Mansour: Lebanon Requested AL Meeting to Discuss Syrian Refugees’ Influx

Local Editor

Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour revealed Saturday that "the Secretary-General of the Arab League Nabil al-Arabi was surprised by the number of displaced Syrians who fled into Lebanon, given that their number has reached 200 thousand."
In remarks to as-Safir daily, Mansour highlighted he will make the necessary contacts with the Arab ministers to hold an extraordinary meeting in the next few days.
In another interview with al-Jumhuriya daily, the minister reiterated that "the issue of closing the borders with Syria is completely out of question."
"Suggested is to control the borders similar to other countries, especially since Lebanon can no longer tolerate any current or long term population increase," he clarified.
In parallel, he revealed that the meeting with the Syrian ambassador Ali Abdul Karim Ali "was very productive in terms of identifying points to reach the desired goals."
"Positive results for this problem will appear in the next few days," Mansour assured.
On the other hand, Mansour explained that the meeting with the Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi and Interior Minister Marwan Charbel, wasn't dedicated to the refugees issue but rather to discuss the cooperation agreement between Lebanon and the international body.

Source: Lebanese dailies, Translated and Edited by moqawama.org