Bassil to Halt Escalation as PM Says He's in Charge of U.N. Ties

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri has told caretaker Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil that the relation with the U.N. is “part of his jurisdiction as a premier” and that he “cannot be bypassed” in this regard, after Bassil's decision to block residency permits for UNHCR officials sparked a storm of criticism, media reports said.

Official sources following up on the Syrian refugee crisis added in remarks to al-Hayat daily that Bassil, in his turn, told Hariri that he will not take further measures against the U.N. refugee agency.

“Hariri expressed his rejection of such steps,” the sources said.

The sources also expected Bassil to reverse his decision in the near future, noting that “the Foreign Ministry's role is limited to registering the residency permit requests whereas the deciding authority in this regard is exclusively the General Security agency.”

Bassil has said he ordered the freeze on the renewal of residency permits for UNHCR's staff because the agency is “scaring” Syrian refugees against returning to their country instead of “encouraging” them.

Lebanon is home to more than a million Syrian refugees, or about a quarter of the country's population. Bassil's statement came amid reports that some 3,000 Syrians are getting ready to head back home later this month.

A Foreign Ministry statement said Bassil's measure came after direct warnings by the ministry to UNHCR representative in Lebanon Mireille Girard who was summoned twice recently.