SYRIAN REFUGEES IN LEBANON EXCEED 665,000

Beirut, 27 Ramadhan 1434/4 Agust 2013 (MINA) – The number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon has exceeded 665,000 with a surge of about 20,000 refugees compared to last week’s estimates, the UN refugee agency said on Sunday.

The UN Higher Council for Refugees (UNHCR) said the number of the registered refugees is more than 554,000 while more than 111, 000 are still waiting for their registration process to complete.

It pointed out that the influx of Syrian refugees is still high and that 70 percent of them are women and children, according to Xinhua report monitored by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).

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Lebanon has frequently called on the UN Security Council and international donors to help it shoulder the heavy burden of hosting the Syrian refugees, who are expected to cross the threshold of one million by the end of the year.

Officials have warned of the security consequences of the influx, and a shortfall in funding to assist both refugees and the people hosting them.

UN Higher Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, said in a report last month that refugees in Lebanon have surpassed 25 percent of its own population and are inflicting a huge burden on the state and people of Lebanon.

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The Lebanese authorities are set to adopt new measures requiring refugees to get a valid passport or a valid identity card to cross into Lebanon.(T/P014/E1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)