TEHRAN, May 31 - Lebanon is working with Damascus for the return of thousands of refugees who want to go back to Syria, a Lebanese official said on Thursday.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Lebanon hosts around 1 million registered Syrian refugees according to the United Nations, or roughly a quarter of the population, who have fled the war in neighboring Syria since 2011. The government puts the number at 1.5 million.
"There are contacts with the Syrian authorities about thousands of Syrians who want to return to Syria," Major General Abbas Ibrahim, a top Lebanese state figure and the head of the General Security agency, told reporters on Thursday.
"The stay of Syrians in Lebanon will not go on for a long time. There is intensive work by the political authority."
He did not give a time frame for returns, but suggested at least some would take place soon.
UNHCR, the U.N. refugee agency, said it was "aware of several return movements of Syrian refugees being planned to Syria".
"UNHCR is in regular contact with the General Directorate of the General Security on this issue," it said in an emailed statement in response to a question from Reuters, referring to a Lebanese security agency.
In April, several hundred refugees were bussed back to Syria from the Shebaa area of southern Lebanon in an operation overseen by General Security in coordination with Damascus.
UNHCR, in a statement at the time, said it was not involved in organizing “these returns or other returns at this point, considering the prevailing humanitarian and security situation in Syria”.
Source: Reuters
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