Envoy says Lebanon overwhelmed by Syrian refugeesJuly 10, 2013 - 21:17 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Lebanon's UN ambassador said Wednesday, July 10, that his country is being overwhelmed by more than a million Syrian refugees who have crossed the border to flee the war, The Associated Press reports. The United Nations Security Council issued a statement thanking Lebanon for taking in 587,000 Syrian refugees. But Lebanese UN Ambassador Nawaf Salam told reporters that many more have come into Lebanon without registering and are staying with friends and families in informal asylum. He put the current total at "a million-plus." Another estimated 500,000 Palestinian refugees are already in Lebanon. Still, Salam vowed that "Lebanon will not close it borders. It will not turn back any refugees." Lebanon is a country of just 4 million people, so the huge numbers of refugees are politically sensitive in a nation that endured its own civil war in the 1980s. In Wednesday's statement, the Council also expressed "its growing concern at the marked increase of cross-border fire from the Syrian Arab Republic into Lebanon, which caused death and injury among the Lebanese population, as well as incursions, abductions, and arms trafficking across the Lebanese-Syrian border." With Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, openly allied with Syrian President Bashar Assad and helping his troops fight the Syrian rebels, the Security Council called on "all Lebanese parties to recommit to Lebanon's policy of disassociation" and to "step back from any involvement in the Syrian crisis." The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees says it anticipates that by the end of the year Lebanon will have to care for a million Syrians, 80,000 more Palestinian Syrian refugees, and 49,000 Lebanese returnees. The UNHCR said some 1.2 million Lebanese are affected by the refugee crisis, since Syrian refugees are now living in over 1,400 communities throughout Lebanon. The UN estimates that a total of 1.7 million Syrian refugees have fled to neighboring Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon. The Security Council is expected to hold a meeting later this month to draw attention to the strain on Lebanon's resources due to the Syrian war. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Power of One Dram sums up two-year program with Teach for Armenia Idram Junior also joined the companies during the visit, bringing with it a fascinating intellectual game for children Moscow slams EU mission in Armenia for “provocative activity” The EU mission is doing more and more against Armenia’s neighbors Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran, Mikhail Galuzin said. Yerevan Mayor to travel to Paris on May 15-19 The official delegation headed by Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan will travel to Paris from May 15 to 19. Armenia, India hold first defense consultations The meeting was attended by Indian Ambassador Nilakshi Saha Sinha and Defense Attaché Brigadier General Naveen Nijhawan. |