FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee receives aid from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in Batroun, northern Lebanon January 13, 2015. REUTERS/Omar Ibrahim/File Photo
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil has ordered a freeze on residency applications submitted by staff of the United Nations' refugee agency, accusing it of hindering the return of Syrian refugees by "spreading fear", his office said on Friday.
The agency, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said it did not discourage refugees from returning to Syria if they wanted to or spreading fear about conditions.
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