Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced on Thursday, September 7, that a special cabinet session will be held next week to exclusively focus on the Syrian refugees’ issue in light of the new wave of displacement triggered by worsening economic conditions in Syria.
The session will be attended by Army Commander Gen. Joseph Aoun and the heads of security apparatuses.
“We are primarily concerned about the new wave of Syrian displacement through illegal routes. Most worrying is that the majority of the new displaced are young people,” Mikati said during a cabinet session held at the Serail.
He praised the army and security forces “for their efforts in thwarting unjustified displacement caravans that threaten our sovereignty and national entity and cause a severe flaw in Lebanon’s fabric and reality, whether intentionally or unintentionally.”
The Council of Ministers also approved Thursday the establishment of a new foreign exchange platform to be operated by Bloomberg, in place of Sayrafa.
Mikati also announced that another cabinet session, also scheduled for next week, will be dedicated to discussing the situation at Beirut Airport and the opening of Qleiat Airport, in north Lebanon, based on the proposal of the Minister of Public Works and Transportation.
While the minister of Education is absent from today’s session, Mikati said that the government will be closely examining the increase in school fees and the request that they be paid in dollars, triggering an outcry on the part of student parents.
The government will be taking strict measures in this regard to ensure that private schools take the current economic situation into account when raising tuition fees.
Of note, a second cabinet session will be held today, Thursday, at 3:30 PM to discuss the 2024 budget draft.
