SYRIA WAR: Arab states call for return of refugees

Arab states at an economic summit in Lebanon on Sunday urged world powers to step up efforts to enable refugees, particularly Syrians, to return home and to ease the burden on host countries.

The fourth annual Arab Economic and Social Development Summit, held in the Lebanese capital Beirut, was marred by the glaring absence of most Arab heads of state.

The refugee issue had been high on the summit's agenda at the request of Lebanon, which has been inundated with refugees since the start of the Syrian war 2011.

The Arab leaders called on the international community to "redouble collective efforts" to help refugees return and to "shoulder its responsiblities" to the region.

They called on world powers to "support Arab countries hosting Syrian refugees and set up development projects that could reduce the economic and social impact".

There are currently 5.6 million Syrian refugees living in the region, including around one million born into displacement, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR.

Lebanon hosts some 1.5 million Syrians who have fled the civil war raging across the border.

Most live in extreme poverty, according to aid agencies, and have placed an extra burden on Lebanon's fragile economy.