Report: UAE to Expel Some 1,000 Lebanese Expats
The United Arab Emirates will expel around 1,000 Lebanese expats living in the country as President Michel Suleiman is scheduled to head to the gulf state on Wednesday.
Some of the Lebanese expats, who were expelled during the past few weeks, were forced to sign a document claiming that they support Hizbullah or that they are carrying out “illegal security acts,” al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Tuesday.
According to the daily, UAE authorities gave the Lebanese expats the choice to either enter prison or sign the confession documents.
Most of the expelled Lebanese hold visas issued by Abu Dhabi authorities, the daily noted.
The report comes as Suleiman is scheduled to tackle during his visit to the UAE the travel advisory against Lebanon issued by its authorities and three other gulf countries, including Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.
According to the daily, the president will also address the UAE authorities’ decision to expel 1,000 Lebanese expatriates.
In May, the UAE issued a travel restriction advisory urging its nationals in Lebanon to leave the country because of the "unstable security situation".
The mainly Sunni Muslim oil-rich state is home to about 100,000 Lebanese.
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