The Lebanese Army announced on Thursday, September 7, that it had prevented around 1,200 Syrians from entering Lebanon illegally this past week
Simultaneously, caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdallah Bou Habib sounded the alarm over “the repercussions of this crisis that may be much more severe than some would imagine.”
During his speech at the 160th session of the Arab League Council at a ministerial level in Cairo, he reiterated the necessity of facilitating and expediting the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland, towns and villages. “We should stop politicizing this issue, as it now threatens the security and stability of Lebanon and the host countries,” he said.
While mentioning that these refugees are leaving Syria for economic and livelihood reasons due to the worsening economic crisis in Syria, he pointed out that the numbers of Syrian refugees coming to Lebanon have recently increased, further straining the economic and social conditions, as well as the already limited resources.
Blaming “the silence and neglect” after calls and appeals over this issue, Bou Habib emphasized during his speech the urge to “understand that helping Syria overcome its suffocating political, economic and living crisis is a pressing matter, especially for neighboring countries.”
On another note, Bou Habib said that the primary political repercussion following the multiple crises Lebanon is facing is the difficulty in electing a president in accordance with the constitution’s requirements.
“We are determined to continue working and making further efforts to bear our responsibility in electing a president and implementing the necessary reforms to rebuild the state and the economy,” he concluded.
