Safe zones would not work in Syria, says UNHCR chief

Safe zones would not work in Syria, says UNHCR chief
Safe zones for people fleeing violence would not work inside Syria, the head of the United Nations refugee agency said on Friday.

"Frankly, I don’t see in Syria the conditions" to create successful safe zones, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said at a news conference in Beirut.

"With the fragmentation, the number of actors, the presence of terrorist groups, it’s not the right place to think of that solution," he added.

Meeting Grandi in Beirut on Friday, Lebanese President Michel Aoun said earlier that world powers must work with Assad regime to create safe zones in Syria so refugees can return to their country.

The UN refugee chief, who had just completed a visit to Syria, said his agency had not been approached about the plans and there were no details on what would constitute a safe zone or how it would be enforced.

"Let’s not waste time planning safe zones that will not be set up because they will not be safe enough for people to go back," Grandi said. "Let’s concentrate on making peace so that everything becomes safe. That should be the investment."

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”.

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.

Trump also signed an executive order last week that halted refugee arrivals for four months, barred Syrian refugees indefinitely and temporarily banned citizens from seven mainly Muslim countries, including Syria.

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