EU, Lebanon discuss Syrian refugee issue

Visiting EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Tuesday discussed with Lebanese officials the plight of Syrian refugees in the country and urged "a political solution to the conflict in Syria." According to a statement, Ashton said after a meeting with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman that "de-escalating tensions in Lebanon is a priority." Ashton said "any country would have struggled with an increase of 25 percent of its population and commended all efforts to provide protection and assistance," referring to the percentage of Syrian refugees in the country. The conflict in neighboring Syria has raised tensions in Lebanon, where militant party Hezbollah backs the Syrian government and the opposition supports the uprising against it. Ashton reiterated the EU's commitment to "Lebanon's security and prosperity" and its support for the Beirut's "official policy of disassociation from the fighting in Syria." Though Lebanon is officially neutral in Syria's conflict, the country has been increasingly embroiled in the fighting. According to the UN, Lebanon has received the biggest influx of refugees, some 533,000, in the Middle East.