The Lebanese government is dragging its feet over the return of Syrian refugees under the excuse of waiting for the outcome of upcoming international and Arab summits to work on a repatriation plan.
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While the refugee crisis weighs heavily on Lebanon, with direct and indirect repercussions on the country’s many aspects including demographic, economic, financial, social, and environmental, the government has yet to come up with a plan for their safe repatriation.
The Parliament’s Committee of Administration and Justice headed by Lebanese Forces (LF) MP Georges Adwan, Tuesday reviewed two draft laws, including one for regulating the status of Syrian refugees.
According to LF MP Ghada Ayoub, Lebanon will be represented by caretaking Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and Social Affairs Minister Hector Hajjar at the Conference on Syrian refugees and the future of Syria that will convene in Brussels on 15 June.
“We asked to have the speech or statement or plan about the Syrian refugees which will be presented at the conference sent to parliament for discussion and to inform public opinion about the government’s position on that issue,” Ayoub told This is Beirut after the committee’s meeting.
“But we have discovered during the meeting that there is no written plan, or general policy, or unified government position, and not even a decision on who is the valid party, whether the Ministry of Social Affairs or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to handle the issue… there’s a big confusion in that sense,” Ayoub added.
She argued that “in their (government) opinion, many changes will arise in the region by the time the Brussels conference convenes, so they will assess and build on the changes.”
Ayoub pointed out that the government is still waiting for the data on the Syrian refugees from the UN agencies as well as information about financial aid disbursed for the refugees’ assistance, two matters that have been delaying the government’s position.
“We should give all the support to General Security and the Ministry of Interior, the only two parties doing their work, but they need to be backed by a political decision,” Ayoub added.
The LF’s “Strong Lebanon Bloc” has presented a 4-point draft law to regulate the status of Syrian refugees, including banning registered refugees who have left Lebanon from returning and fining Syrians working illegally as well as their Lebanese employers.
With more than 2 million Syrian refugees, including some 800,000 registered with the UNHCR, Lebanon hosts the highest number of refugees per capita.
