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Brussels’ 8th conference, which starts today, Monday, is devoted to “Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region,” under the organization of the European Union, and will unite a Lebanese official position and a new method for addressing this issue.
Lebanon’s official speech will be delivered by the head of the Lebanese delegation, Caretaker Foreign Affairs Minister Abdullah Bou Habib.
Sources reveal that “Lebanon’s position will be decisive this time, as we have entered a new phase of approaching the Syrian file for more than a month.”
“It is required that the international community meets the practical steps initiated by the government and security agencies to push forward and catalyze the return of Syrians to their country,” sources add.
The delegation, which also consists of General Security Director, Major General Elias Baissari, will be focusing on Cabinet decisions in last April’s session, starting from the point that Lebanon is a country of transit and not asylum.
In the meantime, a more practical step was taken by the Lebanese Forces, who are organizing a protest in Brussels today.
An LF source affirmed to This is Beirut that “these manifestations are natural and evident, aiming to push for helping the Syrians in Syria and not in Lebanon, which is now facing repercussions from the 1.8 million Syrian migrants present on its soil.”
“We have recently sent a letter to the UNHCR Higher Commissioner and firmly asked for speedy practical actions in this issue,” the LF source states, affirming that there will be other steps and measures taken in Lebanon until this issue is on the right track.
“Syrians are illegally migrating to Lebanon today due to economic reasons and not because of a “harsh” security situation in Syria, and this should be known by the donor countries,” the source concludes.
On the other hand, This is Beirut learned that the official Lebanese speech will also indicate “Lebanon’s absolute rejection of linking return to a political solution to the Syrian crisis, and will emphasize the need to remove all legal obstacles, such as the Caesar Law, and illegal obstacles that continue to delay the completion of the return”.
In addition, the Lebanese delegation will issue a detailed report, dividing the Syrian migrants in Lebanon into the following categories: those who entered while the war was raging in Syria, those whose identity papers had expired, and those who entered after the fighting subsided, most of whom do not have identity papers.
In this context, Lebanon will propose sending the third category back to Syria and giving the second category a three-month deadline to regularize their status.
According to “Sharq el Awsat” newspaper, Bou Habib will also talk about the unacceptable behavior of the UNHCR by all national and diplomatic standards and will present facts about how the UNHCR is working and encouraging Syrian refugees not to return to their homes, and that it is required to deal with high transparency with Lebanese institutions, especially the General Security Directorate.
Despite current internal Lebanese circumstances, the LF’s position intersects with the government’s speech about helping Syrians in Syria, not Lebanon. This protest, which will be held by the LF today, might be indirectly — or directly — supporting the stance of the Lebanese delegation, hence coinciding with the Lebanese official position.
Will this imply less distance between Lebanon and the Europeans in Brussels? If this is achieved, then the Lebanese delegation would have been able to do what others failed to do back when Lebanon was enjoying an active cabinet.
If Lebanon, with one united position, converges with the EU’s decisions in Brussels, it would be the first step in the right direction towards resolving this 13-year problem.
