UK's Cameron vows support for Lebanon to face Syrian refugee crisis

British Prime Minister David Cameron stressed Monday his country's continuous support for Lebanon to address the Syrian refugee crisis that gripped the Middle East and Europe.

A statement by his office earlier on Monday said that 60 million U.S. dollars of the 153 million dollars Cameron pledged last week for the Syrian refugees will be allocated to the United Nations and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working with refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.

"For thousands of refugees this money means a meal for their families, security of a home with basic sanitation and clean water," Cameron said in the statement.

"Without our investment in international development, the numbers of people seeking to embark on a perilous journey to Europe would be far greater," he added.

Cameron started his one-day visit to Lebanon with a tour of a Syrian refugee camp in the eastern Bekaa town of Terbol on Monday morning.

Cameron said Britain "is already the second largest donor to the refugee camps in the region."

"We will go on doing that including increasing the amount of money we are giving to educate Syrian children here in Lebanon and elsewhere," he said.

The British premier also met with Army Commander Gen. Jean Qahwaji at the Rayaq military air base.

He later met with Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam at the Grand Serail and threw his support behind the Lebanese government.

"The UK will continue to assist Lebanon against the Islamic State extremist group and to provide aid over the refugee crisis," Cameron told a joint press conference with Salam.

He added that Britain wants to see a strong Lebanon and the election of a new president.

For his part, Salam thanked Cameron's government for assisting the Lebanese army and for helping the country's education sector.

Salam said he told Cameron about the "heavy burden of Syrian refugees in Lebanon particularly that not all pledged international assistance has reached the country."

Cameron's visit comes against the backdrop of a rising number of refugees trying to reach Europe.

He said earlier this month that Britain will take in up to 20,000 refugees over the next five years.

According to the United Nations Higher Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), Lebanon hosts around 1.2 million Syrian refugees, almost equal to a quarter of its own population.

Following a cut in aid provided by the UNHCR, many Syrian refugees in Lebanon started thinking of immigrating to the EU, and a rise in the maritime activity from the northern port city of Tripoli has been witnessed recently, with most passengers being Syrians.

Source: XINHUA