Rahi to Discuss with GCC Diplomats Fate of Lebanese Expats
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi is expected to discuss with the Ambassadors of the Gulf Cooperation Council the status of Lebanese expatriates in Gulf states, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Wednesday.
The newspaper quoted sources as saying that the Cardinal will invite the diplomats to Bkirki on Thursday as part of routine meetings that he holds with the representatives of regional and international powers.
The sources said that Thursday’s “meeting is very important because it comes following the tension in Lebanese-Gulf ties” after Saudi Arabia halted $4 billion of assistance to the Lebanese army and security forces, and GCC states labeled Hizbullah a terrorist organization.
Al-Rahi will discuss with the ambassadors “the conditions of Lebanese in the Arab Gulf and will ask about their fate,” they said, adding that the expatriates “should be protected because they have nothing to do with the political tension.”
The patriarch is also expected to discuss with the diplomats Lebanon’s political deadlock caused by the vacuum at the helm of the country’s top Christian post, the sources told al-Joumhouria.
The Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that reports of Lebanese nationals being deported from Gulf countries are being exaggerated.
According to the Ministry, there are only 74 cases that include expulsion, deportation and non-renewal of residency permits for various reasons including Lebanese groups working or residing in these countries.
In March, reports have said that around 1,100 Lebanese and Syrian nationals were to be banned from renewing their residence permits in Kuwait for having direct links to Hizbullah.
The Gulf Arab states blacklisted Hizbullah as a terrorist group earlier that month.
Around 50,000 Lebanese live and work in the oil-rich Arab countries, providing remittances that are vital to the domestic economy.
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