Lebanon to Revoke Refugee Status for Those Leaving and Increase Security Measures at Camps

The Lebanese government has taken a series of measures related to Syrian refugees, especially the violators among them, threatening to drop the refugee status of everyone who leaves the Lebanese territories, and confirmed the continuation of following up on their voluntary return, in two meetings held yesterday under the chairmanship of the caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the Ministers of Justice, Foreign Affairs and Interior. and social affairs and security leaders.
These measures, a number of which have already been taken, did not find their way to implementation for several reasons. Including the lack of cooperation of the Syrian regime and the UNHCR’s refusal of their return, in light of the escalation of tension in Lebanon and the division over the file of the return of Syrians to their country, so that voices are raised rejecting their continued presence in Lebanon and calling for action to return them to their country, in exchange for other parties stressing the importance of this return being linked to guarantees for them.
Yesterday, Mikati presided over two meetings to discuss the file of the Syrian displacement, in the first of which concerned ministers and security leaders participated, and in the second, Minister of Social Affairs Hector Hajjar, Minister of Interior Abbas Mawlawi, the United Nations Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs and the representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Lebanon, after the high level of The tension in Lebanon against the background of this issue, which almost led to a confrontation between the Lebanese and the Syrians, following the call for two demonstrations facing each other yesterday (Wednesday) in front of the UNHCR, which led the Minister of Interior to take a decision to prevent demonstrations by the displaced and counter-demonstrations, and strict security measures were taken. Yesterday in the vicinity of the UNHCR headquarters in Beirut.
After the two meetings, Minister Hajjar affirmed the full agreement between the prime minister, ministers and security leaders regarding the measures that have been taken, saying: “Lebanon is united on this issue,” pointing out that if there is a need for political coordination, he and the Minister of Labor will go to Syria to follow up on this issue.
While Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi affirmed that the Lebanese security services will take all measures in front of the camps for the displaced Syrians, Hajjar announced a series of measures that the Lebanese state will start implementing, related to organizing the presence of refugees and working for their return to their country, including asking the security services to strictly pursue violators and prevent Entering Syrians illegally and without official and legal documents, and requesting the High Commissioner for Displaced Affairs, within a maximum period of one week from its date, to provide the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities with the “data” of all kinds of displaced Syrians, provided that the status of a displaced person is revoked for every person who leaves the territory Lebanese.
The Minister of Social Affairs affirmed the continuation of following up on the voluntary return of displaced Syrians, taking into account the requirements of agreements and laws in terms of preserving human rights, under the supervision of the relevant ministries and departments, especially the Ministry of Social Affairs and the General Directorate of Public Security.
Among the decisions taken was the request of the Ministries of Interior and Municipalities and Social Affairs to carry out the legal requirements in terms of registering the births of Syrians on Lebanese territory in coordination with the High Commission for Displaced Affairs, and to request the Ministry of Labor, in coordination with the General Directorate of Public Security, to strictly monitor employment within the permitted sectors.
In light of the high number of Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons, it was decided to request the Minister of Justice to discuss the possibility of handing them over to the Syrian state immediately, taking into account the relevant laws and agreements, and after coordination in this regard with the Syrian state, as well as going to foreign countries to share the burdens. Syrian displacement in light of the worsening economic crisis in the country.
The meeting agreed to assign the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, the Secretary General of the Supreme Defense Council and the Acting Director General of Public Security to follow up on the implementation of the committee’s decisions, coordinate with the Syrian side and submit periodic reports in this regard to the Ministerial Committee.
And after the UNHCR had refused to give the Lebanese Ministry of Affairs the lists it had with the names of the refugees, which led to strained relations between them, Hajjar announced yesterday that the UNHCR had been informed of the basic decisions dealing with the displaced Syrians, and it was agreed that negotiations would begin tomorrow ( today) on the subject of “how to deliver (data), provided that it is delivered within a week as a maximum, and a follow-up committee has been appointed.”
The Minister of Interior also spoke about the issue of the displaced and the decision to ban demonstrations, stressing the need for the Syrians in Lebanon to respect law and order. After meeting with the Mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Abd al-Latif Darian, he said: “We affirm and protect human rights, and we value the rights of neighbors and the rights of every human being, especially the Arab human being, and human beings in general. Rather, it is obligatory to respect the Lebanese law, maintain order, and for the Syrians in Lebanon to be subject to the Lebanese law and order, and they must be registered in the relevant official departments and their status regulated, because this chaos is harmful to Lebanon and is harmful to their interests and the security situation for which we are responsible.
On the other hand, he stressed that “social justice must be achieved among all those on Lebanese soil, without the Lebanese being oppressed on their land, and without being subjected to injustice from their brothers on Lebanese soil.”
In response to a question about whether the authorities had information about a security explosion that was about to take place, he replied: “We take every precaution so that no security incident occurs. Thankfully. We are following the security situation in detail, hence our keenness to organize the Syrian situation in Lebanon to protect security and protect all those in Lebanon. He affirmed his refusal to incite against the Lebanese army, against the background of its deportation of dozens of Syrians from Lebanon, and said: “Incitement against the Lebanese army and the Lebanese state will not be allowed… The Syrian in Lebanon must abide by the Lebanese law, and we will impose on him his commitment.”
He was asked about the security measures in front of the entrances to the camps, and he affirmed that “the Lebanese security services, including the internal security forces and the army, will take all measures in front of the camps for the displaced Syrians. The intelligence and information security agencies are also doing their duty with every effort to maintain security and provide us with all the necessary information.