BEIRUT: Prime Minister Saad Hariri Thursday requested over $2.5 billion in funding from the international community to support long-term projects to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees to their home country.
“We must secure the appropriate funding for Lebanon's response plan to the crisis. For this reason we request $2.6 billion worth of funds because it will ensure stability for long-term projects,” Hariri said in a speech at Thursday’s opening session of the third Brussels Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region.
“The only solution to the refugee crisis lies in their safe return to their homeland in accordance with international laws and treaties,” Hariri said during a speech.
By the end of the conference, the United Nations had secured $7 billion in aid from donor countries in order to respond to the ongoing Syrian crisis, though the figure fell short of what the U.N. said it needed.
During his speech, the Lebanese premier expressed his gratitude for the support Lebanon had already received from members of the international community. He noted that his country has been committed to the requirements of the previous Brussels conference, which would not have been possible without international support.
At the same time, he called on them to pressure Syrian President Bashar Assad to allow refugees to return to their homeland.
"I hope there will be no fourth or fifth Brussels [Conference]," Hariri told reporters at the conference. He added that "the Syrian regime must be pressured by friends and allies to return the refugees to their [home] country."