Lebanon has approved a series of measures that will keep its border with Syria open to refugees, but will seek more aid from other Arab states and the international community, its government decided in a meeting late Thursday.
The cabinet rejected calls from ministers of the Free Patriotic Movement to close the border with the number in Lebanon already totalling 125,000, according to UN figures, 200,000 according to government estimates.
Speaking following the ministerial meeting on Thursday evening, Social Affairs Minister Wael Abu Faour said that the relief measures included “urging the donor nations to fulfill promises of financial [support] for Lebanon.”
According to the minister, the steps approved by the cabinet also included “launching a diplomatic campaign to urge Arab and other friendly nations to share the burden with Lebanon; registering the refugees according to criteria suited to the nature of the Syrian-Lebanese relations, as well as tasking the interior minister with… implementing a security plan.”
Abu Faour told reporters that there had been intense debate at the meeting about closing the border.
In the end most ministers felt such a move "was impractical because, beyond humanitarian considerations and considerations of fraternity and [Arab] nationalism, I don't think any official at the border is going to tell a Syrian family fleeing for their lives 'I refuse you entry to Lebanon'," Abu Faour said.
Abu Faour went on to report on the positions of several members of the Lebanese political scene. President Michel Suleiman reportedly underscored the need for an “objective” approach to the issue of refugees, while Prime Minister Najib Miqati said that the refugee issue should be approached “according to the spirit of brotherly and humanitarian responsibility” toward the displaced. Abu Faour also said that several ministers including Energy Minister Gebran Bassil and Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn objected to the approved cabinet plan.
Lebanon is facing difficulties dealing with the increasingly high number of refugees fleeing Syria’s violence, amid a split in its political landscape between supporters of the Syrian regime, represented by the March 8 alliance – spearheaded by Hezbollah – and Western-backed forces affiliated with the March 14 coalition.
Differences also emerged over the best way to control the situation, with some politicians close to the March 8 group calling for closing the border with Syria while others, affiliated with the opposition, dismissed the proposal and urged more humanitarian aid for the displaced.
Syria is witnessing a violent uprising against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, which has so far killed more than 60,000 people since its outbreak in March last year, according to figures released by the United Nations.
