BEIRUT, July 27, 2018 (MENA) - Lebanese President Michel Aoun hoped during a meeting with UN Secretary General's representative, Pernille Dahler Kardel that "the Russian initiative to bring back Syrian refugees to their country would gain the support of the United Nations, so as to put an end to their suffering." "We welcomed the Russian initiative because it provides the return of 890,000 Syrian refugees from Lebanon to Syria. We will form a committee to coordinate with the Russians and study the technical details of the return mechanism," Aoun, quoted by the Lebanese news agency, said. The Lebanese president entrusted the UN official with informing UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of Lebanon's request to extend the UNIFIL mandate. He expressed his hope that "the Russian initiative will bring about the return of the displaced Syrians in Lebanon," Aoun pointed out. Kardel, in turn, relayed to President Aoun the atmosphere of the UN Security Council deliberations on the report on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, stressing that "the United Nations is committed to full partnership with Lebanon so as to maintain its security and stability and keep it away from the developments taking place in its surroundings." "The Security Council praised Lebanon's ability to hold the parliamentary elections on time, in a bid to complete the reconstruction of constitutional institutions," she added "The council encourages, in this context, the Premier-designate to speed up the formation of the new government. Members of the Security Council have commended the role of the Army and stressed the need to develop its capabilities so it could impose its authority across all Lebanese territory," Kardel said.
