Canada seeks Lebanon's support for decision to receive 25,000 Syrian refugees

Canadian ambassador in Beirut Michelle Cameron called on Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil to back her country's decision to receive 25,000 Syrian refugees, many of them expected to come to Lebanon.

The Canadian diplomat said she listened to the viewpoints of the Lebanese foreign minister on the issue of refugees.

The diplomat said in previous statements that
Canada is ramping up its efforts on the ground in the Middle East to process and screen Syrian refugees or resettlement.

Canadian military personnel are operating in Lebanon and more visa officers are arriving to assist in the effort, she said.

"When that balance tips, when we're accepting refugees at a rate that makes it more efficient to take a contracted [non-commercial] plane… then we'll tip into that," Cameron said in an interview at the Canadian embassy in Beirut.

"I would expect [the first charter planes to depart] in the next few weeks."

Meanwhile, the Lebanese foreign minister also met with the chargé d'affaires of Britain and discussed with him regional and international developments including the issue of the Syrian refugees.

Sources: MENA