Former Lebanese president accuses Europe of pressuring Lebanon to accept Syrian refugees

Former Lebanese President Michel Aoun has accused European countries of pressuring Lebanon to accept Syrian refugees and forcing them to stay there, indicating that he warned successive governments of the displacement's dangers. Still, they were not sufficiently aware to take necessary political or humanitarian measures.

Speaking at a public meeting with the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), Gebran Bassil, in Jezzine, Aoun stated, "we have realized recently that the game is big, and it is a conspiracy against Lebanon."

However, Aoun revealed that he once asked an ambassador why European countries requested Lebanon to guard their coasts to prevent Syrian refugees from reaching Europe but, simultaneously, were forcing Lebanon to keep them in the country. He stressed that most European countries do not want refugees and are imposing them on Lebanon.

According to Aoun, most European countries do not want refugees and want them to stay here, clarifying that Syrian refugees came to Lebanon and found safety, but they are not political refugees. He argued that European countries are imposing on Lebanon the idea that political refugees are the same as security refugees, which is an unacceptable lie.