Ministerial panel on Syrian refugees calls for stricter measures, int'l help
Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said Wednesday that the armed forces will take all the necessary measures with the Syrian refugees, as the ministers of Justice, Interior, Labor, Social and Foreign affairs, convened to discuss the refugee file.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati chaired the meeting in the presence of the army chief, the Internal Security Forces chief, the Acting General Security chief, and the Presidency Secretary-General.
The ministerial panel asked the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to submit all available data on displaced Syrians within a week.
It also decided to strip any Syrian who leaves Lebanese territory of the displaced status.
The Lebanese Army had recently raided homes in various parts of the country, arresting hundreds and deporting dozens who had entered the country irregularly or held expired residency cards.
While Kataeb and Lebanese Forces leaders Sami Gemayel and Samir Geagea both urged for the repatriation of the refugees after meeting U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka, Amnesty International called on Lebanon to "immediately stop forcibly deporting refugees back to Syria."
The ministerial panel asked the security agencies to strictly pursue the violators and to prevent the illegal entry of Syrians. The panel urged the international community to bear the refugees' burden with crisis-hit Lebanon.
Caretaker Social Affairs Minister Hector Hajjar said after the meeting that he was assigned with the Minister of Labor, the Secretary-General of the higher Defense Council and the Acting General Security chief, to follow up on the implementation of the decisions of the ministerial panel and to coordinate with the Syrian side.
Mawlawi had banned the refugees from protesting against the recent deportation Wednesday in front of the UNHCR after a Lebanese group called for a counter-protest.
"Syrian refugees must be registered and should abide by the law," Mawlawi said in a press conference.
Source: Naharnet
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