Japan to give Lebanon $17.9M in aid

10 January 2017

BEIRUT: Japan will grant Lebanon $17.9 million in aid to assist with hosting Syrian refugees, a high-ranking Japanese diplomat said Monday.

On a visit to Lebanon, Japanese State Minister for Foreign Affairs Kentaro Sonoura said that his country was seeking to strengthen bilateral ties in light of political and security stability in the country.

Details of the aid package were not provided.

The announcement came during a meeting with President Michel Aoun at the presidential palace in Baabda. Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, Aouns son-in-law, was also present.

Aoun reiterated previous calls on the international community to coordinate efforts to avert risks of extremist violence in the country and the region. He highlighted the need for dialogue between countries involved in regional crises to reach peaceful political solutions, stressing that Lebanon could play an important role in the area when peace in Syria is achieved.

The Japanese official pledged Tokyo would continue to support Lebanon across a variety of sectors.

He informed Aoun that the new Japanese ambassador will be arriving in Lebanon soon to assume the post as head of the countys mission to Lebanon.

Speaking to a French parliamentary delegation later in the day, the president reiterated that Syria already had several safe zones that could provide refugees with safe havens that they could return to.

Lebanon has succeeded in avoiding the repercussions of the Syrian turmoil, despite some side effects, particularly at the beginning of the conflict, Aoun said, addressing the delegation headed by French MP Thierry Mariani.

UNHCR has registered some 1.1 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, although the government estimates the total figure to be closer to 1.5 million. Most Lebanese officials and international actors agree that refugees should return to their country when the circumstances allow, although the time scale and situation for this is a point of contention.

Some have echoed Aouns call on international powers to establish so-called safe zones in Syria that would allow refugees to go back in the near future. UNHCR representatives have repeatedly said that refugees return must be voluntary and also with dignity and safety when conditions allow.

The Syrian crisis, which started in 2011, has also posed a security threat to the country, particularly in remote regions such as the Syrian-Lebanese border town of Arsal.

Aoun lauded the efforts of Lebanons security institutions in combating such threats, stressing that extremists will not be able to achieve their goals, despite their capabilities due to the preemptive operations being undertaken by the security establishment. Security agencies and the Lebanese Army have been cracking down on sleeper cells across the country, arresting a number of suspected militants and confiscating arms and munitions in the process.