Beirut, Aug 2 (IANS): Syria has expressed its willingness to receive 180,000 displaced refugees from Lebanon at the first stage, said Lebanese Minister of the Displaced Issam Charafeddine.

"We have reached an understanding with the Syrian government to resolve the crisis of the displaced safely," Charafeddine was quoted as saying by the Elnashra news website on Tuesday.

"There is mutual trust with the Syrian side and a commitment to the understanding reached last year regarding the safe return of the displaced," he said, adding that shelter centres have been ready to receive the displaced and provide them with facilities, healthcare and education.

The Minister said he had proposed forming a tripartite committee with the UNHCR and Syria but was rejected on the ground of instability in Syria, Xinhua news agency reported.

The UNHCR reported that Lebanon hosts the largest number of refugees per capita and per square km in the world.

According to statistics released by the Lebanese government, around two million Syrian refugees are living in Lebanon, a country with a population of more than 5.5 million.

The Lebanese government insists on returning Syrian refugees to their homeland as the country is facing its worst socio-economic crisis in decades and can no longer meet the growing needs of refugees.