Vice-president of the Syrian Coalition, Badr Jamous, said that some Lebanese parties’ showing of hostility towards the Syrian refugees is aimed at forcing them to return to their country in risky conditions. He cited the recent demolition and burning of Syrian refugee camps and the increasing attacks on Syrian refugees in Lebanon, which reached the level of murder in different parts of the country.
Jamous on Friday said that Hezbollah’s actions have been extremely detrimental to Lebanon by rebelling against the Lebanese state and acting at direct orders from Iran.
“We all remember how the Assad regime and Hezbollah stood against the proposed national unity government in Lebanon in early 2011 and their obstruction of the work of all Lebanese governments, which led to economic crises and unprecedentedly high rates of unemployment.”
Jamous pointed out that Hezbollah is promoting hate speech and racism against the Syrian refugees to divert attention away from the crimes and subversive actions it is committing in Lebanon and Syria in favor of Iran. He underscored that the solution to Lebanon’s problems lies not in the return of the Syrian refugees but by preventing Hezbollah and its terrorist militias from committing more crimes, especially those targeting civilians in partnership with the Assad regime.
Jamous called on the United Nations to shoulder its responsibilities with regards to the violations against the Syrian refugees in Lebanon. He urged the United Nations to take immediate action to protect the Syrian refugees in accordance with the international norms on refugees.
“There is an urgent need for a concrete, serious international intervention to stop the violations against the Syrian refugees” Jamous added as he called on the international community to help Syria and Lebanon and all other countries suffering from the blatant Iranian interference that undermines the security and stability of the region.
Jamous stressed that the Syrian and Lebanese peoples have common demands and the same project, namely to get rid of the dictatorship of Assad regime and the building of a democratic state based on justice and equality. He called on the political forces that stood by the Syrian people to support the Syrian refugees in Lebanon and to put an end to the persecution and injustice against them.
Moreover, Jamous stressed his outright rejection of exploiting the issue of the Syrian refugees for political ends or using them as a bargaining chip. “The Syrian people fled to Lebanon to escape death and arrest,” he said, stressing that forcing them to return without guarantees for their safety is tantamount to sending them to a certain death.
“Whoever is forcing the Syrian refugees to return will bear direct responsibility before international courts,” Jamous said, adding that the Syrian Coalition will resort to those courts in accordance with international norms and laws on the protection of refugees. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
