BEIRUT, March 6 (Xinhua) -- A senior German official said Wednesday that his country will work with Lebanon on guaranteeing that the Syrian government secures the return of refugees to their homeland, local media reported.
"But I do not think that the situation is favorable for this now," German Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Niels Annen was quoted as saying by the National News Agency.
Annen's remarks came during his meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil.
Annen also praised Lebanon's great efforts in hosting Syrian refugees.
"Germany is also hosting a big number of refugees and we are conducting negotiations on this topic. We want the situation in Syria to improve for Syrians to make a decision to return to their homeland," he said.
Annen also met with President Michel Aoun who told the German official that Lebanon can take no more burden of hosting over a million Syrian refugees.
"We do not want to wait for a political solution. We urge Germany to help us ask the international community to facilitate the return of refugees to safe areas," Aoun said.
More than 1 million Syrian refugees have registered with the UN in Lebanon, while the government estimates the true number of Syrians in Lebanon at 1.5 million.
