The quorum for a Cabinet session, dedicated to discussing the issue of Syrian refugees, was not met this Monday morning at the Grand Serail. Instead of the session, Prime Minister Najib Mikati convened the attending ministers along with Army Commander General Joseph Aoun and Acting Director General of General Security Major General Elias Beysari for a consultative meeting in his office. Mikati expressed regret over the absence of the missing ministers, particularly those who vocally express their positions on this issue throughout the day, merely for competition's sake. He emphasized that "the government has never delayed in making appropriate decisions on this issue, and the army and all security agencies are fulfilling their duties in this regard, but what is required is to take a comprehensive and unified national stance on how to approach this issue, especially the recent influx of hundreds of Syrians through illegal crossing points."
For his part, Minister of Social Affairs Hector Hajjar announced his decision not to participate in today's session on refugees, stating, "I found that it requires further preparation to be productive and effective." Minister of Information Ziad Makari commented from the Grand Serail, saying, "We relied on the conscience of some ministers who need to be present, and I don't want to name names because we are all colleagues, but this situation is unacceptable. In an existential crisis of this nature, some ministers should not boycott sessions for political reasons, unfortunately." In response to a question about whether he was referring to ministers from the "Free Patriotic Movement," he said, "Of course, I mean the ministers of the 'Free Patriotic Movement' whom I like, and we are in contact with them, but it is unacceptable in a crisis like this not to have a full Cabinet. The Lebanese people should know that this is an existential crisis for Lebanon; we have heard numbers that the entire Lebanese population should be aware of concerning the dangers of the second refugee crisis occurring. In any case, we say that a Lebanese government delegation should go to Syria, and this matter should be resolved as soon as possible. There is a Cabinet session scheduled for the afternoon where the issue of displacement will be discussed." He added, "I am not accusing the ministers of the 'Free Patriotic Movement,' but I say generally that the Cabinet session dedicated to refugees should include 24 ministers."
He further stated, "There are decisions we will take related to the displacement issue in the afternoon session." Regarding the numbers revealed by the Army Commander, he remarked, "They are very large, and I call on the ministers (of the Free Patriotic Movement) to attend because addressing the issue of refugees is among our top priorities." He pointed out, "We see thousands of young Syrian refugees entering the country, and the army cannot follow up on this matter alone. There are many logistical and financial issues, as well as problems related to human trafficking, in addition to the gangs that are moving and the judiciary that is not fulfilling its duties. The situation is complex beyond description, and no one can underestimate this issue." He indicated that "decisions will be issued in the afternoon session regarding this matter, and if they are not sufficient, there will be another Cabinet session dedicated to the issue of refugees."
Present at the Grand Serail were Deputy Prime Minister Saadeh Al-Shami, Ministers of Education and Higher Education Abbas Halabi, Media Ziad Makari, Youth and Sports George Kallas, Finance Youssef Khalil, State for Administrative Development Najla Riachi, Industry George Bouchikian, Telecommunications Johnny Karam, Interior and Municipalities Bassam Mawlawi, Culture Mohammad Wissam Murtada, Health Faras Al-Abiad, Labor Mustafa Bayram, and Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh, as well as Minister of Displaced Persons Issam Sharafeddin. The General Director of the Presidency of the Republic Dr. Antoine Shuqair, Secretary General of the Council of Ministers Judge Mahmoud Makiyeh, Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, and Acting Director General of General Security Major General Elias Beysari also attended.
