Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdallah Bou Habib stated on Thursday that Syria is ready to welcome its displaced citizens under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) to ensure their safety. In an interview with local channel Al Jadeed, Bou Habib declared that “the Syrian government cannot do anything more”, noting that “we have migrants whom we cannot forcibly return.”
He added that the Syrian refugee file was discussed on the outskirts of the consultative meeting in Jordan, with some minor modifications. As a reminder, this meeting, which focused on repatriating Syrian refugees, took place on May 1st in the Jordanian capital in the presence of the Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Lebanon was not represented at this meeting.
As part of the Lebanese delegation, Bou Habib is currently in Jeddah for the Arab League summit. Lebanon hopes to find a solution to the Syrian refugee issue, which exerts pressure that exceeds the country’s capacities. The presence of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at the summit, which marks his return to the Arab League after 11 years of political isolation, will provide an opportunity for Lebanon to push for the refugees’ repatriation.
Regarding the presidential elections, the minister stated that foreign countries “cannot impose a president, but can help us elect one.”
