BEIRUT: U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly has denied reports that the international community was seeking to naturalize Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
In remarks published Thursday by local daily As-Safir, Plumbly said also dismissed reports that pressure had been exerted on Lebanon as part of an international effort to naturalize the refugees.
He said he had no idea where this report originated from and stressed that the issue of naturalizing Syrian refugees in Lebanon was “out of the question.”
“What is important is the continuity of aid in light of the ongoing displacement crisis resulting from the Syria conflict, based on the need to draw up plans for the coming months.”
An-Nahar newspaper said Wednesday that Prime Minister Tammam Salam was disappointed by meager amount of donations pledged to Lebanon at the two-day Berlin conference earlier this week.
The amount was not publicly disclosed.
It said pressure by the international community to establish long-term Syrian refugee camps had been rejected by Salam and Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, who fear the move could pave the way for their naturalization and further deteriorate the Lebanon crisis.
“Our proposal on the issue of Syrian refugees was how to encourage states participating in the Berlin conference and other countries to accommodate larger numbers of Syrian refugees who are in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq, just like refugees were resettled in Sweden and Germany, and not to resettle them in Lebanon,” Plumbly explained.
“The very thing is to provide the necessary aid to Lebanon to address the Syrian refugee issue and reduce the growing burden on Lebanon,” he added.
Plumbly stressed that assistance for Lebanon was a priority at the Berlin Syrian refugee conference held earlier this week.
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