The Lebanese Parliament in session on April 25, 2024. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient-Le Jour)
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri is convening the MPs to attend a general debate on May 15 on the thorny issue of 1 billion euros in European aid. He is coming to the rescue of his protégé, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who has been at the center of the storm since Thursday following the announcement.
Several parties perceive the envelope as a “bribe” to push Lebanon to keep Syrian refugees and migrants on its soil. This prompted Mikati to call for a meeting, in a bid to send the ball back to parliament.
Berri is convening the full Parliament despite the presidential vacuum. After all, even the most radical members of the Christian opposition will take part in the debate on the EU aid in an explosive context. But who will say what at the session?
The Free Patriotic Movement: “The Strong Lebanon bloc will meet on the eve of the session to take an official decision,” said FPM MP Cesar Abi Khalil when asked about his party’s position. But the FPM seems unlikely to shun such a session.
Firstly, this is because it has repeatedly departed from its principled position that opposes the concept of legislation of necessity. Secondly, it has made the return of Syrian migrants and refugees its hobby horse.
The FPM is even organizing a rally on Thursday afternoon in front of the EU mission in Beirut to express its “refusal of all external attempts to liquidate the dossier of refugees and migrants on Lebanese territory,” said the party on X.
The party is making its visits in this framework. Its tour started on Tuesday and included meetings with the poles of power and several ambassadors concerned by the issue. On Wednesday, the FPM presented an urgent draft law “to repatriate Syrians residing illegally in Lebanon,” MP Nada Boustani said.
The Lebanese Forces: Samir Geagea’s party boycotted all parliamentary sessions held during the presidential void, except the one devoted to extending the term of office of Lebanese Army Chief Joseph Aoun on Dec. 15.
Five months later, the LF will make another exception. “This is not a legislative session, but a meeting held to monitor cabinet action, a jurisdiction that Parliament can exercise at any time,” said LF MP Ghayath Yazbeck. This stance is anticipated of the party which, since the murder of its coordinator for Jbeil Pascal Sleiman in April — which the official investigation blamed on Syrian nationals — has made the issue of migrants and refugees a priority.
“Beyond the murder of Pascal Sleiman, this is a problem that affects the whole country,” said Yazbeck. He added that his bloc is awaiting Mikati’s answers to questions concerning, among other things, the nature of the EU envelope, the bodies that will be responsible for it and those that will benefit from it. “We are against any move to keep Syrian migrants and refugees in Lebanon,” said the MP. He added that his parliamentary bloc will formalize its position on the eve of the general debate.
The Kataeb: Like the LF, the Kataeb will exceptionally be present in parliament on May 15. “First of all, this is not a legislative session. Secondly, we need to understand what the caretaker prime minister is expected to explain on both the nature of the billion euro sum and the sectors it would finance,” said the spokesperson for the party Patrick Richa.
All the more so since, at a time when Mikati insisted that Lebanon is not a country of refuge, the President of the European Commission Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen referred to aid to enable Lebanon to combat illegal emigration.
The Renewal Bloc: This opposition-affiliated group also plans to go to parliament to set the record straight. Michel Moawad, a member of the bloc, told L’Orient-Le Jour that “the vagueness that surrounds the EU sum on an issue as important as Syrian refugees and migrants is unacceptable.”
In his view, “Lebanese policy should be focused on ensuring the return home of Syrians present in Lebanon, and not on a desire to meet EU demands.” “This is what we will question the cabinet about on Wednesday,” said the MP.
The uprising MPs: On behalf of his two colleagues in the Change bloc, Mark Daou and Michel Doueihy, Waddah Sadek said that the bloc would take part in the session it was “the first to request.” “It’s good to have this debate to hear the prime minister’s explanations about the aid so we can decide on the next step,” he said.
But the rest of the MPs from the protest movement have yet to make a final decision. “We are aware that the priority for Europeans is to stem the tide of migration towards them. So it’s important to partake in the parliamentary debate and see how the billion euros will be spent,” said MP Yassin Yassin. He added that it’s a “bribe.” “But debates continue whether to partake in a plenary session at a time when the Chamber is considered an exclusively electoral body,” he said.
The Amal-Hezbollah tandem: Unsurprisingly, the Amal parliamentary group will be present at the session convened by its leader. “We need to discuss an aid that is only the least of Lebanon’s rights to compensate for the losses it has suffered as a result of the waves of refugees for which the international community is responsible,” said Amal bloc MP Qassem Hashem.
For its part, Hezbollah has yet to make an official decision, according to its media spokesperson Rana Sahili. However, it is safe to say that its MPs would attend the meeting, as the party has never opposed the principle of legislation of necessity.
Democratic Gathering: As usual, the Progressive Socialist Party’s bloc will be present to meet the call of Berri, who received a PSP delegation in Ain al-Tineh on Wednesday. The visit was intended to hand Berri a copy of the PSP’s memorandum on Syrian refugees and migrants. “We’ll go to the May 15 session to discuss a unified vision of the issue, which should also be discussed with the Syrian regime,” said PSP MP Bilal Abdallah.
National Moderation: The majority Sunni MPs formerly affiliated with Saad Hariri will attend the session. “We stand by the principle that no parliamentary session shall be skipped,” said Hadi Hobeiche, the bloc’s secretary general. “We will discuss our official position on the eve of the session. But I can say that we are in favor of any plan that can pave the way for the return of Syrian refugees and migrants home,” he said.
This article was originally published in L'Orient-Le Jour. Translated by Joelle El Khoury.
