UN : 242,000 SYRIAN REFUGEES IN LEBANON

Beirut, 21 Rabiuul Awwal 1434/ 2 February 2013 (MINA) — The UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Friday in its weekly report that the number of displaced Syrians in Lebanon has risen more than 20,000 in a week, reaching 242,000 refugees in all.

Of all the refugees, 165,000 have been registered with the commission, and over 77,263 want to register their names, according to the UN report, according to Xinhua report monitored by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA), Saturday.

On a related note, the UNHCR representative in Lebanon Ninette Kelley said Friday that the organization does not endorse the building of Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon.

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“The commission does not encourage establishing Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon for many reasons,” Lebanese Energy Minister Gebran Bassil quoted Kelley as saying.

“The concerned humanitarian parties in reference to UNHCR refute the idea that camps be built on Lebanese territory. Simultaneously we hear various national ministerial authorities seeking to begin building, as they see the creation of refugee settlements as an inescapable dimension of things to come,” Bassil said.

Lebanon is facing difficulties dealing with the increasing number of refugees fleeing Syria’s violence. (T/P011/E1)

Miraj News Agency (MINA)