BEIRUT, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri voiced his support for Syrian refugees' voluntary return on the sideline of the Arab Economic and Social Development Summit, TV Channel LBCI Group reported Saturday.
"Prime Minister Hariri supports caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil's stance in the Beirut summit which insists on a voluntary return of Syrian refugees to their homeland," the TV channel said.
Hariri made the remarks in the wake of a press conference by Lebanese caretaker Minister of Displaced Affairs Mouin Merhebi who accused Bassil of acting unilaterally on the issue of Syrian refugees.
Merhebi said the foreign minister's position does not reflect Lebanon's official stance.
Meanwhile, sources told the online independent newspaper Elnashra on Friday that a dispute took place during a closed meeting between Arab ministers over the return of Syrian refugees.
"Lebanon insisted on using the words 'safe and voluntary return of Syrian refugees,' while some countries insisted on using the terms used by the international community which implicate a long stay for Syrian refugees in Lebanon," said Elnashra.
Lebanon is hosting 976,000 registered Syrian refugees, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, while the government estimates the true number of Syrian refugees in the country at 1.5 million.
The flow of Syrian refugees to Lebanon has weighed heavily on the country's economy.
However, the international community has announced on several occasions that it does not encourage the return of Syrian refugees in Lebanon to their homeland because of the insecurity in the war-torn country.
