Lebanese government puts the number of Syrians in the country at 1.3 million, though that figure includes Syrians who were already in the country when the conflict began 30 months ago.
The crisis in Syria has placed enormous strain on Lebanon, politically and economically.
Lebanon has struggled to absorb ever-growing numbers of refugees, who have placed additional burdens on already scare resources including water.
President Michel Suleiman headed on Monday to New York to attend the General Assembly, which will convene to September 27.
A meeting of the International Group to Support Lebanon at France's initiative will be held on September 25 to help Lebanon cope with the large influx of refugee.
According to An Nahar daily published on Tuesday, the memorandum of understanding set by Ban Ki-moon points out that the “turmoil in Syria is enormously affecting Lebanon's security and stability.”
It stresses that “any obligation by the United Nations will be reflected by resolutions agreed upon by the Security Council.”
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