Aoun: Refugees can now return to Syria
UN official says he is not opposed to voluntary returns but current conditions in Syria are not promising
Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Thursday refugees in Lebanon could begin a phased return to areas of Syria that have become safe.
“Most displaced people in Lebanon are from these areas which have become secure,” Aoun said on his Twitter page.
As Syrian forces and their allies retake more territory, Lebanese politicians have increasingly called for refugees to go back to areas where fighting is over before a deal is reached to end the war.
“Political commitments change with developments on the ground, making us unable to wait for a political solution to the Syrian crisis before the displaced start to return,” he said.
The UN has registered about a million refugees in Lebanon — nearly a quarter of Lebanon’s population. The Lebanese government, which puts the figure at 1.5 million, says their presence has strained public services and suppressed growth.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Jibran Bassil has escalated a row with the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR, accusing ■ it of working to stop refugees from returning to Syria.
UNHCR said it supports the return of refugees when it is safe for them to go back and that it helps those who choose to return with their documentation.
Martin Huth, the German envoy, said that the international community was “fully aware of the heavy burden Lebanon is bearing” and cited aid made to Lebanon through donor conferences.
He said the UN was “fully committed to an eventual return of refugees to Syria but while we do not oppose voluntary returns to Syria, conditions in that country, in our view, do not allow for a return of refugees at this time.”
In May, Aoun said UN and EU comments pointed to “a disguised settlement [of refugees in Lebanon] that contradicts our constitution and sovereignty”.