Daily Star.com.lb, Labor Minister Sejaan Azzi
reaffirmed his staunch opposition to the naturalization of Syrians in
Lebanon Monday, voicing fears that a delayed solution to Syria’s
conflict would prolong the refugee crisis in Lebanon.

“We are
afraid of the Syrian refugees remaining in Lebanon, not because of the
UN’s politics or of the report issued by the UN Secretary General [Ban
Ki-moon], but because of the Syrian (refugee) status in Lebanon and the
Syrian war,” Azzi said.

The minister made his remarks during a joint press conference with UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag. He
added that “the obstruction of political and necessary military
solutions in Syria will make the Syrians staying in Lebanon a
possibility, and the Lebanese must work to prevent this, not only to
protect Lebanon but Syria also.”

The report Azzi was referring to
was one presented by Ban at the UN General Assembly earlier this month.
The report, titled “In safety and dignity: addressing large movements of
refugees and migrants,” calls on UN member states to resettle refugees
to ease the burden on host communities.

During a Cabinet session last week, Azzi voiced deep discontent over the report.

“No
international official dared speak about Palestinian nationalization
since 1948 [the year Israel was established]. How can Ban Ki-moon
mention giving citizenship to Syrians seven times in a report 26 pages
long?” he had said.

The report in fact mentions the
“resettlement,” and not naturalization, of refugees seven times. It does
not specify Syrians, but speaks of refugees in general.

Kaag for
her part stressed that there was no intention of naturalizing Syrian
refugees in Lebanon, announcing two current options the refugees and
host countries had.

“Right now there is the option of voluntary
return to Syria or voluntary repatriation to other countries. We
acknowledge Lebanon’s generosity in hosting the refugees, and the great financial burdens Lebanon is incurring as a result of this,” Kaag said.

She
said the concentration now was securing humanitarian aid for the
refugees, especially as Lebanon has the highest refugee per capita rate
in the world.

The UNHCR says that there are around 1.1 million
registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The Lebanese government has,
however, put the actual number at over 1.5 million.

“I renew the
U.N.’s continued support for Lebanon, whether through the 25 programs
funded by the U.N. or through UNIFIL in south Lebanon,” she added.

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