Lack of quorum turns cabinet session on refugees into ministerial meeting
Cabinet failed to convene Monday at the Grand serail to discuss the Syrian refugee crisis amid a new wave of illegal crossings, due to a lack of quorum.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati called instead for a consultative ministerial meeting at his office.
Army chief General Joseph Aoun and Acting General Security chief Brig. Gen. Elias Bayssari attended the meeting to discuss the crossing points and ways to limit illegal entries.
In addition to the Free Patriotic Movement ministers, Economy Minister Amin Salam, Environment Minister Nasser Yassin, Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan, Tourism Minister Walid Nassar and Health Minister Firas Abiad did not attend the session.
Over the past months, thousands of Syrian citizens made it to Lebanon through illegal crossing points seeking a better life, as living conditions are worsening in Syria, where inflation surged after President Bashar Assad’s decision in August to double public sector wages and pensions.
Mikati warned last week that over a thousand Syrian refugees each week fleeing to Lebanon "could create harsh imbalances", after the The Lebanese army said it had prevented 1,200 Syrians from crossing into Lebanon last week and another 1,100 Syrians the previous week.
Lebanon hosts some 805,000 United Nations-registered Syrian refugees, but officials estimate the actual number is far higher: between 1.5 million and 2 million.
Cabinet is set to convene in a second session today to discuss the 2024 state budget.
Source: Naharnet
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