Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil Friday urged donor countries to send funds bound for Syrian refugees directly to the Lebanese government in a bid to dissuade them from staying.
“Those who want to help should send the money directly to the Lebanese government or to the World Bank's [Multi-donor Trust] Fund for Lebanon,” Bassil said following talks with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing. “This [step] is designed to dissuade refugees from staying in Lebanon."
Bassil said he also discussed the issue of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon with the Chinese official.
“We stressed Lebanon’s outright rejection of them staying in Lebanon,” he said.
Bassil is also in Beijing seeking to boost economic ties with China.
“There are opportunities to benefit from our cooperation with China since China is poised to become the world’s biggest economic power,” he said.
