Syria is ready to start repatriation of fellow refugees on the territory of Lebanon. This was announced by Syrian Interior Minister Mohammad Khaled al-Rahmoun at a meeting with Lebanon's acting Minister of Displaced persons Issam Sharaf El-Din, SANA news agency reported on Monday.
According to him, the Syrian authorities have created "all the necessary conditions" for the refugees to return home. He pointed out in particular that any document confirming Syrian citizenship, including expired passports, would be accepted. Holders of such documents should not be subjected to additional border crossing checks. Al-Rahmoun also emphasized that refugees are allowed to enter with their children born outside Syria.
In recent months, the Lebanese authorities have repeatedly expressed the need to solve the problem of the repatriation of refugees from a neighboring country. On July 2, Lebanese President Michel Aoun acknowledged at a meeting with participants at the Arab League consultative meeting in Beirut that Lebanon "can no longer bear the heavy burden of 1.5 million Syrian refugees alone." According to information cited by the head of state, Lebanon's financial losses have reached $9.7 billion since 2011.
On July 6 in Beirut, Sharaf El-Din revealed a plan drawn up jointly with Syrian authorities, according to which 15,000 people would return home from Lebanon every month. According to him, "the families of the Syrians are guaranteed safe return in small groups to their former places of residence."
On July 11, Sharaf El-Din told reporters that the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees had rejected Beirut's plan for the phased return to their homeland of the 1.5 million Syrians who had taken refuge on Lebanese territory. According to him, the agency believes that Syria has not created conditions for receiving compatriots, and fears that the departure of Syrians from Lebanon will be forced.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: anjči/Creative Commons 2.0
Based on materials from TASS