U.S. Official Stresses Lebanon’s Responsibility to Ensure Safety of Syrian Refugees

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugee, and Migration Affairs Kelly Clements has underscored the important responsibility of Lebanon to ensure the safety of Syrian refugees, the U.S. embassy said in a statement.

Clements held talks with Social Affairs Minister Wael Abou Faour, Higher Relief Council Secretary General Ibrahim Bashir, and senior officials from the U.N. High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on Thursday, the statement said.

“Clements underscored the important responsibility of Lebanon and the international community to address the humanitarian needs and to ensure the safety of Syrians who have fled to Lebanon,” it said.

She reiterated the U.S. continuing commitment to Palestinian and Iraqi refugees in the region and renewed Washington’s commitment to a stable, sovereign and independent Lebanon, the statement added.