The Free Patriotic Movement’s (FPM) media committee issued a statement in response to yesterday’s call by Lebanese Forces head Samir Geagea to initiate the prompt return of Syrian refugees to their country.
The FPM’s statement said that “in response to what the head of the LF stated the previous day, the Free Patriotic Movement would like to remind Mr. Geagea of his party’s previous positions that advocated for the indiscriminate reception of Syrian refugees and his participation in campaigns accusing the FPM of racism.”
The statement went on to add that the FPM would “also like to remind him that they do not have any ministers in the current caretaker government, and the ministers previously approved by the Free Patriotic Movement do not attend the unconstitutional and non-binding sessions of the government.”
“Moreover, the Lebanese Forces are the ones covering up the illegitimate, unconstitutional, and non-binding decisions of the Cabinet, while the Free Patriotic Movement refuses to grant any legitimacy to the fragmented Cabinet that can only issue decrees signed by 24 ministers in cases of extreme necessity and urgency,” the statement added.
In conclusion, “the insistence of the Lebanese Forces on distorting reality is nothing but an attempt to give legitimacy to the government and its decisions, which leads to prolonging the presidential vacuum, as those controlling the government are managing the country alone, deliberately excluding the Christian component.”
Earlier on Monday, Geagea said that “following the leaked positive atmosphere surrounding the visit of the Caretaker Minister of the Displaced Issam Charafeddine to Damascus, during which he was informed by the Syrian Minister of Interior of their side’s readiness to meet the demands of the Lebanese regarding the return of Syrian refugees to their country, it has become necessary for the Cabinet to establish a clear timeline for the return of all Syrian refugees to their homes before the end of this year.”
Geagea added that any delay by this government in this regard will not be justified and will be considered complicit in attempting to permanently settle Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
This leads to a logical inquiry resonating across the entire Lebanese political scene: How can the two main Christian political parties meet on one topic as major as the Lebanese presidency and drift apart on another topic as important as the return of the Syrian refugees to their country?
