BEIRUT, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's Caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil emphasized Friday the need to find a solution for the safe and voluntary return of Syrian refugees to their homeland, local media reported.
"We cannot take part in an economic and social summit without taking into account a big humanitarian problem which is the issue of Syria refugees in our region," Bassil was quoted as saying by local TV Channel Tele Liban.
Bassil's remarks came during a joint press conference held with Arab League Chief Ahmed Aboul-Gheit following a session for the Arab Ministerial Committee held in the framework of the preparation of the Arab Economic and Social Development Summit.
Meanwhile, sources told Elnashra, an online independent newspaper, that a dispute took place during a closed meeting between Arab ministers over the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland.
"Lebanon insisted on using the words 'safe and voluntary return of Syrian refugees' while some countries insisted on using the terms that are used by the international community and which implicate a long stay for Syrian refugees in Lebanon," according to Elnashra.
Lebanon is hosting 976,000 registered Syrian refugees, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, while the government estimates the true number of Syrian refugees in the country is 1.5 million.
The flow of Syrian refugees to Lebanon has weighed heavily on the country's economy.
However, the international community has announced on several occasions that it does not encourage the return of Syrian refugees in Lebanon to their homeland because of the insecurity there.
