World Bank Chief in Lebanon to Address Syrian Refugees File

The head of the World Bank Jim Yong Kim is scheduled to arrive in Lebanon on Monday on a two-day visit aimed at discussing the case of Syrian refugees in the country, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday.

Kim had expressed his dismay with the international community's support for Lebanon in helping it contain the burden of the refugees, noting that the country and Jordan are bearing the brunt of the displaced, said the daily.

He added that the support Beirut and Amman are presenting the refugees is not being reciprocated by the international community.

His trip is aimed at demonstrating what these two countries have done to world by harboring such a large number of displaced, he told the daily.

He also seeks to emphasize the severity of the situation, “which is getting worse with every passing week and month,”, continued An Nahar.

The World Bank has meanwhile been generous in aiding the two countries and it will continue to make pledges to further assist them, noted Kim according to the daily.

Kim is scheduled to hold talks during his visit with Prime Minister Tammam Salam.

A World Bank report published in 2013 noted that the Lebanese economy had incurred losses of USD 7.5 billion due to the refugees.

Kim will travel to Saudi Arabia on Sunday prior to heading to Lebanon and later Jordan.

His talks with Saudi officials will discuss means to help Beirut and Amman contain the burden of the refugees.

The UNHCR's periodic report revealed on Monday that the number of Syrians who fled the war-torn neighboring country has reached 1,058,088, in addition to 11,000 who crossed into the country in the past week.

The United Nations has called for gathering USD 1,89 billion to support Lebanon in dealing with the refugee crisis in 2014, but has only received USD 242 million of the total amount.

The government recently formed a ministerial cell to follow up on the refugees' conditions and adopt procedures to deal with the influx of Syrians in cooperation with concerned administrative bodies.

The Foreign Ministry was also tasked with seeking to establish safe refugee camps inside Syria or in the border region between both countries, in cooperation with concerned parties.

M.T.

D.A.