Lebanon asks UNHCR for Syrian refugee data to tighten control

Beirut, June 2 (IANS) Lebanese Director General of Public Security Elias al-Baissari has called on the UNHCR to provide Lebanon with data on the displaced Syrians, aiming to tighten the country’s refugee measures.

“I am addressing the officials of UNHCR to hand over the data of displaced Syrians without preconditions,” al-Baissari was quoted on Thursday as saying by the Elnashra news website, noting that the data will only be accessed by the Lebanese authorities.

The Lebanese government aims to secure a safe return for Syrian refugees to their homeland as Lebanon’s internal security and economic situation can no longer tolerate their stay there, Xinhua news agency reported.

The UNHCR previously rejected a plan proposed by Lebanon for the return of refugees, saying that Syria is not safe.

Lebanese Foreign Affairs Minister Abdallah Bou Habib previously noted that there are about two million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and the figure threatens to disrupt the structure of Lebanese society.