Labor Minister Mustafa Bayram. (Credit: Dalati and Nohra)
BEIRUT — Labor Minister Mustafa Bayram said on Friday that Lebanon “can no longer act as the police of other countries,” in reference to the issue of illegal migration and Syrian refugees, after a meeting of the ministerial committee tasked with the issue of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
Here’s what we know:
• “The refugee issue has become unsupportable, we have not received any help in the matter and Lebanon has been left to its own,” Bayram said, adding that the country no longer has enough fuel to supply its coast guard boats.
• Bayram said that the matter should have been addressed during the Higher Defense Council meeting that took place in Baabda on Friday. The meeting was presided over by Prime Minister Najib Mikati and was attended by Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, Justice Minister Henry Khoury, Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi and Social Affairs Minister Hector Hajjar.
• Bayram also called for the extradition of all refugees found guilty by the Lebanese judiciary “as is done in all countries.”
• “We obviously remain fixed on the humanitarian question and human rights, but events are surpassing Lebanon’s capacity,” Bayram continued, calling for the intervention of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Social Affairs minister Hector Hajjar described the situation as “highly delicate, complex and dangerous,” saying that Lebanon’s “disastrous” situation prevents it from handling the charge of refugees.
• Last week, a boat transporting illegal migrants including Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian nationals capsized on the coast of Qalamoun, south of Tripoli, causing at least six deaths and leaving around thirty missing.