BEIRUT, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim said Tuesday that the number of Syrian refugees returning home by the end of this year will reach 100,000.
"The General Security is offering security and logistic facilities in addition to financial exemptions to Syrian refugees living illegally in Lebanon to accelerate their return back home," Ibrahim was quoted by Elnashra, an independent online newspaper, as saying.
Ibrahim said that Lebanon's security authorities are coordinating with the United Nations Higher Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to ensure safe and voluntary return of the refugees to Syria.
He also praised the Russian initiative within this framework.
To facilitate the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland, Russia presented a proposal to the Lebanese authorities, which aimed at securing the return of 890,000 refugees to Syria.
Ibrahim added that the Syrian authorities are also offering facilities and needed guarantees to encourage Syrian refugees to return home.
He also praised the initiative by the Hezbollah for establishing centers that register Syrian refugees willing to go back home.
More than 1 million Syrian refugees are registered with the UNHCR in Lebanon, while the Lebanese government estimated that the true number of Syrians in the country stands at 1.5 million.
