Refugee returns to Syria must be coordinated with UN: Merkel

BEIRUT: The return of Syrian refugees to their homeland can only happen in coordination with the United Nations, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday during her two-day visit to Lebanon.

Refugee returns have been a hot-button issue in Lebanon, a small country that has the world´s highest number of refugees per capita. "We want to contribute to reaching a political solution in Syria, that will allow refugees to return to Syria," Merkel told reporters on Friday, after meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

"I confirmed with officials that returns can only happen in agreement and talks with UN organisations," she added. Around 500 refugees left southern Lebanon earlier this year for Syria in a return organised between Lebanese and Syrian authorities, and several thousand have gone back to their homeland from towns around the border in recent years.

The UN´s refugee agency (UNHCR) says it is not involved in the return process and does not yet consider Syria safe enough for refugees to return. Lebanese officials have been increasingly calling for refugee returns with or without a political solution to Syria´s seven-year-old crisis.

Merkel said it was "understandable" that the large refugee influx had caused tensions in Lebanon but expressed hope they could be resolved. Her comments come at a rocky time for ties between Lebanon´s government and the UNHCR.