Lebanon Fears Enraging West over Deportation of Syrian Refugees
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Lebanese authorities are hesitant in handing over Syrian refugees to Damascus, fearing that such a move would lead to an increased international pressure on Lebanon, ministerial sources said Saturday.
The sources told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat that Syrian authorities have asked Beirut to hand over several refugees that had escaped the fighting in their country to northern Lebanon.
“Lebanese officials discussed the issue and realized that meeting (the Syrian request) would lead in turn to an international pressure on Lebanon,” including possible sanctions, the sources said.
Several countries and mainly the U.S. are pressuring Lebanon into providing the humanitarian needs of all Syrian refugees, including dissenters and deserters.
Syrian authorities had previously pressured Lebanon into handing over seven displaced Syrians who were arrested in al-Qaa border village in the Bekaa valley for suspicion of belonging to the rebel Free Syria Army.
But the men were later released by the Lebanese judiciary after it turned out that they were not armed and the weapons seized from them belonged to the Lebanese owner of the house who was giving them refuge.
The Syrian judiciary has expressed its frustration over the decision to set them free, the ministerial sources told al-Hayat.
Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi said in remarks published in An Nahar in response to a question on whether Syria had made requests that he “hasn’t heard of any (Syrian) being handed over.”
“The issue is linked to the judicial agencies of the two countries through (coordination between) the embassies,” he said, stressing that it is not within his authorities but he would have heard about it if any such step was made.
07 April 2012, 10:10
00
Once bitten twice shy ! Come on, haven't we learned enough from the Palestinian refugees dilemma ?
The odds that the internal troubles in Syria to last for a long time considering the balance of power are very high.
Lebanon is a small country with very limited resources and an explosive national debt. According to the ministry of interior spokesman, 95 % of all crimes in Lebanon are committed by Syrian nationals. The fruit of the exodus.
Solution: Deport the activists to another country and limit the flows on a case by case basis. The more the word is out that the Lebanese authorities are flexible in receiving the refugees the more would be encouraged to head this way.
07 April 2012, 12:45
17
You are actually right to feel like that. Today we are ashamed as Lebanese , of our governments handling of the issue.
...but of course I hope you understand it´s politics and not the will of the people. Just look at the courageous man that hosted the refeguees according to the article...
07 April 2012, 12:59
03
Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi is either senile and has no memory or is lying through his teeth... like all those Syrian lackeys in power... Several Syrians nationals were handed over to the Syrian regime and some were kidnapped and never heard of again in recent months and it was in the news over and over... The Syrian govt will not wait for the Lebanese govt to hand over anyone, they will have the local Syrian ambassador and the many pro Syrian "armed" political parties do the job and the lebanese govt will as usual stand by watching from the sidelines... It makes me sick to my stomach... This is not a country one could be proud of...
07 April 2012, 19:08
22
you're really a barbarian Syrian. This is a Lebanese site, you might want to introduce yourself to some respect.
08 April 2012, 02:59
00
Look at the laughable American propaganda headline, like the blood thirsty West cares a damn about Syrian refugees or the millions of Palestinian and Iraqi refugees. Israel just deported thousands of black Africans...was there an outrage??? We are here only talking about armed rebels. Naharnet and An Nahar Being a propaganda news agency for America (Israel) has made the news agency irrelevant in Lebanon.
08 April 2012, 14:32
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History is always written by the winners and not the losers...the fate of the Syrian refugees will be determine by either they were part of the free western army traitors and treated as such, or if these refugees are truly refugees they should have nothing to fear and go back home....
Lebanese should not fear for doing the right thing unless you were a traitor for either the occupied Palestine and the western alliance (USA, France, Britain, and Germany). I'm glad we are living in a bipolar world...
08 April 2012, 18:36
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lebanon produced more than 800000 war refugees in the leb civil war of 1975 1989 alone , and r scatered all over the world were they r treated with the atmost dignity and respect. it is time for the lebanese people to show some gratitudetowards the human race by doing their bit by accepting the syrian refugees who r fleeing their tirant gov
09 April 2012, 06:37
00
i wish if i have 100 house in lebanon i will give them for Free to the Syrian Families ( i did not Forget that alot of lebanese families went to syria in 2006 war , and almost all lebanese they were welcomed by syrian families no body can denie that :) treat people as they treat you ( as there is bad people in syria , there is alot of good people ) same as lebanon or elsewhere. bass all we can say nshallah el voilence wil stop in syria w allah yer7am le ra7o w allah y7aseb kell wahad atal innocent civilians
