Derbas, Bassil at Loggerheads over Syrian Refugees

Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil were on Friday at loggerheads over the Syrian refugee crisis after accusations that the authorities were accepting more displaced Syrians despite a decision not to do so.

Derbas and Bassil briefly argued over the issue during a cabinet session held at the Grand Serail on Thursday after the foreign minister told the government that he had information about the entry of more Syrian refugees to Lebanon.

Since last September, around 50,000 new refugees have been officially registered, Bassil told the cabinet.

He reiterated in remarks to As Safir daily published on Friday that certain Lebanese institutions “are not abiding by the decision taken by the cabinet to stop the flow of refugees.”

Although Lebanese border officials began informally restricting the entry of Syrians last October, Beirut officially imposed visa regulations in December on their neighbors. The move was the first such in decades.

The UNHCR says there are about 1,150,000 Syrian refugees registered in Lebanon.

“We can no longer remain silent on the violations,” said Bassil.

“The number of displaced Syrians began rising lately. International agencies continue to register more refugees,” he added.

But Derbas, who on Thursday stormed out of the cabinet session after his dispute with the FM, denied Bassil's claims.

He also told As Safir on Friday that he was “not comfortable” with this situation.

In further remarks to al-Liwaa daily, he said he did not know the reasons behind Bassil's criticism. “But all I can say is that it wasn't good.”

He hinted that Free Patriotic Movement ministers were preparing for a bigger campaign against him.

G.K.

H.K.