The Lebanese Kataeb Party strongly condemned the European Parliament's vote to keep Syrian refugees in Lebanon, asserting that the European Parliament has failed to establish a necessary roadmap for their return to their home country, which is crucial for Lebanon’s stability and existence.
The external relations committee of the Kataeb Party indicated that the European Parliament voted on a resolution concerning Lebanon that addressed various dimensions of the crisis in the country, including the presidential vacuum, sanctions against corrupt figures from the ruling parties, support for the investigation into the Beirut port explosion, and the issue of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
In a statement, it added: "The original draft proposed by our partners in the European People's Party (EPP) included all the points and priorities that the Kataeb Party has called for over many years as a partner of the EPP during our partner meetings. However, during discussions of the resolution with other groups in the European Parliament (EP) - including the Greens, the Left, the Communists, and the Renew Europe Group, in the absence of the Identity and Democracy Group (ID), many points were modified to ensure support from all groups for this resolution."
The Kataeb Party expressed its position regarding the presence of over 1.5 million Syrian refugees within Lebanese territory during all its meetings with international partners, including the European People's Party, calling for their swift return to Syria. It also urged the international community to exert pressure on Bashar al-Assad's regime to secure the social and political conditions for their return while providing incentives through UN agencies for their repatriation.
The party affirmed that it "will continue to oppose the plan mentioned in Article 13 of the resolution and calls for a clear plan to address the issue of Syrian refugees and their return to their homeland, which is demanded by the majority of the Lebanese people."
It concluded: "On this occasion, we would like to thank our partners in the European People's Party for their continued political support for the Lebanese people at various junctures, especially the October 2019 revolution, the Beirut port explosion on August 4, 2020, and the economic and social crises that the Lebanese have been enduring since 2019, along with their resilience against Hezbollah's attempts to undermine Lebanese sovereignty and control the Lebanese state."
