Mikati says remarks about 'European bribe' are baseless
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Saturday said recent remarks about “a European bribe to Lebanon to keep the displaced (Syrians) on its soil” are “baseless,” stressing that “this grant is unconditional.”
“What’s happening is a malicious attempt to thwart any governmental solution under false excuses and accusations,” Mikati added in a statement released by his press office.
The statement came shortly after Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil lashed out at Mikati and the EU over the recent one-billion-euro aid package.
Bassil accused the European Commission of seeking to "replace the Lebanese people with the displaced Syrians and to change the identity of the people and the land."
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen had announced Thursday 1 billion euros in aid for Lebanon during a visit to the crisis-hit country and urged it to tackle illegal migration to the bloc.
The bulk of the package — 736 million euros — would go to supporting Syrian refugees “and other vulnerable groups” in Lebanon, while 200 million euros would bolster Lebanese security services in enforcing border and migration control, according to figures provided by the Cypriot government.
Source: Naharnet
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