MP Bou Assi: Lebanon Starts Pressuring Displaced to Return

Pierre Bou Assi, a member of the "Strong Republic" parliamentary bloc, was a guest at an international conference in Cyprus on displacement in general, and specifically the Syrian displacement in the Eastern Mediterranean. 

He made several remarks, emphasizing "Lebanon's inability to bear more consequences of the Syrian displacement," pointing out that "municipalities have started implementing the law regarding the displaced while waiting for a sovereign Lebanese decision to halt funding for the displacement into Lebanon. 

He added that “this is an essential step towards their return to their homeland, as those displaced to Lebanon remain there for economic rather than security reasons," warning that "the displaced will not stay in Lebanon; they will either return to their countries or head west to Europe, as is currently happening."

Bou Assi noted that "Europe sounded the alarm when the number of Syrian asylum seekers reached 0.1% of the total European population and Cyprus when the number reached 1%, while the displacement rate in Lebanon has reached 50% of the Lebanese population, the highest rate in the world."

In response to a question about Lebanon's need for funds coming from donor countries, he said: "Lebanon is not for sale or rent, and financial support for Syrians must stop immediately."

After a field visit to the United Nations peacekeeping forces and a shelter for asylum seekers, including Syrians, Bou Assi reiterated that European countries have "a policy for managing asylum applications, while Lebanon is a transit country, not an asylum country," asserting that the Syrian migrants face two options: either return eastward to their home countries or go westward to Europe, but they certainly will not stay in Lebanon.

 

Commenting on the statement from the hosting organization, the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation, that donors will not help the displaced upon their return to Syria, Bou Assi clarified that "Lebanon has begun pressuring the displaced to return, whether the international community assists them upon return or not."