Sharp Debate among Ministers over Closing Border with Syria
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Sharp differences surfaced among cabinet members on how to deal with the mass influx of Syrian and Palestinian refugees into Lebanon from Syria, local newspapers said on Thursday.
According to An Nahar newspaper, Free Patriotic Movement's Energy Minister Jebran Bassil and Minister of State Ali Qanso from the Syrian Social Nationalist Party proposed during a cabinet session at the Grand Serail on Wednesday to close the border with Syria and halt the influx of the refugees.
The proposal is based on reports saying that not all the refugees crossing into Lebanon are fleeing the turmoil in their country as several of them are “undisciplined members,” who could affect stability in Lebanon.
Bassil suggested contacting the countries that support the popular uprising in Syria, wondering why they are only offering funds to aid the refugees instead of welcoming them in their territories, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported.
However, the proposal was confronted by fierce rejection by Progressive Socialist Party ministers as Public Works Minister Ghazi Aridi stressed that the government is incapable of implementing such a measure given that the state can't monitor and control the border and refugees would seek to use illegal crossings to enter the country.
Later, Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour told Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) that the latest figures show that there are around 160,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
“It's the responsibility of the state to control the border. The refugees could head to other Syrian cities rather than entering Lebanon,” the minister said.
The intense fighting between forces loyal to President Bashar Assad and rebels battling to overthrow him has sparked a huge exodus of Syrians and Palestinians to neighboring countries.
Until this week, around 10,000 Palestinians had fled from Syria to Lebanon, but since the latest violence another 3,000 had crossed the border or were in the process of crossing, UNRWA deputy chief of staff Lisa Gilliam said.
More than 150,000 Syrian refugees have fled the bloody conflict in their home country for Lebanon, according to figures released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
20 December 2012, 10:43
53
It's a real humanatarian problem. The best solution is to help syrian people to overthrow this unhuman regime
20 December 2012, 15:02
24
imagine if someone had said that when the Armenians escaped to Lebanon...or when the Southerners escaped to Syria...
20 December 2012, 15:35
13
Bassil was not talking about overflowing you are the one making that point up. There is a humanitarian crisis just like there was a humanitarian crisis back then...we have a moral duty to help just like we had a moral duty to help back then.
20 December 2012, 11:17
04
I agree with you and Phil. @3akkariandproud how are you going to help overthrow the regime? Like how the palestinians got their country from Lebanon.
20 December 2012, 12:24
55
"Free Patriotic Movement's Energy Minister Jebran Bassil and Minister of State Ali Qanso from the Syrian Social Nationalist Party "
why close the borders? aren t they for the greater syria? qanso believes that lebanon is part of syria no? so there are no borders LOL!
20 December 2012, 13:41
23
hahahaha! not even the sense of humour among the M8ers... what a bunch of sad people you are...
20 December 2012, 14:27
42
the filthy zionist scum trash and filth hallucinate about greater syria
20 December 2012, 16:23
00
Here you go again with your filthy insults which have as usual nothing to do with the matter being discussed.
20 December 2012, 14:27
13
closing the borders means :"CLOSING ALL BORDERS HERMETICALLY" some ministers want to close the border now,why not b4\?????????ANYWAY ITS TOOOOOOOOOOOOOO LATE.
20 December 2012, 14:28
33
the filthy zionist scum trash and filth think m8 people are sad, while he wipes his tears all day long realizing his genocidal entity is soon finished.
20 December 2012, 14:37
31
"you are a piece of sick work" "filthy zionist scum trash and filth" "go to hell" "woohoo! lol yeah wow LOL! haha LOL!"
just look how ,in a few posts, M8ers discuss! isn t it remarkable the level of thought? the smartness they pretend to have that make them lecture others? they pretend to be right and all the others just deserve low insults? no wonder when we hear their leaders!!!!
what non credible bunch of sad people they are! so comic too without even knowing it (typical trait of weak spirits)
20 December 2012, 15:01
32
what outrage would it have been had they closed the border when Lebanon was being bombed...this is a humanitarian crisis, stop the hate.
20 December 2012, 15:03
31
so we should have sent the Southerners to Iran when hizbocrap instigated a war with israel?
20 December 2012, 17:26
20
because this gvt is unable to take decisions! they do according to what bashar tells them to do!
20 December 2012, 18:03
20
probably because the FSA is taking control of border crossings in Lebanon. Imbasil only thinks of himself.
20 December 2012, 18:06
22
"they have been asking for over 1 year to close & secure the borders."
i suppose "they" is the gvt? so if the gvt is the one asking why can t they do it? aren t they in charge? how can a gvt want something and do not do it? it means they do not control the situation!
or am i wrong? who takes these measures? not the ones "who have been asking this for over a year"?
it only means that M8 gvt is unable to take measures because they obey bashar s orders...
20 December 2012, 18:38
10
simple question : who is in charge of the army if not the gvt? LOL!!!
20 December 2012, 19:26
10
Peace- you forgot who you are talking to/about. this government or even M8 in general has a simple motto. It's someone else's fault. If they trip and fall it's the shoe maker's fault for making a shoe that includes shoe laces. It's like talking to an 8 year old.
20 December 2012, 20:50
00
yes indeed! it s the first time you hear the majority of ministers blaming the gvt they are part of!!! like if they are blaming themselves for their incompetence!
20 December 2012, 20:24
00
So first thing you must do is cancel passport and border controls at Beirut Airport and Port. It's no good keeping control at one side of the country when the land border is completely open.
If you don't care, perhaps the Israelis can come back in.
