Bassil: no more Syrian refugees allowed into Lebanon

Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil warned on Monday of a plot to keep Syrian refugees in Lebanon for a long time.

He also warned of a plan “for the refugees to equip themselves militarily in order to carry outs attacks beyond Lebanese borders.”

Bassil demanded a halt to the flow of Syrians into Lebanon to redistribute them among countries neighboring Syria.

“Lebanon has suffered the most, in all fields, from the conflict in Syria,” he lamented during a press conference.

“We will therefore work on setting up camps for Syrian refugees outside of Lebanese territories,” he said after attending the Arab foreign ministers summit held in Kuwait.

Commenting on terrorist threats in Lebanon, he remarked: “It is unfortunate that Lebanon is gradually slipping into the clutches of blind terrorism that is infiltrating the nation from Arab countries.”

These terrorists are then traveling from Lebanon to other countries where they carry out their attacks, he added.

“We are in need of Arab support to confront terrorism and defend Lebanon against Israel,” he stressed.

“Lebanon cannot distance itself from terrorism. It is our fate to pay the consequences of the conflicts of others,” he noted.

Bassil therefore highlighted the importance of supporting the Lebanese army in combating terrorism, praising the Arab pledge to back it.

“We hope words on supporting the army can be turned into actions,” he said.

“Lebanon is fighting terrorism for all the Arabs and all the world,” he responded to a question in English.

Bassil announced on Sunday that a meeting of Arab foreign ministers held in Kuwait approved a plan he had presented aimed at bolstering the army.

He said: “The foreign ministers agreed to support the army in its resistance of Israel and battle against terrorism.”

This entails bolstering it financially and providing it with the necessary equipment in accordance to international initiatives, he explained.

The plan will also seek to support the Lebanese government to that end, stated Bassil.

The Arab foreign ministers held their meeting in Kuwait ahead of the two-day Arab League summit that will kick off on Monday.

President Michel Suleiman is scheduled to take part in the talks.

Naharnet