Abu Faour Hopes Countries Follow Germany's Move in Hosting Syrian Refugees

Caretaker Social Affairs Minister Wael Abu Faour hailed Germany's stance to host more than 5,000 Syrian refugees who escaped the bloodshed to Lebanon, describing the step as a “breakthrough” in addressing the problematic issue.

“Lebanon achieved a breakthrough in addressing the issue of Syrian refugees in Lebanon through the approval of Germany to host 5,000 refugees who came to Lebanon over three months ago. They have been registered with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees,” Abu Faour told An Nahar daily published Thursday.

Voicing hopes that other countries follow Germany's move, he added: “The number of refugees may not change much in the equation, but the move can be built upon with Arab and foreign countries.”

Germany, which is one of the largest refugee-receiving nations in the developed world, made the offer in March as numbers fleeing war-torn Syria continued to spiral reaching 535,000 in Lebanon alone, a UNHCR report said.

UNHCR said that it was probing the issue with other nations, as it seeks to ease the burden on Syria's immediate neighbors, which are hosting 1.6 million refugees.

Refugee numbers have spiraled since the outbreak of fighting between rebels and the regime of President Bashar Assad in 2011, with most fleeing to Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq, Syria's direct neighbors, as well as to Egypt.