Bou Saab Says UAE Not Targeting Lebanese, Denies Deportation of Additional Expats
Education Minister Elias Bou Saab stressed on Friday that there is no official decision in the United Arab Emirates to deport Lebanese expatriates, denying reports about new lists.
“The names of the Lebanese who were extradited are on a list that includes 5,000 expats from different nationalities,” Bou Saab told al-Akhbar newspaper.
He pointed out that it's a “routine measure” that is constantly carried out by UAE.
Bou Saab, who has co-founded the American University in Dubai and is currently the executive vice president of the establishment, said that he discussed the matter with UAE Prime Minister and Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum.
The minister, who is renowned for having personal ties with UAE officials, said that concerned authorities confirmed to him that the reports tackling the matter are exaggerated.
“The number of deported Lebanese didn't surpass 30 individuals,” he noted.
Media reports said at the beginning of the week that UAE's decision to extradite Lebanese nationals will include an additional 120 Lebanese.
UAE's decision to deport Lebanese expats from the Gulf country is reportedly related to their staunch support to Hizbullah and its allies.
Over the weekend, a second batch of Lebanese deported from UAE arrived in Beirut. Most of the expats have been residing in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman.
The move reportedly is to retaliate a speech by Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah which contained a strong attack against countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council.
UAE hosts more than 100,000 Lebanese workers.
Hundreds of Lebanese, mostly Shiite Muslims, have been quietly deported from the UAE since 2009. Deportations of Shiites from oil-rich Gulf states rose in 2013 after Hizbullah joined Syrian government forces in Syria's civil war.
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