The Parliamentary Committee of Foreign Affairs held a session on Thursday to discuss what it described as the “dangerous consequences” of the new influx of Syrian refugees fleeing dire economic conditions in their country.
The meeting, presided by MP Fadi Alameh, was attended by caretaker minister of Social Affairs, Hector Hajjar, who presented a “set of proposals that could help in managing the refugee crisis.”
The proposals included the repatriation of all Syrians who entered Lebanon illegally as well as those who do not possess legal documents, and instructing the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to refrain from registering any new refugees, who should be considered as economic migrants subject to Lebanese law.
Reinforcing border surveillance in coordination with the municipalities for the sake of intercepting illegal newcomers and enforcing Lebanese law in that regard; prosecuting smuggling networks involved in facilitating illegal crossings of Syrians as part of the fight against human trafficking.
Hajjar also underlined the importance of coordinating efforts with the Syrian side in order to combat illegal border crossings and return the refugees even if they did not possess official Syrian papers.
The minister bemoaned the government’s approach in dealing with the refugee crisis, noting that a plan in that regard is being prepared behind closed doors, without the knowledge of the Ministry of Social Affairs, which is the relevant institution to deal with the issue.
He also called for reactivating the ministerial committee tasked with monitoring the Syrian refugee file and appointing a head of delegation to follow up on the issue with the Syrian authorities.
