Syrian refugee influx could break Lebanon and Jordan, UN envoy warns

[alp227]

Source: The Guardian

The United Nations envoy for Syria has warned that further violence could create waves of refugees which may destabilise neighbouring countries.

Lakhdar Brahimi said: "If you have a panic in Damascus and if you have 1 million people leaving Damascus in a panic, they can go to only two places, Lebanon and Jordan."

Both those countries could break if faced with half a million refugees, he said on Saturday after meeting the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, in Moscow.

"If the only alternative is really hell or a political process, then we have got, all of us, to work ceaselessly for a political process," he said.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/29/syrian-refugees-lebanon-jordan-un-envoy

[happyslug]

1. I can name three others

Iraq, Turkey and Israel ALL BORDER Syria, thus it is possible for refugee to hit all three countries. Israel would be the hardest to enter, but if the choice is Israeli Defense Force (IDF) bullets or Syrian Bullets, people will try hoping the IDF will NOT shoot them.

[Alamuti Lotus]

2. Brahimi was referencing a depopulated Damascus scenario

Lakhdar Brahimi said: "If you have a panic in Damascus and if you have 1 million people leaving Damascus in a panic, they can go to only two places, Lebanon and Jordan."

Dimashq itself is geographically closer to Lebanon or Jordan than to most other major areas of the country. Nobody in their right or insane mind would ever think about fleeing to Israel.