In contrast with the political openness admitted by the Arab countries in dealing with the Syrian situation, the European countries showed a complete indifference to the agonies of the Syrian refugees and the states hosting them in a conference held in Brussels for their sake.
The European Union’s Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said that the European states would not normalize ties with the Syrian regime, claiming that they would keep supporting the Syrian refugees.
Caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said Thursday at a Syria aid-pledging conference in Brussels that Lebanon needs foreign aid so the country does “not turn into a massive refugee camp in the Mediterranean.”
“Lebanon is facing political and economic issues that are enlarged by the presence of Syrian refugees in Lebanon despite the donor countries’ support to Lebanon,” Bou Habib added.
“Lebanon needs tangible support to deal with the Syrian refugee crisis so that Lebanon does not become a massive refugee camp in the Mediterranean,” Bou Habib said at the conference.
According to estimates by the Lebanese authorities, more than 2 million Syrians have taken refuge in Lebanon since the start of the Syrian crisis in 2011, while the UN has registered 830,000 Syrian refugees with the organization.
“The Lebanese have displayed remarkable generosity by hosting Syrians but the long-term implication of their presence in Lebanon has affected the social fabric and economic stability and the situation has gone on for too long making it hard to ignore,” Bou Habib added on Thursday in Brussels.
“There are invisible costs incurred by Lebanon due to their presence. Our economy is already burdened by diverting resources to support Syrian refugees in Lebanon,” he said.
“The international community’s support is inadequate and we call for greater support from donor countries, the international community, and the European Union,” Bou Habib said.
For his part, the Jordanian FM Ayman Al-Safadi said that the burdens of the refugees crisis must be borne by all the international community, not just the host states.
Source: Al-Manar English Website and other websites
