Speaker Nabih Berri emphasized the need to separate the Syrian refugee issue from Lebanese politics, Lebanon’s refugee affairs minister said Saturday, according to a statement from the speaker’s office.
Minister of State for Refugee Affairs Saleh Gharib met with Berri to brief the speaker on the talks he held in Damascus on the issue of Syrian refugees’ return to their country.
Gharib had already discussed the controversial trip with the Lebanese president and prime minister the day after his return. At the time, Gharib himself had called on Lebanese officials to stop politicizing the debate over the refugees' presence in Lebanon, “given the economic, financial and security pressure that it has on the whole nation.”
After his meeting with Berri, Gharib said he will take the speaker’s notes on the matter into consideration, the statement added.
Gharib, who is loyal to MP Talal Arslan, drew fire from the Lebanese Forces and its allies over his visit to Syria, which they considered a “breach” of the government’s disassociation policy.
Berri’s Amal Movement, the Free Patriotic Movement, Hezbollah and its allies all support normalized ties and coordination with Syria to ensure a safe return of Syrian refugees to their country, while the Future Movement, the LF and the Progressive Socialist Party staunchly oppose any direct contacts with the regime before a political solution to the conflict in Syria.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
