Beirut, Jun 28 (IANS): Lebanon discussed with the UN the possibilities of setting up refugee camps along its borders with Syria, media reported Saturday.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil Friday met ambassadors of the five permanent member states of the UN Security Council to discuss setting up the refugee camps along the Syrian borders, Xinhua reported.
But the camp idea was later rejected by Syrian ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul Karim Ali.
The Syrian ambassador said that it was against setting up camps for the displaced Syrians, as they would be "able to go back to their homeland".
He added that "Syria is a big country that can apprehend its entire people", and that "Syria can provide its people with all their needs".
According to the UN Higher Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), Lebanon now hosts more than 1.1 million Syrian refugees.
The World Bank estimates that the direct losses inflicted by the Syrian refugee on Lebanon's economy account to about $7.5 billion.