Caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Lebanon's caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib expressed his concern about the possibility of the Gaza war expanding into Lebanon, demanding "the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 which means ending the Israeli occupation of Lebanese territories," in an interview with the Greek newspaper Kathimerini Friday.
"Our government and the Lebanese people do not want war. We want peace, and therefore, we demand the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. This resolution is also invoked by Israel, demanding the withdrawal of Hezbollah forces to north of the Litani River. It also means preventing Israel from violating our sovereignty on land, sea, and air. Hezbollah does not maintain positions in the border area but has intermittent military presence," Bou Habib explained.
UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which put an end to the 2006 war between Hezbollah calls for the full cessation of hostilities, the deployment of Lebanese Armed Forces to southern Lebanon, parallel to the withdrawal of Israeli forces behind the Blue Line, strengthening the UN force (UNIFIL) to facilitate the entry of the army into the region and the establishment of a demilitarized zone between the Blue Line and the Litani River, where Hezbollah operates.
Bou Habib pointed out that "Athens can mediate for peace," noting that "the crisis resulting from the war in Gaza affects not only many Middle Eastern countries and Cyprus but also Greece."
Regarding the issue raised last week regarding illegal migrants arriving on Cyprus coasts from Lebanon, Bou Habib stated, "Cyprus realizes the magnitude of the problem we face. We do not have the means to stop every ship leaving Lebanon loaded with migrants. Cyprus wants these migrants to return to Lebanon. We say no; they are Syrians, let them return to Syria."
Cyprus has had an agreement in place with Lebanon for years regarding the return of "irregular migrants."
Migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees leaving Lebanon by boat are generally looking for a better life in Europe. The Lebanese army often thwarts smuggling operations by sea and arrests the smugglers and would-be migrants.
Lebanon currently has 784,884 registered Syrian refugees with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), according to December 2023 figures. The official estimate remains around 1.5 million, including those not registered with UNHCR, making Lebanon the country with the highest refugee population per capita in the world.
The issue of Syrian migrants has been at the heart of a series of discussions this week in Beirut, between Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, after Nicosia requested on Wednesday that the European Union take measures to stem the recent wave of Syrian refugees arriving on its shores.