Lebanon to solve refugee crisis regardless of EU, UN opinion

BEIRUT, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's President Michel Aoun assured Friday that his country will find a solution for the Syrian refugee crisis "regardless of the EU and UN's opinions."

Aoun's remarks came during a meeting with a EU ministerial delegation and head of the European Union Election Observation Mission, said the presidential media office.

Aoun stressed that the Syrian refugee crisis "is an existential threat related to Lebanon's stability, independence and sovereignty."

"We expect the European Union to help us return the Syrian refugees, monitor this return and make sure it is safe and stable, especially that the Syrian government does not refuse their return to safe towns and villages," added the president.

Aoun rejected last month a UN-EU joint statement issued during the Brussels Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region, noting that it contained a call for a "veiled naturalization" of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

The UN, the EU and major world powers have recently warned that "present conditions" in Syria are "not conducive for voluntary repatriation in safety and dignity."

According to the United Nations Higher Commission for Refugees, Lebanon hosts more than 1 million Syrians who fled their war-torn country since the rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad erupted in 2011, though many expect the real number much higher. Enditem