Lebanon calls for return of Syrian refugees to homeland

BEIRUT, June 12 (KUNA) -- Lebanon's Prime Minister-designate Saad Al-Hariri said on Thursday that the only resolution for the Syrian refugees is their return to the homeland.
The United Nations and the High Commissioner for Refugees are Lebanon's partners in resolving the refugees' issue, Al-Hariri added in a press statement after receiving UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon Philippe Lazzarini and UNHCR representative Mireille Girard.
Al-Hariri described the meeting with the two officials as "important", stressing that there were identical views on the return of refugees as a final resolution to the plight in Lebanon.
Meanhwile, Lazzarini affirmed the deep-rooted partnership between the UN and Lebanon regarding response to the Syrian refugees' crisis, the statement added.
He underlined the importance of helping refugees come back to their home or transferring them to another country. Last week, Lebanon's Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil issued a decision suspending residence requests submitted by UNHCR in Lebanon.
The number of Syrian refugees registered by UNHCR in Lebanon is about one million, while Lebanese authorities confirm that they are more than 1.5 million. (end) Wsm.hm