Beirut (Al-Ittihad)
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati warned yesterday that “the continuation of the Syrian refugee crisis will be like a fireball whose repercussions will not be limited to Lebanon, but will extend to Europe and turn into a regional and international crisis.”
In a plenary session held by the Lebanese Parliament to discuss the Syrian refugee crisis, Mikati stressed that “the aid provided to Syrian refugees should be to encourage them to return to their country and not to remain in Lebanon,” noting that “the largest part of Syria has become safe for return.”
He also stressed that “Lebanon cannot be considered a border policeman for any country, and that the cooperation of all countries is required to solve this dilemma.” Mikati asked the competent security authorities to strictly enforce the law on all Lebanese territories in terms of deporting everyone who resides illegally to his country, in coordination with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, when necessary.
He called on public prosecutors to tighten legal procedures related to those involved in people smuggling and those entering Lebanon illegally and prosecute them for the crime of human trafficking, and to intensify diplomatic efforts to explain the seriousness of the Syrian asylum issue to Lebanon and to regional and European security.
Mikati said that the European assistance announced by the President of the European Commission in the presence of the Cypriot President to Lebanon is not conditional on any prior or subsequent conditions, and it is a confirmation of the periodic assistance that the European Commission has provided to Lebanon for years.
He pointed out that this European support is for basic services provided by the Commission to government institutions in the areas of social protection, education, water and health.
He pointed out that the President of the European Commission promised that this aid would be re-evaluated every six months in light of Lebanon’s need, and that this amount would be increased with European investments in Lebanon as soon as the required reform laws were passed.
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