Rising International Pressure on Lebanese Government over Influx of Syrian Refugees
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The international community is exerting pressure on the Lebanese government to protect Syrian refugees and provide them with humanitarian assistance after the U.N. refugee agency said Monday that as many as 2,000 Syrians crossed into Lebanon over the last two days.
An Nahar daily said Tuesday that the international community has also asked Lebanese authorities not to hand over refugees to the Syrian regime if it asks for their repatriation because their lives could be under threat.
France has already informed Premier Najib Miqati that the protection of the refugees is a humanitarian duty and has expressed anger at Beirut for handing over some Syrian activists to the Damascus authorities that have been clamping down on protestors since March last year, the daily added.
Dana Suleiman of the U.N. refugee agency told Agence France Presse on Monday that there were conflicting reports about the status of the Syrians.
"Over the past two days we have heard that up to 2,000 Syrians have attempted to cross into Lebanon" in the area of Masharee al-Qaa in the eastern Bekaa Valley, she said.
"But there are conflicting reports as to whether the majority have returned," she added.
Social Affairs Minister Wael Abou Faour stressed on Monday that his ministry can’t take care of the refugees unless they move from the Bekaa to northern Lebanon because the cabinet hasn’t tasked it with providing assistance to them in the East.
A local official in the Bekaa said most of those who fled the fighting were from the Syrian towns of Qusayr and Zarraa, in Homs province.
Lebanese security officials say more than 10,000 Syrians are believed to be in the country but according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, 7,058 Syrians have registered in Lebanon as refugees.
06 March 2012, 09:14
35
Lebanon is a dumping ground. First was the palestinians, now the Syrians, when in fact, the government cannot take care or protect its own citizens.
07 March 2012, 03:22
02
jcamerican, before israel was created, poor lebanese were welcomed to palestine where palestinians gave them jobs and homes, they never asked about their sect or religion. Everyone who needed jobs were given one in the palestinian fields. In 2006 when israel bombed lebanon, many lebanese fled to syria were they were given shelter, nobody asked about their sect. When armenians were beeing opressed, syrians, lebanese and palestinians gave us a safe haven and respect. This is what natural neighbors do, we help eachother out, all of our leaders have betrayed us but the people should remain on the path of love because we share a common history with eachother. This is not something to be against. And these refugees from syria are being taken care of by the islamic relief and other non-lebanese institutions, nobody has asked you to pay for them. Just try to feel sympathy bcuz you too have a right to get the same help from them if you ever were to need it.
06 March 2012, 11:19
21
just send them to the countries that armed them like KSA and qatar a plane should be at the airport ready they cross lebanese borders directly to the airport and one way to the gulf
06 March 2012, 11:21
10
Watching from afar day after day a brutal regime kill its people with impunity, so that it may stay in power, makes an accomplice of us all.
History will not be kind.
Senator McCain is right. The World has sat this out too long.
The time to act on Syria is now -- and we may be too late already.
06 March 2012, 13:16
01
It is all politics my dear. McCain is doing it for his party, in front of the AIPAC. You have to remember, AIPAC dictates our foreign policies. So they have to look good for the Israelis voters. lol
06 March 2012, 13:16
00
It is all politics my dear. McCain is doing it for his party, in front of the AIPAC. You have to remember, AIPAC dictates our foreign policies. So they have to look good for the Israelis voters. lol
07 March 2012, 13:44
00
And when will the time come to act on the US/WEST/ISRAEL/ARAB TRAITORS? The number of deaths resulting from the above is small potatoes compared to the deaths caused by those you support. How you can blatantly and ignorantly state that "the time to act on Syria is now" and forget the rest of the Satanist countries that are directly related to the deaths/murders/poverty/starvation/diseases in the world says something about what you are and where you come from.
06 March 2012, 11:25
01
Were they hosted by the people or the regime? Was there an international pressure to accept them?
