Italian PM Letta: Italy to level up aid to Syrian refugees in Lebanon

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Saturday that his Italian counterpart Prime Minister Enrico Letta informed him that Italy will host a conference to support the Lebanese Armed Forces on several levels.

Mikati's comments were made during a joint press conference with Letta at the Grand Serail in which he noted that his Italian counterpart promised to offer aid for the Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

For his part, PM Letta revealed that Italy will level up its aids to Syrian refugees in Lebanon to reach USD 15 million, calling on the International Community to help the Lebanese state in assuming the burdens of such humanitarian file.

He also reiterated Italy's support for the peace process in the Middle East region, hoping that upcoming developments in Lebanon will solve the country's pending issues.

The UN Higher Council for Refugees (UNHCR) said in August that the number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon receiving aid from the government, the UN and its NGO partners has reached the threshold of 703,000.

The number of registered refugees is more than 592,000, while more than 110,000 are still waiting for their registration process to be completed, it said.

It added that 198,000 Syrian refugees were registered in northern Lebanon, representing 33 percent of the total number of refugees; 201,000 in the eastern Bekaa region, representing 34 percent; 115,000 in Beirut and Mount Lebanon, representing 18 percent; and 77,000 in southern Lebanon, representing 13 percent.