Prime Minister Saad Hariri Wednesday discussed the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland, during a meeting with a delegation from the International Committee of the Red Cross.
ICRC Lebanon chief Christophe Martin said that the delegation’s talks with Hariri revolved around the displaced Syrian population. The delegation, he said, also gave recommendations on this issue.
“Dialogue will take place with Lebanese authorities regarding the situation of Syrian refugees in Lebanon and fulfilling the necessary [criteria] to allow for their return to Syria,” Martin said, according to a statement from Hariri’s office.
Discussion during the meeting also touched on those still unaccounted for following Lebanon’s Civil War. “The prime minister expressed his full support for the delegation’s work in order to push forward to [discover] their fate,” Martin said.
Thousands of Lebanese went missing during the 15-year-long Civil War, and their fates largely remain unknown. These disappearances have been attributed by some to Syria.
Syrian troops entered Lebanon in 1976 – a year after the Lebanese Civil War began – and maintained de facto political control over the country for almost 30 years, until their pullout in April 2005.
However, Syria has consistently denied accusations of arbitrary arrests and kidnappings.
In June 2004, the Syrian and Lebanese governments established a joint commission mandated to investigate the issue of disappeared nationals from both countries.
- 80% of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Want to Go Home: ICRC
- Syrian Refugee Who Set Himself Ablaze Was Desperate After Aid Cuts
This article has been adapted from its original source.
