Lebanon's International Support Group Mulling to Meet in Beirut

The International Support Group for Lebanon is preparing for a new meeting in Beirut, the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat reported on Thursday.

The report said that high-level contacts are currently underway to hold a meeting, which is expected to focus on the importance of ending the presidential stalemate as a key solution for various dangers and crises confronting Lebanon.

Lebanon has been without a head of state since the end of President Michel Suleiman's tenure in May over a sharp debate between the March 14 and 8 coalitions on his successor.

The daily said that the timing of the meeting is yet to be set as preparations are ongoing to decide the countries that will take part in the talks.

The support group so far held two meetings in New York and Germany. It includes the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, Germany, Italy, the European Union, Saudi Arabia, the Arab League and international organizations.

The group was inaugurated in New York in September 2013, on the sidelines of the 68th session of the General Assembly.

It was formed to tackle efforts by the international community to share the burden of the displaced Syrians in Lebanon.

There are more than 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, which has a population of just four million people.

Many are already living in informal tented settlements on farmland or empty fields in parts of the country.

The refugee influx has put massive pressure on the country's limited resources and contributed to rising tensions in a nation with a delicate sectarian balance and bitter memories from a 15-year civil war.

H.K.

G.K.