Asia

Asia

Lebanon urges Syria to set up safe areas for refugees

18 June 2015 22:28 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Lebanon's Minister of Social Affairs Rashid Derbas called Thursday for the establishment of safe areas in Syria to enable Syrian refugees in Lebanon to return to their home country, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

In a press statement issued by his office, Derbas stressed that Lebanon should be on "alert to address the grave repercussions of the Syrian population's displacement to Lebanon, as all political forces agree on the grave impact of the Syrians' presence on the country."

He stressed the "importance of drawing a national plan with the participation of all political forces and civil society to address this issue."

According to the United Nations Higher Commission for refugees, Lebanon hosts over 1.2 million Syrian refugees.

As of the beginning of the year, the Lebanese government started applying strict measures restricting the entry of Syrians into Lebanon in order to confront their influx into the country.