Lebanon is bracing for an influx of Arab students who are leaving the United States to avoid a racial backlash sparked by the terrorist assaults there earlier this month, Lebanese government sources said on Tuesday.
Moreover, a tacit vote of confidence in the country's stability from the United States was expected to encourage the trend, the sources told the Beirut-based Daily Star newspaper on Monday, after a cabinet session that was largely devoted to assessing international developments.
Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri told the cabinet that he had been approached by many people who wanted to move their children out of the United States.
"Universities and all institutions have been instructed to provide all the necessary facilities to Arab students seeking admission," Hariri said.
"This proves that people have confidence in Lebanon, its universities and the standard of education in the country," he added.
The session, which was chaired by Lahoud, began with a detailed account of Hariri's recent trip to Syria and France, as well as discussions with international contacts on the developments following the calamity in the United States.
Lebanon is struggling to bounce back from decades of civil war, as well as an Israeli occupation that left in its wake countless orphans, ruined infrstructure and many minefields - Albawaba.com
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