Steinmeier: Not safe for Syrian refugees to return to their country

(29 Jan 2018) Germany's president said on Monday that it was too early to repatriate Syrian refugees on a large scale as the conditions for safe return have not been met.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier made the remarks in Beirut during a joint news conference with his Lebanese counterpart, Michel Aoun.
Close to 1 million Syrian refugees are living in Lebanon, according to the UN, amounting to over a fifth of the population.
Lebanon's government says with Damascus in control of large sections of Syria, it is time to talk about repatriating refugees.
During the news conference, Steinmeier also warned against "new developments...in northern Syria" that could "impact the security situation".
Violence has escalated in northern Syria in recent days as Turkish forces have targeted the city of Afrin and threatened to push further east toward the border with Iraq.
Turkey says it is fighting extremists threatening regional stability.
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