Lebanese president calls on Syrian refugees to return
Lebanese President Michel Aoun said his country can no longer cope with the burden of 1.5 million Syrian refugees but made clear that he had no plan to force them to return to war-torn Syria.
FILE PHOTO: Lebanese President Michel Aoun said it was in the international community's interest to solve the refugee problem so that existing political, economic and social problems in Lebanon did not get out of hand.
The international community needs to help Syrian refugees in Lebanon return to "calm" parts of Syria, Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Monday.
The Lebanese president’s call comes just two weeks after he said he wants Syrian refugees living in his country to henceforth start returning to their homes, voluntarily or not.
There are currently an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, equal to around a quarter of Lebanon’s population. Aoun said Lebanon can no longer cope with the influx.
"My country cannot handle it anymore," Aoun told the representatives of the European Union, the Arab League and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council at a meeting in Beirut, according to his media office.
Adding clarity to his previous statement during a state visit to France on September 25, Aoun said he was not asking those who have political problems with the Syrian regime to go back and had no plan to force people back to places where they could face persecution.
Many Lebanese worry refugees threaten the country's security and burden its sluggish economy, which has been hard-hit by Syria's war.
Aoun also asked international aid agencies not to "scare" refugees who want to return from doing so.
The Lebanese president had previously said UN assistance given to aid Syrian refugees in "camps of misery" in Lebanon would be better used to return them to their country, pointing out that most of the Syrian regions from which the refugees hail are "now secure."
Calls for refugees to return come as the Syrian regime shores up its rule over the main urban centres and ceasefire deals have eased fighting with rebels in parts of western Syria.
Syrian refugee women and children work in a field in Al-Khiam village in south Lebanon. Some Lebanese oppose refugees who take jobs and see them as a strain on Lebanon's already dysfunctional public services.
Refugees in Lebanon have faced waves of hostility since the conflict in neighbouring Syria took hold.
But the debate over their presence has taken a harder edge in recent months, fuelled by political leaders who say Lebanon has lost patience with the social and financial burden of the refugee crisis.
As they press demands for refugees to return to Syria, Lebanese politicians have warned of rising public anger.
In recent months, most of Lebanon's main parties have united in pushing for repatriation, a difficult demand as war has ravaged much of Syria.
Rights groups have warned against forced return, and refugees often say they fear conscription into the Syrian regime forces.
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