Caretaker Minister of Interior Bassam Mawlawi discussed various aspects of dealing with the situation of Syrian migrants in Lebanon, as recommended at the ministerial consultation meeting held on Monday morning.
In an interview with Al-Hurra, Mawlawi stressed that the solution to the problem lies in “enabling the safe return of Syrians to their country,” adding that “there has been no question of creating camps or moving Syrians from their current places of residence to the Lebanese-Syrian border.”
Concerning the implementation of ministerial decrees concerning the Syrian presence, the minister explained that this approach is partly administrative and organizational, and partly security-related. Firstly, the aim is to ensure legal residency for Syrians who have not yet registered with the Lebanese authorities, notably General Security. Secondly, the security issue requires “the Lebanese state to ensure the follow-up and monitoring of Syrians registered with the authorities, given the significant number of crimes committed by Syrian nationals.”
“Syrians make up 35% of inmates in Lebanese prisons,” he said. Asked about the possibility of repatriating them to Syria, Mawlawi replied, “This is a legal issue that requires a judicial study and decision.”
Furthermore, the caretaker minister recalled that “Lebanon is not a country of asylum,” asserting that “Syrians entering Lebanon after 2019 are economic refugees who have moved because of economic difficulties.” “It is possible to repatriate them,” he continued, noting that “the Lebanese Army has so far repatriated around 29,000 Syrians.”
“The number of Syrians with legal residence permits, issued by the General Security, is only 300,000, whereas there are around 2 million Syrians in Lebanon,” he argued.
According to the Caretaker Minister for Displaced Persons, Issam Charafeddine, “the return convoys comprise modest numbers, yet we need more Syrians to return to their country.”
Regarding the murder of Pascal Sleiman, coordinator of the Lebanese Forces in Jbeil, Mawlawi reiterated that “the Lebanese Army has released the preliminary results of the investigation, which is still ongoing.” He assured that he is “following it on a daily basis.”
