Amid the rejection by some international organizations of the Lebanese decision to return Syrian refugees to their country, the Director of General Security in Lebanon, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, expressed his rejection of how these organizations deal with the issue of Syrian refugees. He pointed out that the issue of Syrian refugees has negative economic, security and social effects on Lebanon.
Ibrahim said during a press conference on Tuesday regarding the return of Syrian refugees: “The return of Syrians to their land is a duty that we must perform, and we have received, from the Syrian side, only every welcome and seriousness.” He noted that “this issue has negative economic, security and social effects and therefore must be addressed.”
Ibrahim stressed that there are 2 million and 80 thousand displaced Syrians in Lebanon, and 42% of the total prisoners are of Syrian nationality.
Lebanon Exerting Pressure on Syrian Refugees to Return to Regime-held Areas
He added that “Lebanon rejects the way some organizations deal with this issue.” He noted that “there are 17 centers for voluntary return in Lebanon, and there are 2 million and 80 thousand Syrians on Lebanese territory. 2,454 names have been registered for voluntary return, and 1700 names have been approved.
He pointed out that “those wishing to travel amounted to 751 names, and it was found that 510 names have security and judicial procedures against them. 227 have compulsory conscription, in addition to 17 names whose return was approved to be reviewed by the competent authority in Syria.”
Ibrahim pointed out that “540,000 Syrians have been returned to Syria within the framework of voluntary return. We will complete the plan as it was developed, and we will not succumb to any pressure.” He stressed that “we will not force any Syrian refugee to return to Syria, and we will do what we need to do to ease the burden on the Lebanese people.”
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
