Bkirki presses state on Syrian refugees as Geagea takes protests to Brussels

A dialogue conference was held Thursday in Bkirki regarding the issue of the displaced Syrians in Lebanon, with church sources telling the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper that the meeting “achieved its goals and turned the refugee issue from a Christian issue into a national one.”

“Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s dispatch of Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi came as an assertion of the national dimension of the refugee file. Bkirki also succeeded in putting the state and its ministries and agencies before their responsibilities instead of awaiting an international decision that would allow for the repatriation” of Syrian refugees, the daily said.

“Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi was strict about this point, seeing as Bkikri is with separating the refugee return from the Syrian crisis’ solution,” the newspaper added.

“The dialogue table was not limited to discussing theories, but rather discussed how to follow up on the issue on the ground and how to kickstart the return process, with the attendance of Army chief General Joseph Aoun representing a clear refutation of all the claims that French and European pressures are being exerted on the army commander and the rest of security agencies, especially after the €1 billion grant,” Nidaa al-Watan said.

The church sources meanwhile emphasized that “Bkirki will go to the end in the confrontation, no matter how much pressures might grow, immunized by a comprehensive Christian decision and a national decision as well.”

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea meanwhile revealed that a popular protest will be organized in Brussels on May 27 during the meeting of the donor nations to demand that “aid be granted to Syrians inside their country and not in Lebanon.”

Calling on Lebanese expats to take part in the protest, Geagea said the Strong Republic bloc will convene two days prior to the May 15 parliamentary session to decide whether or not to take part in it.

The May 15 session will discuss the European Union’s €1 billion grant to Lebanon, which has been described by some Lebanese parties as a “bribe” to keep the Syrian refugees in Lebanon.