Criticism after Syria Boycotts Lebanon Speech at ILO Meeting
Lebanon criticized on Friday the withdrawal of the Syrian delegation during Lebanon's speech at the International Labor Organization conference in Geneva a day earlier.
Labor Minister Camille Abu Sleiman, who delivered Lebanon’s speech at the conference, said “the withdrawal confirms that the Syrian regime does not want to facilitate the return of refugees back to Syria.”
Abu Sleiman, a minister affiliated to the Lebanese Forces, said his speech at the ILO conference reflected Lebanon's official position on the issue of Syrian displacement.
The Syrian delegation to the International Labor Conference in Geneva withdrew from the chamber Thursday during a speech made by Abu Sleiman.
In his speech, Abu Sleiman voiced calls for “joint efforts to secure the safe return of Syrian refugees to their homeland,” a ministry statement said.
For its part, the LF (a party critical of Damascus) described the move of the Syrian delegation as an “insult to the Lebanese State and government, because Abu sleiman was delivering Lebanon’s speech and not that of the party.”
“The withdrawal of the delegation is an honor for LF because it proves that the LF has succeeded in getting the Syrian army out of Lebanon based on rejection of its occupation and its insistence on the sovereignty and independence of Lebanon. But this withdrawal is an insult to Lebanon because Minister Abu Sleiman was delivering the word Lebanon and its government,” an LF statement said.
The LF urged the Lebanese government to take the necessary measures and summon the Syrian ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul Karim Ali.
Source: Naharnet
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