Lebanese Forces MP Fadi Karam sounded the alarm over the growing dangers of illegal Syrian presence in Lebanon, which is increasingly “threatening the country’s mere structure.”
Speaking at an LF-organized workshop on “Illegal Syrian Presence” held in Amioun, in North Lebanon’s district of Koura, Karam said that the Union of Municipalities of Koura started working on the issue with the heads of security and judicial authorities, the Ministry of Interior and the district governors.
“All the Lebanese political parties have their own proposals and initiatives regarding the issue of displacement and the illegal Syrian presence in Lebanon, which has begun to threaten the Lebanese structure. While they blame each other for inaction, the debate continues, and the illegal Syrian presence, too, continues,” Karam said.
Hoping that the workshop will come up with a set of unified measures to deal with the problematic of illegal Syrian presence, Karam said, “We will continue hand in hand to begin implementation.”
The workshop’s objectives align with caretaker Minister of Interior Bassam Mawlawi’s roadmap to regulate the presence of displaced Syrians which he had submitted to governors, municipalities and mukhtars.
The measures involve conducting a survey to register Syrian refugees, especially in areas that lack municipalities, refrain from renting Syrian refugees until their registration is confirmed, report any suspicious activities by Syrian refugees, particularly smuggling, and crack down on illegal businesses and encroachments on public infrastructure
Associations, especially foreign ones, who are involved in assisting Syrians, are requested to fully implement the measures and coordinate with ministries, administrations, military and security agencies, under the risk of revoking their permits and accreditation.
Recommendations, along with the formation of a committee to follow up on these recommendations are to be issued at the end of the workshop.
