Derbas Says Number of Syrian Refugees Dropping
Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas said the number of Syrians seeking refuge in Lebanon has been dropping although a decision on not to accept more refugees hasn't been fully implemented yet.
The UNHCR reports show that the number of refugees in Lebanon began to decline, Derbas told An Nahar newspaper in remarks published on Tuesday.
The government announced last month that it will not accept any more refugees from neighboring war-torn Syria, except in what it deems to be "exceptional" cases.
Lebanon has 1.5 million Syrian refugees.
European countries and the U.S. have been extremely reluctant to accept Syrian refugees, leaving the burden to countries neighboring Syria — Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq, which are ill-equipped to deal with the floods of people
There are over 3 million Syrian refugees from the war. Another 6 million have been displaced within Syria, making it one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
A ministerial committee tasked with following up the case of Syrian refugees in Lebanon is scheduled to meet on Tuesday under Prime Minister Tammam Salam.
Derbas said the talks will focus on the results of the conference on the displaced that was held in Berlin on Oct. 28.
During the conference, which was attended by envoys from 40 nations, including Salam, Derbas and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, Germany announced it would increase its assistance to Syria's neighbors to $637 million over the next three years and the U.S. pledged to send an additional $10 million.
Anne Richard, an assistant U.S. secretary of state, urged governments in the region to continue accepting refugees despite the strains. But Bassil made clear that his country's ability to host refugees was exhausted and suggested it's time to consider sending some Syrians back.
United Nations Assistant Emergency Relief Coordinator and Director Ross Mountain also pressed a $2.2 billion assistance to Lebanon to help the refugees and affected Lebanese families.
An Nahar said Derbas is expected to travel to Geneva on December 9 to follow up the issue with donor countries.
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