Shaaban Bilal (Damascus, Cairo)
The Minister of Displaced Affairs in the Lebanese caretaker government, Issam Sharafeddine, discussed the Syrian refugee file with the Syrian Minister of Local Administration and Environment, Hussein Makhlouf, who is in charge of the refugee file in his country.
And the National News Agency reported that Issam Sharaf al-Din visited the Syrian capital, Damascus, in preparation for an expected preparatory visit of the Lebanese ministerial delegation to Damascus, in order to discuss the refugee file.
Sharaf al-Din held a meeting with Hussein Makhlouf, in charge of the Syrian refugee file, and the Syrian Minister of Interior, Muhammad al-Rahmon, where they discussed the file of the return of refugees, at a time when the Lebanese minister confirmed that his visit to Damascus comes as a continuation of previous visits and developments.
Sharaf al-Din stressed the importance of communicating with the Syrian state, as it is obligatory and necessary to reach a quick achievement in the refugee file, in preparation for facilitating the safe and dignified return of these displaced people.
The Minister of the Displaced, Essam Sharaf El-Din, said in a special statement to Al-Ittihad that the call for the return of the displaced Syrians to their country was greatly welcomed by the Arabs, and that meetings are being held with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to discuss this crisis and reach solutions in light of the understandings reached by the two parties. Lebanese and Syrian at an earlier time, including return mechanisms, how to start, and acceptable numbers that can be returned monthly.
And the minister indicated that Lebanon is suffering a major collapse in light of the presidential vacuum and a semi-vacuum in the government as it is a caretaker government, and demanded the need for “the League of Arab States to play an important role in helping to return the displaced, especially since international organizations refuse to provide aid to the Syrians inside their country, even though the return of Refugees are a necessary and urgent matter that requires a Lebanese decision in coordination with Syria and the international community, while rejecting any hate speech about refugees. Because this file is humanitarian by all standards.
The Minister of Agriculture in the Lebanese caretaker government, Abbas Hajj Hassan, had indicated, on the 14th of this month, that the Lebanese government had assigned a ministerial delegation to go to Syria to discuss the file of the return of the displaced Syrians and the mechanism that serves the interests of Lebanon and Syria.
In statements reported by the Russian agency “Sputnik”, the Lebanese minister considered that “there is no doubt that the file of the displaced Syrians is difficult and thorny and needs beginnings, and these beginnings are represented by direct political dialogue and discussion between the Lebanese and Syrian governments, as well as the technical and security discussions that follow between the two countries so that it becomes to develop a common vision.
The Lebanese minister added, “Through this matter, we will reach very positive conclusions. Because we are in the file of the displaced Syrians, all of Lebanon today is suffering from great social pressure, suffocating economic pressure, coupled with the crisis that Lebanon is already suffering from.
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