Lebanese authorities have refused UN observers access to a strategic airport in the north of country which would have made it easier to direct aid to crisis stricken Syria, it was reported. Defunct Qulaiat Airport is located near to Homs, the Syrian city arguably worst impacted by the violent unrest battering the country. According to daily newspaper An Nahar, allowing UN access to Qulaiat would have allowed quicker evacuation of those affected by violence in southern Syria. The decision to refuse the international request is due to fears that the airport could become a “humanitarian corridor” to help the Syrian people. This would go against Lebanon’s policy of distancing itself from Syrian crisis, reported the newspaper.