Lebanese Minister of State for Refugee Affairs Saleh Gharib Thursday said he was finalizing a plan for Syrian refugee returns that he will submit to Cabinet "soon."
Speaking to local news outlet Lebanon Debate, Gharib said his plan reflected the concerns of the Lebanese people, contrasting it with other proposals for refugee returns, like Russia’s, which he claimed did not consider Lebanon’s needs. However, he declined to discuss details of his plan until it went to Cabinet.
In July, Russia announced a plan to facilitate the return to Syria of refugees from the region and Europe. Members of a joint committee to coordinate returns with representatives of Russia and the Lebanese government were appointed in September, but little progress has been made.
Gharib said one of the main points in his plan was discouraging NGOs from providing refugees with what he described as incentives to remain in Lebanon through continuous aid.
The minister added that President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Saad Hariri had to decide whether they would discuss other plans for refugee returns, proposed by the Lebanese Forces and the Progressive Socialist Party.
Social Affairs Minister Richard Kouyoumjian, affiliated with the LF, announced last month a five-point strategy that would facilitate refugee returns without re-establishing ties with Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime.
The LF, Future Movement and PSP oppose direct contact with Syria until a political solution to the conflict there is reached, while Hezbollah, the Amal Movement and Free Patriotic Movement have called for normalizing ties with Damascus to ensure the safe and speedy return of refugees.
There are currently more than 940,000 Syrian refugees registered with the U.N. refugee agency in Lebanon; Lebanese officials believe the actual number of refugees is far higher.
The Daily Star
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