The Maronite Patriarch flanked by caretaker Information Minister Ziad Makari (right) and caretaker Telecommunications Minister Johnny Corm, in Bkirki. (Credit: NNA)
Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai on Sunday called on the Lebanese not to succumb to the “pressures and temptations” of the European Union, which last week announced a billion dollars in aid to Lebanon to, among other projects, help it combat illegal immigration to Europe.
During a mass celebrated on Sunday in Harissa, in the Kesrouan region, Archbishop Rai specifically called on the Lebanese to “unite for the repatriation of Syrian refugees to their own country, and not to succumb to the EU's solicitations to keep them in Lebanon for political reasons that run counter to their interests and those of their country.” “The interest of Syrian nationals is to preserve their country, its history, its culture and its possessions,” the patriarch continued, adding: “To those, we say that the international community and the EU are using you for political objectives contrary to your interests. Don't replace your country with the temptation to stay in Lebanon.”
On Thursday, European Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen announced a billion dollars in aid to Lebanon during a visit to this crisis-hit country and urged it to combat illegal immigration into the European Union. The EU has already signed agreements with Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, Mauritania and other countries to stem the flow of illegal migrants.
The President of the European Commission had specified that the aid was intended to strengthen basic services, such as education and health, in a Lebanon in the grip of a serious economic crisis. She also called for reforms: “Lebanon needs a positive economic dynamic to offer opportunities to its businesses and citizens.”
Since it was announced on Thursday, this aid program has been perceived by a large part of the Lebanese political class as an attempt to “bribe” the Lebanese into accepting the continued presence of Syrian migrants on its territory. Accusations denied by the caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati. A Western diplomatic source told L'Orient-Le Jour that the Europeans have no intention of settling Syrians on Lebanese territory. “We have absolutely no intention of bribing Lebanon,” this source stated.
Following the outcry since Thursday, Mikati had said he hoped, during a call with Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri, that the latter would convene a parliamentary session on this issue and the more general one of Syrian migrants, in order to put an end to their “political exploitation.”
This article originally appeared in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.