Lebanese Minister of the Displaced Issam Sharaf El-Din (Anatolia)
The Lebanese Minister of the Displaced, Issam Sharaf El-DinMeeting with government officials Syrian regime In Damascus, where he met today, Monday, with the Minister of Local Administration and Environment in the regime’s government, Hussein Makhlouf.
Al-Watan newspaper, affiliated with the Syrian regime, said that the visit comes with the aim of discussing a plan to return Syrian refugees Previously submitted by the Lebanese Council of Ministers, it seeks to form a joint committee with the United Nations to develop a road map to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees to their areas.
The newspaper stated that the plan that Sharaf El-Din is discussing in Syria provides for the return of 15,000 Syrian refugees from Lebanon every month, or about 180,000 refugees a year, after securing shelters for them and their living necessities.
Syrian refugees in Lebanon say that the first barrier to return to Syria is security concerns related to opposing the Syrian regime politically, or forced conscription into the regime’s forces in order to fight against the opposition in different areas.
Khaled Hamdoun, a Syrian refugee in Tripoli, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the reasons for not returning are many, top of which is the security reality, in addition to the destroyed citiesHe added, “If they remove the regime’s militias and the armed groups supporting it, and there are guarantees of non-arrest, a large part of the refugees will return,” stressing that “most of those in Lebanon will stay because of security concerns, not the economic reason.”
For his part, Hossam, who preferred not to mention his surname and refugee in Tripoli, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that he would not return, “as long as the regime remains and as long as Hezbollah and the rest of the militias remain there, they understand the reason behind his resort to Lebanon,” and he adds that if he finds a way to travel to a country Another will not stay in Lebanon.
Hundreds of thousands of Syrians fleeing the Syrian regime live in Lebanon, against the background of the military attacks it launched on their cities and towns after 2011, most of them from the governorates of Homs and the Damascus countryside. Media reports say that there are nearly 1.5 million Syrians in Lebanon, most of whom are refugees.
Syrian researcher and dissident Wael Alwan told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that this visit “comes in the context of covering up Lebanon’s problems through the issue of Syrian refugees, and this old policy of the Lebanese government and the actors in the Lebanese decision to escape from entitlements and internal problems,” stressing that this reflects negatively on Syrian refugees.
Alwan added that “Lebanon cannot go far in dealing with the Syrians as the regime wishes, but this communication with the regime exacerbates the problem for Lebanon and does not bring them any benefit or penetration.” The researcher also pointed out that the Syrian regime does not have the ability to absorb the return of refugees, because it Economically unable to meet the requirements of those already in its areas.
It is noteworthy that Lebanon is experiencing stifling political and economic crises, and has recently witnessed several racist campaigns against Syrian refugees, holding them responsible for the economic crises in the country.