Off the wire
• Chinese Premier vows to upgrade cooperation with Cameroon  • Germany invests 100 mln euros in universities of applied sciences  • Job vacancy rate slightly down in euro zone  • Chinese premier meets Vietnamese deputy PM  • China Focus: Food safety top concern in China  • Catalan nationalist parties Convergencia, Unio end 37 years of cooperation  • WTA Birmingham results  • Vietnam, Denmark sign energy MoU  • 1st LD-Writethru-Xinhua Insight: Xi emphasizes innovation, better livelihoods on Guizhou Province tour  • Vietnam grants visa exemption for 5 European countries  
You are here: 　 Home

Lebanon urges Syria to set up safe areas for refugees

Xinhua, June 18, 2015 Adjust font size:

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.

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. Endit