Mikati requests French aid for Syrian refugees

In a meeting with French Foreign Minister Laurant Fabius, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati requested aid for Syrians refugees in Lebanon. Najib Mikati said that Lebanon did not have the resources to look after them better, thus requesting French support for the refugees in Lebanon, whose numbers have reached around 130,000. UN Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Robert Watkins announced that $250,000 has been earmarked by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) for 16 development projects. Speaking at a press conference in the northern town of Akkar in Lebanon - following a visit in which he inspected conditions in the Wadi Khaled region - Watkins said: “These projects aim at addressing the priority needs for the town of Akkar, including the rehabilitation of the agricultural sector and infrastructure, boosting the educational sector, and promoting a culture of peaceful coexistence, particularly in schools or areas where there are both Lebanese and Syrians living together.” “There are over 125,000 Syrian refugees receiving help in Lebanon,” he said, adding that there are also “thousands of Lebanese people who have been affected by the crisis, one way or another, and they too need help.” Expressing admiration for the local attitude, Watkins said: “Despite the many challenges they themselves face, Lebanese families are still hosting and supporting around 30 percent of the Syrian refugee population.” “UN agencies and other local and international non-governmental organizations are assisting these Lebanese families to meet their immediate needs,” he said, “but also with a longer-term objective of promoting development in the area, which has been strained by the crisis.” Lebanon’s Change and Reform bloc chief, MP Michel Aoun, has meanwhile warned that “displaced Syrians in Lebanon have become a threat, especially if they were fighters on Syrian territories.” Affirming his parliamentary bloc’s humanitarian commitment to the displaced Syrians, he asked “do they share the commitment?” The prominent Lebanese politician also criticised the government’s handling of the situation, saying it “does not impose discipline.”