Lebanon to send letter to UN on return of Syrian refugees

BEIRUT —Lebanon plans to send a letter to the United Nations to express its official position on the return of Syrian refugees to their country, outgoing Minister of Social Affairs Hector Hajjar announced Wednesday after a meeting chaired by President Michel Aoun in Baabda.

Here’s what we know:

• "We will send a letter to the UN Secretary General regarding the return of Syrian refugees and the official Lebanese position on this issue, as well as a note to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees to clarify its roles under Lebanese law," Hajjar said.

• Last week, General Security called on Syrian refugees who want to return home to submit an official application to its regional offices. It started accepting applications on Monday.

• Meanwhile, the government's return plan is still pending. It aims to repatriate 15,000 Syrian refugees per month, but the initiative has not yet been completed, does not enjoy unanimous local support and does not seem to have received the green light from Syrian authorities or the international community. The UNHCR is opposed to the plan, believing the necessary conditions for the departure of hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees from Lebanon have not yet been met.