Badr Jamous, Secretary General of the Syrian Coalition, decries statements made by Lebanese Labor Minister, who said that “the Syrian Coalition’s accusations against us that we are racist is sheer ingratitude for all what we have done for the Syrian refugees. If the Syrian Coalition is dissatisfied with our behavior, then it should take the Syrian refugees out of Lebanon.” Jamous said in response that “we are pleased with the commendable efforts made by Lebanon in hosting the Syrian refugees, however, this does not mean that we must ignore some of the racist practices by some Lebanese factions. This undermines the close ties between the two brotherly peoples who share the same suffering caused by the oppression of the Assad regime. I think that the Lebanese government and people alike have not yet forgotten the Assad militia’s occupation of Lebanon.” Moreover, Jamous laments allowing the Lebanese Minister to make “such spontaneous statements that they surely do not represent the real position of the Lebanese government towards the Syrian refugees. These statements also do not fit in with the brotherly relations between the two people, nor do they honor the Syrian’s hosting of Iraqi, Lebanese and other refugees.” Jamous concluded his statement stressing that “we agree with the Lebanese government that the refugee crisis needs to be addressed, and it will be solved only when the Lebanese government stops the terrorist militias of Hezbollah from storming the Syrian cities and killing and displacing the Syrian people under the pretext of protecting the holy sites. The Lebanese minister’s calls for deporting the Syrian are illogical, as it is illogical to address symptoms while ignoring the real cause if them. If he wants the Syrians to go back to their country, Hezbollah must first leave our country alone.” (Source: Syrian Coalition)
