In Strasbourg, Aoun Rejects Linking Refugee Return to Political Solution in Syria
President Michel Aoun stressed Tuesday that Lebanon cannot wait for a “political solution” in Syria to repatriate the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who live on its soil.
“Lebanon is seeking to secure a dignified and safe return for the displaced to their homeland,” Aoun said in a speech before the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
“It rejects any procrastination in this regard and endorses every support aimed at resolving the issue of the heavy Syrian refugee presence on its soil, such as the Russian initiative,” the president added.
Lebanon rejects that the refugee return be “confined to a political solution that might protract,” Aoun emphasized.
Russia launched an initiative in July to repatriate Syrian refugees from around the region.
The proposal has been welcomed by the political class in Lebanon, which reporrtedly hosts around 1.5 million Syrian refugees.
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