President Michel Aoun warned Wednesday that tiny Lebanon is reeling under the impact of the presence of around two million Syrian and Palestinian refugees on its soil, as he called for an end to the “wars among brothers” in the region.
“Lebanon, which started to recover after its institutions returned to normalcy, is still haunted by anxiety and concern and it has not yet known relief or reassurance, and today it is addressing your conscience,” Aoun said in a speech at the 28th Arab Summit in Jordan, his first since being elected Lebanon's president.
“It is true that the flames raging around it have not reached it, but it is suffering the repercussions and reeling under their burden. We are seeing the misery and pain around us and we are trying to help as much as possible, but when the needed exceeds our capacity, we drown in the burdens and they start to pose a threat to us,” Aoun warned.
He noted that today Lebanon is hosting “Syrians and Palestinians whose numbers are equivalent to half of its Lebanese population,” adding that “the numbers are increasing.”
“As you know, Lebanon with its nature, small territory and scarce resources is a migration and not a resettlement country,” the president told the summit.