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Lebanon demands debt relief from Int'l community to face off Syrian refugee crisis

Xinhua, June 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

Lebanon's Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil said on Wednesday that the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon requires the international community to give debt relief to his country, the national news agency (NNA) reported.

"The refugee crisis needs qualitative solutions by the international community such as debt relief and buying all our agricultural products," Bassil said at the opening of the Beirut Ministerial Conference on the European Neighborhood Policy Review.

Bassil warned that the crisis has severe economic, social and security repercussions on Syria's neighboring countries.

Bassil called for "cooperation to dry the sources of Islamic State (IS) thoughts and their financial support coming from states, organizations or individuals."

According to the United Nations Higher Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 1.2 million Syrians in Lebanon are registers as refugees with the agency.

The Lebanese authorities claimed that more Syrians have entered the country illegally and are not registered.

The conference is attended by European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Johannes Hahn who signed with Lebanese officials two financing agreements that would grant 38.13 million U.S. dollars in support of national stability and the protection of maritime resources. Endit