Salam from Istanbul: Failure to Tackle Refugee File Will Create Instability
Prime Minister Tammam Salam urged on Thursday members of the Organization of Islamic Organization to help Lebanon in shouldering the burden of Syrian refugees.
He said during a speech at the OIC summit in Istanbul: “We have warned that failure to provide the necessary aid to the refugees and the Lebanese community will not only weaken the already exhausted Lebanese economy, but it will create security instability.”
“Poverty, deprivation, and despair are the primary fuels of extremism,” he warned.
“The requirements of fraternity and solidarity that have been at the heart of the OIC since its formation demand that this burden be a moral obligation that all Islamic countries should support,” said the premier.
“Lebanon rejects all forms of naturalization of the Syrian refugees and believes that their presence in Lebanon is temporary,” he stated.
“Their presence in the country will end as soon as the causes for their displacement end,” he remarked.
“We are following with hope the diplomatic activity aimed at ending the war in Syria and look forward to the day in which the Syrians are able to reach a political solution that would end this tragedy.”
He also noted that the president of the Lebanese republic should have been present instead of him to deliver the speech at the Istanbul summit, lamenting the ongoing vacuum in the presidency.
“We hope to elect a head of state as soon as possible,” added Salam.
Addressing regional developments, Salam noted that the Arab world is witnessing “severe political tensions and military confrontations as a result of several factors.”
The countries of “the Gulf Cooperation Council in particular are suffering from foreign meddling that are stoking these conflicts,” said the prime minister.
“We reject attempts to impose political realities in the Arab countries by force, which will jeopardize stability in the region,” he warned.
“We therefore announce our complete solidarity with our Arab brothers in all that affects their security, stability, sovereignty, and unity of their societies,” he stressed.
“We underline our constant stand with Arab consensus and the higher interest of the Islamic ummah,” he declared.
Salam had held talks on his Istanbul trip with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, and brief talks with Saudi King Salman and Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah.
M.T.
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