Christian Front of Lebanon calls for return of Syrian refugees

BEIRUT — The Christian Front of Lebanon issued a statement saluting all the male and female fighters who fought against the Syrian occupation of Lebanon between 1976 and 2005 on the anniversary of the Syrian withdrawal from the country. In the statement, the Front called for the urgent return of Syrian refugees to their country, saying, “Lebanon is not for settlement and cannot receive 2.5 million Syrian refugees on its lands. Since the war in Syria has ended, they must be returned to their country, as the reasons forcing them to stay in Lebanon have ended.”

The Front argued that Syrians in Lebanon are no longer appropriate to be classified as “refugees” as they have the ability to vote, travel, and move. The Front claimed that the material support provided to refugees by the United Nations has turned them into a demographic timebomb that threatens Lebanon’s infrastructure and security.

“They have become an actual threat and a demographic bomb that is about to explode, due to the material support they receive from the United Nations,” the Front declared.

In light of the economic crisis in Lebanon, the Front emphasized that the country can no longer bear the burden of Syrian refugees and that Lebanon must be reserved for its own people of all denominations. “The Lebanese people of all denominations, neither the Lebanese infrastructure can no longer endure [the situation],” the Front stressed.

The Front stated that the years of Syrian displacement have depleted humanitarian resources and have increased emigration of the Lebanese people. “The Lebanese people has been starved and terrorized, until it has become displaced in its country and refugees in countries of the world,” the Front stated.