President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, met United Nations Special Envoy to Syria, Ambassador Geir Pedersen, today at the Presidential Palace.
The President informed Ambassador Pedersen that “The international community must assume its responsibility in facilitating the return of displaced Syrians to their country, especially since most of the Syrian regions have become safe. These displaced persons can return to their lands and homes and live instead of relying on the aid which they receive from international organization, knowing that many question marks revolve around the ways of distributing this aid and the extent to which it reaches its actual beneficiaries”.
The President also briefed Ambassador Pedersen on the difficult economic and living conditions experienced by the Lebanese and pointed out that “The burden of Syrian displacement has been added to these difficulties, in addition to the infrastructural damage in Lebanon, which the Lebanese state is working on finding appropriate solutions to through the recovery plan that the government sets to discuss with the International Monetary Fund. After the plan is approved the process of rehabilitating affected sectors can begin”.
In addition, President Aoun commended the efforts made by Ambassador Pedersen to achieve progress in the path of a political solution to the Syrian crisis, including working on drafting a new constitution in agreement with the concerned parties, for the interest of Syria, its people and regional countries, especially Lebanon.
For his side, Ambassador Pedersen had briefed the President on the data related to the move he is taking and the talks he held with Syrian officials yesterday which aim to find solutions to the Syrian crisis.
Pedersen also expressed the appreciation of the UN and international community for the care provided by the Lebanese state to the displaced Syrians in Lebanon, despite the difficult economic circumstances which Lebanon suffers from. In addition, Ambassador Pederson pointed out that the UN is working to find appropriate ways for the displaced to return to Syria. And is prioritizing this issue among its concerns during Geneva deliberations, in which Lebanon is invited to participate in.
Source: NNA
