Salam to Highlight Ongoing Refugees Crisis during International Meet in Berlin

Prime Minister Tammam Salam is expected to tackle the lingering crisis of Syrian refugees on Lebanese soil during a visit to Germany on October 27 and 28.

According to al-Liwaa newspaper published on Monday, Salam will discuss during a meeting for the International Support Group for Lebanon in the German capital Berlin the exerted efforts to limit the Syrian influx into Lebanon.

The group was inaugurated in New York in September 2013, on the sidelines of the 68th session of the General Assembly.

The premier will also reiterate calls on the international community to share the burden of the displaced Syrians.

Salam's visit will be tackled during a cabinet session that will be held at the Grand Serail on Thursday.

There are already more than 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, which has a population of just four million people.

Many are already living in informal tented settlements on farmland or empty fields in parts of the country.

The refugee influx has put massive pressure on the country's limited resources and contributed to rising tensions in a nation with a delicate sectarian balance and bitter memories from a 15-year civil war.

The conflict in Syria has regularly spilled over into Lebanon, with the border region often particularly volatile.

The Lebanese army is battling jihadists from Syria in northeastern Lebanon which has sparked a backlash against Syrian refugees.

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