Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati called Wednesday for international support to establish a safe haven inside Syria where refugees can take shelter from the fighting between government troops and rebels.
“The international community should seriously consider the idea [of creating] safe camps inside Syria,” Mikati said during an international donor conference in Kuwait intended to help the U.N. reach a $6.5 billion target aid for the Syrian crisis.
“What is happening in Syria has impacted Lebanon where investment has declined and the service sector has been negatively affected,” Mikati told the donor states.
He also stressed that Lebanon was in dire need for greater assistance to help the country cope with the nearly million Syrian refugees.
Lebanon, overwhelmed by a surge of Syrian refugees fleeing the fighting in border towns and other Syrian areas, has refused to establish refugee camps for Syrians seeking shelter from the war that has killed more than 130,000 people and displaced millions.
On their part, U.S and Gulf states pledged $1 billion in Syrian aid. Kuwait’s emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, promised $500 million in fresh assistance, the U.S. announced $380 million, while Qatar and Saudi Arabia pledged $60 million each.
At the political level, Mikati urged the Arab and international communities to distance Lebanon from regional conflicts.
“Don’t forget Lebanon. Keep Lebanon neutral. Preserve Lebanon,” he said.
Following the conference, Mikati held separate meetings with Kuwait’s Emir, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
The state-run National News Agency said Kerry announced a donation of $76 million to help Lebanon cope with the Syrian refugees.
Kerry, according to the NNA, informed Mikati that the U.S. would continue its cooperation and support for Lebanon and the Lebanese Army, Daily Star of Lebanon informs.
