The acting director general of Lebanese General Security, Major General Elias Al-Baysari, discussed in a special interview with the newspaper "Sabah" the issue of lifting the ban on Iraqis entering Lebanon. He clarified that "this matter was presented to us by Brigadier General Hassan Shaqir after his visit to Iraq, and we provided him with some clarifications. Regarding Iraqis, the crisis has been ongoing since 2003, and for your information, Lebanon is a transit country, not a country of asylum. We, as General Security, have concluded an agreement with the UN Refugee Agency stipulating that Lebanon bears the responsibility for these Iraqi brothers during their crisis, provided that they are resettled in another country. Indeed, we have accepted a reasonable number of them, while another group remains here."
He added: "There are principles we adhere to in our work, which state that those who are resettled in another country receive a decision prohibiting their permanent entry into Lebanon. After receiving them, we reopened the file, and the decision is to allow the aforementioned Iraqis to return to Lebanon using foreign passports (from the country they were resettled in, not travel documents), so that the entry ban notices against them are automatically lifted upon their arrival at Lebanese border crossings. However, for humanitarian or emergency reasons, or exceptional cases such as family reunification, for example, entry can be permitted provided that their documents are confiscated upon entry and returned to them after leaving Lebanon within the specified timeframe."
Regarding the procedures for Iraqis who left Lebanon and have not yet obtained citizenship from the country they moved to, Al-Baysari said: "The requirement for entering Lebanese territory is obtaining citizenship from the country they moved to, which is not satisfied by merely residing there; citizenship carries its own rights for its holder."
As for Iraqis currently in Lebanon who violate residency regulations, and when questioned about the possibility of settling their situations and whether there is a specific timeframe for that, he confirmed his "readiness to examine each case individually and to settle their situations, as this is our duty. We will address their conditions and grant them temporary residency for a specified period, not permanent. Contact will be made with the concerned parties to resolve the matter based on the available data in each file."
He noted that the congestion is not directed only at Iraqis but is due to the influx of visitors to Lebanon during tourist seasons from Lebanese expatriates, Arab brothers, and foreign delegations. Therefore, there are no obstacles to the entry of Iraqis into Lebanon; on the contrary, we offer all facilitation for Iraqis entering Lebanon, welcome them, and grant them automatic permits upon their arrival at the airport, just as the Iraqi authorities also welcome Lebanese visitors entering Iraqi territory.
