Lebanon’s president calls for safe zones in Syria

This was the first time the government in Lebanon had supported such a plan. 

Lebanon would not force unsafe return on any refugees, but the international community must make their return possible, Aoun’s office quoted him as saying in a meeting on Friday with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.

It is "important to achieve a political solution" to the conflict, Aoun, who is an ally of Lebanon’s Hezbollah terrorist group which is fighting in Syria in support of Assad, said.

US President Trump said last week he would "absolutely do safe zones in Syria" for refugees fleeing violence and that Europe had made a mistake by admitting millions of refugees.

Meanwhile, Assad regime said on Monday that any attempt to create “so-called safe zones” for refugees without coordinating with it would be "unsafe" and violate “Syria’s sovereignty”.

Qatar has welcomed Trump’s support for safe zones, and Turkey says it is waiting to see the outcome of the US president’s vows.

Almost six years of war, launched by Assad regime and allies on Syrian civilians, have killed hundreds of thousands of people, made more than half of Syrians homeless and created the world’s worst refugee crisis.