UN refugee chief urges rapid reconstruction for Syria

The UN's high commissioner for refugees on Tuesday urged the international community to back Syria's reconstruction efforts to facilitate the return of millions of refugees.

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have regained their homes since an Islamist-led coalition ousted former president Bashar al-Assad on December 8, while others are waiting for conditions to improve in their native country.

"Lift the sanctions, open up space for reconstruction. If we don't do it now at the beginning of the transition, we waste a lot of time," UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi told a press conference in Ankara, after returning from a trip in Lebanon and Syria.

The latest figures from Turkey's interior ministry show that 80,000 Syrians -- of the three millions registered in the country -- have gone back to Syria since the fall of Assad's government.

Overall, UNHCR said about 800,000 Syrian refugees have managed to regain their country, and another 600,000 who had been internally displaced have gone back to their homes.

"The refugees go faster than politics," Grandi said. "That's a good place to start."

For those still hesitant to return, Grandi noted that Turkey was granting refugees three return trips to Syria before they must make a final call.

He also said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had pledged that nobody would be forced to return to Syria.

In Jordan, many who have spent years in the world's biggest refugee camp for Syrians have said they are unsure about returning, fearing the security situation might once again deteriorate.

Many say that their homes have been destroyed or that they no longer have jobs they can return to.

Grandi said he expected that more refugees would make the trip during the religious holidays or school vacations, and when the weather turns warmer.

"It is better that it is gradual, because Syria is not ready to receive a massive return," he said.