Lebanon requests AL help to alleviate Syrian refugees burden

Lebanon's Social Affairs Minister Rshaid Derbas said on Friday that Lebanon is preparing to request from the Arab League (AL) an official help to alleviate the burden of the Syrian refugees.

"We need an Arab conference for discussing the Syrian displacement from a social point of view," Derbas told the al-Markazia news agency.

He said that "we are in the process of putting a paper that will be submitted to the AL, in which we will address our view of how to address the Syrians presence in Lebanon or Syria, as an improved security situation in Syria would encourage them to return to their homeland."

About his fear of a new wave of displacement from Syria with the expected battle of Damascus as media is reporting, Derbas said "I do not have any fears as we, as government, took the decision of not accepting the entrance of any Syrian refugee and this decision is final."

The Lebanese government started as of January applying strict measures on the entrance of Syrians into the country in an effort to limit the influx of refugees.

According to the United Nations Higher Commission for refugees, Lebanon hosts more than 1.2 million Syrian refugees.