Beirut: Lebanon will file complaints in international forums to obtain its rights concerning the repatriation of Syrian refugees, President Michel Aoun said.
“We developed a legal study about the stipulations of local, regional, and international laws with regard to dealing with the displaced; we will file complaints in international forums to obtain our rights, especially since Syria is willing to take back refugees and does not oppose this matter,” a statement released by the presidency quoted Aoun as saying on Monday.
The President expressed his concerns with the comments made at the fifth Brussels Conference on Syria on encouraging Syrian refugees’ integration into their host societies despite the deteriorating living conditions and the increasing crime rate in Lebanon, reports Xinhua news agency.
He said that Lebanon could no longer bear the repercussions of hosting huge numbers of Syrian refugees on its territories.
Lebanon’s Minister of Displaced Issam Charafeddine launched a plan last month to return 15,000 Syrian refugees monthly to their home country.
However, the UN Refugee Agency did not agree to some of its terms, including the request to suspend aid payment to Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and has withdrawn from the tripartite committee proposed by Beirut.
Lebanon hosts the world’s largest number of refugees per capita, with a government estimate of the Syrian refugees in the country at 1.5 million.
Having been struggling with a worsening financial crisis since late 2019, Lebanon has repeatedly said the influx of refugees weighs heavily on the country’s economy and infrastructure.
–IANS
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