BEIRUT, March 30 (Xinhua) — Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Wednesday urged the United Nations (UN) to distribute aid in Syria rather than Lebanon to encourage Syrian refugees to return to their homeland, according to a statement released by Lebanon’s Presidency.

“Distributing aid to Syrian refugees inside Lebanon will not encourage them to return to their homeland,” Aoun said during his meeting at Baabda Palace with UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka.

The international community has failed to respond to Lebanon’s repeated requests for the return of Syrian refugees back to their homeland, raising doubts about some countries’ intentions to keep them in Lebanon, according to Aoun.

Lebanon remains the country hosting the largest number of refugees per capita, with the government estimating that 1.5 million Syrian refugees are living in around 1,400 camps across the country.