Syria files second complaint against Lebanon aid to refugees
21
Jan
2013
Syria’s envoy to Lebanon has sent another letter of complaint accusing the Social Affairs Ministry of aiding refugees based on their political affiliation, the minister said Tuesday. “The Syrian ambassador sent a new letter with accusations against the Social Affairs Ministry and I repeatedly said that after the holidays, I will respond to such allegations,” Social Affairs Minister Wael Abu Faour told reporters. His remarks came after meeting with Future Movement and Sidon MP Bahia Hariri to discuss the situation of Syrian and Palestinian refugees who are fleeing violence in the neighboring country. “It is now required of me to send two letters instead of one in response and it is clear now that the Syrian ambassador is taking this too far,” Abu Faour said, adding that the second letter to the Foreign Ministry was sent on Saturday. Syria’s Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdel-Karim Ali sent a letter to the Foreign Ministry earlier this month, saying the embassy had been receiving complaints from Syrian refugees about some “extremist Salafist organizations” in Lebanon blackmailing Syrian refugees in Lebanon and exploiting their desperate situations to serve their own agenda. These organizations, continued the letter, offer to help refugees receive aid through the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees on condition that they announce they are against the Syrian regime and have joined the opposition. Around 160,000 Syrian and Palestinian refugees have fled to Lebanon following the outbreak of unrest in Syria in March 2011, according to the U.N. It is expected that the total number of displaced Syrians will reach a million in 2013. Abu Faour has denied the allegations that his ministry was discriminating against Syrians who support the regime of President Bashar Assad and those who favor the opposition. “Such a thing could not affect our work with the refugees because that is purely humanitarian and ethical and cannot be disrupted by some people's behavior,” the minister said.
