Prime Minister Tammam Salam Thursday appealed to Arab banks to help Lebanon cope with the burden of hosting more than 1 million Syrian refugees living in informal camps across the country.
“Since the outbreak of the [conflict] in Syria, an additional burden represented in the waves of displaced Syrians pouring into Lebanese territory has added to the many concerns of the Lebanese people,” Salam said in a speech during the annual Arab Banking Conference.
The refugee crisis, he added, has sparked different types of problems for the national economy and the Lebanese Treasury.
“I call on the Union of Arab Banks and the Association of Banks in Lebanon to launch a serious initiative to stand by the Lebanese state, and to assist it in coping with this burden,” Salam appealed.
