European lawmakers to file bill on repatriating Lebanon's Syrian refugees
Members of the European Parliament will next month submit a draft resolution related to returning the displaced Syrians who are present in Lebanon to their country, LBCI TV reported on Thursday.
“The Lebanese parliamentary delegation present in Brussels has been informed of this step,” LBCI said.
The delegation “will coordinate with the European lawmakers who will carry out this step,” the TV network added.
Hundreds of thousands of Syrians fled to Lebanon after the country's civil war began in 2011. Authorities say Lebanon hosts around two million Syrian refugees, while nearly 830,000 are registered with the U.N.
Since late 2019, Lebanon has been in the throes of an economic crisis dubbed by the World Bank as one of the worst in modern history, dealing an especially heavy blow to vulnerable communities, including refugees.
30 March 2023, 19:26
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The proposed bill to repatriate Syrian refugees from Lebanon to their home country will not be fruitful if Syria does not want to take back its refugees. It is essential to understand that refugees flee their home country due to conflict, persecution, or other dangers, and returning to their home country is not always a safe or viable option.
If the Syrian government does not provide the necessary conditions for the safe and dignified return of its citizens, forcing them to return would be a violation of their human rights. Furthermore, the economic and political situation in Syria may not be conducive to the successful reintegration of returning refugees.
In light of this, the EU must negotiate with Assad and lift most sanctions which would potentially lead to the flow of aid and reconstruction funds to the country, which would alleviate some of the suffering and help rebuild the infrastructure.
30 March 2023, 21:18
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I agree and we should care about the welfare of every person and refugee. It is a basic human right issue. However, we should keep in mind the majority of refugees proudly voted for Assad and most of them go back and forth multiple times to Syria. Still, having 40% of refugees born in Lebanon is an abuse of UN system and Lebanese hospitality and delicate demographic balance. Parent should be responsible for the welfare of any child they bring to this world if they want us to respect and assist them, otherwise they should bare the consequences.
30 March 2023, 23:57
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I hear you loud and clear, but the EU and the US must lift the sanctions on Syria because it needs the capital to rebuild their nation. Or else they'll still be more comfortable living in a broke Lebanon rather than a destroyed Syria. If they don't, we should not hesitate to finance ships and let them take the sea to Europe. Ukranians are welcome, so should the Syrians.
The distance between Paris and Donetsk is 2600km which nearly equates the distance between Paris Aleppo for example. Just to prove their EU racism, the distance between Paris and Tripoli, Libya is only 1900km... and they push the refugees back...
30 March 2023, 21:13
01
If we had a real country and competent foreign minister, we should have rightfully gotten billions for taking care of Syrian refugees and teaching them democracy and civility so they can make a positive change once back in Syria. Turkey got billions from Europe as these refugees would have cost significantly more to Europeans if they reached their shores. Lebanon rightly deserves at least $25 per day for every Syrian temporary refugee in Lebanon. This is over $10 billion per year. FPM has instead used refugees as a cash cow to divert millions to its cronies. Lebanon should request these funds be earmarked from any Syria donor conference. This will insure Assad would want them back as soon as possible. In addition, why not learn from US and UAE and offer citizenship to 1,000 students with highest score whether Syrian, Palestinian or any refugee or kids of Asian and African foreign workers.
