State Minister for the Refugees' Affairs, Mouein Merehbi, on Thursday upped calls upon the International Monetary Fund for further support for Lebanon, especially regarding investments in the country's infrastructures, and the economic burden caused by the Syrian refugee crisis.

Merehbi held talks today with Head of IMF Mission to Lebanon Chris Jarvis, Director of IMF Lebanon Office Najla Nakhle, and a delegation of economic experts.

During the meeting, Merehbi underlined that the growing tensions between the displaced Syrians and the Lebanese host communities were mainly the result of the massive presence of refugees, amid a lack of public services and job opportunities for all.

He then warned that such hardships could lead to civil disobedience among the Lebanese deprived from their basic rights and needs.

Accordingly, he renewed calls upon the international community to invest in the projects proposed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri during the Syria support conference in Brussels.

For his part, Jarvis vowed to lobby for support for investing in Lebanon's infrastructures

Source: NNA