Lebanon clarifies measures on entry of Syrian refugees

Lebanon's minister of social affairs said on Saturday that measures applied at border checkpoints for entry of Syrian nationals "are exceptional but cannot be permanent," clarifying that they would persist "as long as the Syrian crisis lasts."

"The General Security took technical measures regarding the entry of Syrian nationals, which do not to need the Council of Ministers approval," the minister, Rashid Derbas, said in remarks published by Al-akhbar daily. He stressed that these measures have been previously announced and "should limit entry of additional refugees into the country."

The minister said that Lebanon "did not close its borders to the Syrians but as for refugees, we can no longer welcome them as the country cannot afford it." However, "in the event of humanitarian reasons we will definitely examine each individual case."

The Lebanese General Security said starting from Jan. 5, any Syrian national arriving at any Lebanese port of entry must justify his or her reason of entry by presenting certified papers or documents. For instance, if entry is for medical purposes, the applicant should have necessary medical reports to support his case. In case of temporary stay, the applicant should provide documents to prove he or she owns a house in Lebanon.

Derbas said previous measures that rejects re-entry of any refugee who has left the country were "efficient and refugee numbers have dropped by 100,000 at the end of last year."

He stressed that "international aid to Syrian refugees is ongoing, although it is not up to government and refugee expectations, and is under the direct auspices of Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Deputy UN Secretary General Jan Eliasson."

The Lebanese official pointed out that "once a political agreement is reached, refugee camps will be set up."

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