Germany urges more aid to help refugees in Lebanon

Visiting German Foreign Affairs Ministers Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Thursday that the problem in the Syrian crisis is not refugees but rather the ongoing violence and parties that "refuse to find a solution."

Steinmeier said in a press conference with his Lebanese counterpart Gebran Bassil "there are in Syria parties that do not want to find a solution and we must find a new approach that can allow us to get closer to a solution, as the problem is not in the refugees but rather in the violence in Syria."

He said his country is aware that"refugees are crossing the border into Lebanon in the hope of finding not only security, but also decent living."

The German official said that his country is willing to support refugees in Lebanon and "we must encourage other countries to host refugees."

He said he agreed with Bassil to "increase humanitarian and medical aid to the refugees," revealing that his country has taken in "more than 20,000 refugees."

Steinmeier said that "there are no guarantees from Syria regarding the creation of camps and it is not possible at the moment to establish such camps in a safe environment in Syria," in a response to a question about the possibility of creating refugee camps inside Syria or on the Syrian-Lebanese border.

He added that "there is an intention to hold an international conference to discuss the creation of funds aimed at helping the refugees."

For his part Bassil stressed the need to "take the necessary measures to address the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon and prevent the collapse of the country."

Bassil warned that "Lebanon cannot await the political solution in Syria. We must take the needed measures to prevent the collapse of Lebanon in the event of an increase in the numbers of refugees. "

He added "we explained the Lebanese strategy in combating international terrorism, especially in light of the Syrian spillover."

He revealed that Lebanon has suggested that Germany hosts a meeting for the International Support Group over the issue of Syrian refugees, noting that "Lebanon is trying to distance itself from the Syrian crisis."

Bassil urged the international organizations to help Lebanon cope with the massive refugee influx.

He pointed out that the repercussions of the Syrian crisis on Germany and Europe "are bigger than the repercussions of the Ukrainian crisis.

Steinmeier arrived in Beirut Thursday on a two-day visit that will include talks with Lebanese officials on the Syrian refugee crisis.