UN relief chief to visit Lebanon on Syrian crisis response

UN relief chief Valerie Amos will visit Lebanon from Wednesday to gather support for the Lebanese government in an effort to ease Syrian crisis' impact.

"She is expected to meet with senior Lebanese officials, local authorities, humanitarian partners and people affected by the Syria crisis," said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric Tuesday at a regular briefing.

The visit, which will last till Friday, will focus on how the international community can support the Lebanese government in providing assistance to vulnerable Lebanese, Syrians and Palestinians, said he.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos will leave her post in March, after acting as UN relief chief for four years. She handed in her resignation in November 2014.

The Syrian crisis has created one of the largest refugee exoduses in recent history with no end yet in sight. According to recently released UN figures, 3.2 million Syrian refugees have fled to neighboring countries and North Africa since 2011.

Lebanon on Monday started a new regulation requiring Syrians travelling to Lebanon to obtain entry visas, evoking mixed reaction.

Lebanon's Interior Minister Nouhad Mashnouk said that there are 1.5 million Syrians in Lebanon, among them over 1 million are registered as refugees. Enditem