Miqati Meets Hale: Necessary Measures Being Taken to Ensure Safety of Foreigners in Lebanon
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati lamented on Friday the evacuation of non-essential staff U.S. Embassy staff and their family members, hoping that they would return to Lebanon.
He said: “The concerned security forces are taking the necessary measures to guarantee the safety of diplomatic missions and foreigners in Lebanon.”
He made his remarks after meeting with newly-appointed U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale.
The two officials discussed Lebanese-American bilateral ties and the developments in the region, most notably the impact of the Syrian conflict on Lebanon.
“Lebanon believes that dialogue is the only way to end the crisis in Syria, according to what the Syrian people see fit for their country,” added Miqati.
“Violence cannot resolve the current problems in Syria,” he said.
Moreover, he renewed the demand that Lebanon be disassociated from regional disputes, saying that Lebanon alone is not capable of supporting the burden of the Syrian refugees.
“The international community is required to immediately present Lebanon with the necessary aid to support the refugees because this issue is greatly impacting the situation in Lebanon,” he explained.
For his part, Hale stressed the need to isolate Lebanon from any repercussions of the possible military strike against Syria in response to an alleged chemical attack by the regime.
He voiced his support for Lebanon's policy of disassociation, saying that it favors the country and region's stability.
He criticized however Hizbullah's participation in the fighting alongside the Syrian regime, which he said will only exacerbate problems for Lebanon.
The U.S. embassy in Beirut said Friday that its non-essential staff and family members are being evacuated from Lebanon because of "threats to U.S. mission facilities and personnel."
The Department of State urged U.S. citizens to avoid all travel to Lebanon “because of current safety and security concerns,” noting that “U.S. citizens living and working in Lebanon should understand that they accept risks in remaining and should carefully consider those risks.”
Miqati later held talks with United Nations humanitarian chief Valerie Amos, reiterating to her Lebanon's inability to continue on supporting the burden of Syrian refugees.
“The U.N. and international community must immediately confront the dangers of this humanitarian file through not only providing the Syrians with food aid, but granting them health and education services,” said the caretaker premier.
On average, some 5,000 Syrians continue to flee their country every day, according to U.N. data. There are 720,000 registered refugees in Lebanon.
An international support group for Lebanon is expected to meet at the U.N. General Assembly on September 25 in order to tackle the case of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
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