Report: Ministerial Committee on Refugees Studies Solution Plan

A ministerial committee tasked with handling the file of displaced Syrians in Lebanon will convene on Thursday to study an outline prepared by the ministries of interior, foreign and the displaced affairs in cooperation with a work group of the Prime Minister, al-Mustaqbal daily reported.

Sources informed about the plan told the daily it “sets the basis for the principle of the return of displaced persons in a manner that ensures their safe, dignified and non-coercive return.”

Thursday's meeting is set to highlight the needed measures to regulate the presence of Syrian refugees, reduce the number of displaced persons in Lebanon, take specific measures as for the Syrian workforce and birth registrations, according to the daily.

More than 1.5 million Syrians have taken refuge in Lebanon since their country's conflict began in March 2011, equal to a quarter of the tiny nation's native population.

The influx has strained Lebanon's limited resources and infrastructure, and caused resentment in some quarters.