BEIRUT, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Lebanese cabinet warned on Monday that the electricity in the country's Syrian refugee camps shall be cut off if the United Nations fails to pay owed dues.
A statement released by the Council of Ministers noted that the Lebanese cabinet asked Electricite du Liban (EDL) to intensify communication with the UN Higher Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to convince it to pay electricity owed dues.
"The cabinet also decided that the EDL will cut off electricity if the UN agency fails to pay the dues," the statement said.
The lack of electricity in Lebanon has been a chronic problem that has cost the treasury over 40 percent of its sovereign debt.
Lebanon's electricity problem was exacerbated in the past three years amid the country's financial crisis in light of the shortage of U.S. dollars which limits its capacity to import fuel for the operation of existing power stations.
The electricity problem was further exacerbated by the presence of many Syrian refugees in the country, placing an additional burden on the country's infrastructure.
Lebanese authorities have been trying to secure a safe return of Syrian refugees to their homeland as the cost of their presence in Lebanon is estimated today at around 6 billion U.S. dollars yearly, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Abdallah Bou Habib. ■
