Derbas to Aoun: I am not the Syrian Ambassador
Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas snapped back at Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun, who has accused him of turning a blind eye to alleged efforts aimed at naturalizing Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
“My answer (to Aoun) is simple … I am not the Syrian ambassador,” Derbas told An Nahar newspaper published on Wednesday.
“We hope that all Syrian refugees would register their children at the Syrian embassy,” he said. “I cannot force them or force the Syrian ambassador to do so.”
“Any discussion about naturalization is illegal,” Derbas added.
Aoun warned following the weekly meeting of his Change and Reform bloc on Tuesday that the international community is conspiring to settle a large number of displaced Syrians in Lebanon.
He said the social affairs ministry is not counting the birth of Syrians and not pushing for their registration at their country's mission.
Lebanon hosts around 1.5 million Syrian refugees, but only 1.1 million are registered with the UNHCR.
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