Fabius to Tackle Syrian Violations along Border, UNIFIL Deployment Out of Question

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who is scheduled to arrive in Beirut on Thursday, is expected to tackle the Syrian violations along the Lebanese border.

A French diplomatic source informed As Safir newspaper on Wednesday that Fabius will inform Lebanese officials that the United Nations Security Council members reject to expand the mission of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

“Deploying international forces along the Lebanese-Syrian border is absolutely out of question,” the source told the daily.

On Monday, Phalange party leader Amin Gemayel called on the Security Council to include the deployment of UNIFIL along the Lebanese-Syrian border in resolution 1701.

Fabius is scheduled to meet with senior Lebanese officials on his two-day visit and NGO officials who are providing the Syrian refugees in Lebanon with the humanitarian aid.

The source told As Safir that Fabius will announce his country’s will to increase aid to the refugees and demand the Lebanese officials not to deport any Syrian “whether the Syrian refugee is pro- or anti” President Bashar Assad’s regime.

Lebanon is currently harboring over 30,000 Syrian refugees who have fled their regime’s crackdown against protests that began in March 2011.

The source noted that the FM will also urge Lebanese authorities to protect the Syrians who are currently on its territories.

On August 1, the General Security deported 14 Syrians and said the reasons for the expulsions were not political but a Human Rights Watch representative in Beirut said some of the deportees had expressed fears of persecution on their return.

The General Security said that those deported were wanted for common law not political offences.

They were released on August 4 amid reports that one of them returned to Lebanon.