The Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Committee met yesterday, headed by MP Fadi Alama, in the presence of the caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Abdullah Bu Habib, and his office manager, Ambassador Walid Haidar.
After the meeting, Alama referred to the issue of border demarcation and Lebanon’s position in the negotiations. He said, “It was an occasion for us to listen to His Excellency the Minister and where we are far from what we heard in the media and how things are going. He explained to Nan some points and explained the process of communication in the negotiations, which takes time and, in principle, things are proceeding in an acceptable manner. There may be slowness because we have a caretaker government and the government of the Israeli enemy has problems, and we have a mediator who will work between the two in a way that is in the interest of Lebanon. The main thing is that there is a unified position on Lebanon, and this position is supportive and strong for us.”
He added, “As part of the meeting, we also discussed the issue of Lebanese detainees. There was a request for more than one colleague to follow up on their case, and we are interested in international standards in dealing with the matter. We would love to know their fate, we respect countries and their systems, but it is important for us as a Lebanese state to know the fate of these citizens in order to understand their situation and their fate,” noting that Bouhabib “promised to follow up on this issue and put us in the picture.”
Alama announced that he proposed “the idea of establishing a work cell and we are following up on this issue, because it seems that from period to period the numbers increase.”
He continued, “There is an issue related to diplomatic missions abroad, and a great deal was issued in the media, and we followed up on the issue with a number of ambassadors abroad. The minister explained that the basis of the issue is between the exchange rate of 1500 pounds to the dollar and what is happening in the market, and he reassured us that he seeks, as much as possible, to This problem has been resolved in ways and mechanisms followed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the hope that we will be able to relieve the workers in the diplomatic missions so that they can perform the role required of them. His Excellency the Minister assured us that there is no fear that services in these embassies will be affected. We will follow up this issue with him and with the missions abroad.”
He added, “There is an issue related to the displaced Syrians. There was a consensus among the representatives representing most of the Lebanese parties that there is a recommendation that it is necessary to communicate with Syria for the return of the displaced, and according to the figures presented by His Excellency the Minister, the Syrian refugees cost Lebanon 3 billion dollars annually, which means the equivalent of 30 billion dollars. dollars over the past ten years. There is a need for communication and cooperation, and not linking the return of the displaced to a political solution.”
He considered that “the international community should contribute and draw up a road map because it became clear to His Excellency the Minister in one of his recent meetings outside Lebanon that there is no road map for the Europeans concerned with the issue or the international community in general for their return,” calling for “to complete the assistance after they become in Syrian territory.” Because Lebanon is overburdened, and I think this is the role of the international community.”
With regard to passports, Alama pointed out that “there is a crisis, and in the previous parliament there was a bill to provide financial credit for public security to provide passports because there is suffering that the Lebanese suffer at home and abroad, and His Excellency the Minister says that the sums were provided, and that public security Passports are requested and there are sufficient quantities, but on the ground there are delays and suffering for people. We will continue with His Excellency the Minister, and there are many topics and points, and meetings with His Excellency the Minister will continue to follow up on the matter.
Alama welcomed, on behalf of the committee, the Arab foreign ministers who will be hosted by Lebanon tomorrow.