Prime Minister Najib Mikati received the Australian Ambassador to Lebanon, Andrew Barnes, this morning at the Grand Serail, during which they discussed current conditions and bilateral relations between the two countries. The Prime Minister also met with a delegation from the "National Coalition for the Return of Syrian Displaced Persons," which included Major General Fadel Daher, Colonel Bassam Yassin, Judge Shukri Sader, and representatives Linda Boules Makari, Amira Sakar, Samer Bustani, and Abdullah Risha.
Secretary-General of the Coalition, Abdullah Risha, spoke and said: "The National Coalition for the Return of Syrian Displaced Persons met with President Mikati, and the discussion revolved around the danger of the presence of displaced persons at this time. We agreed with His Excellency to continue communication and requested a representative from him to coordinate with us and attend coalition meetings. We also discussed ways to facilitate returns."
President Mikati mentioned a concept that will be discussed in the Council of Ministers, which involves strictly applying laws to deport Syrians who do not meet the conditions and lack legal status to camps established beyond the Lebanese border and inside Syrian territory, in agreement with the United Nations, the international community, and the Syrian state.
Linda Makari, the head of the National Campaign for the Deportation of Syrian Displaced Persons, stated: "We in civil society have established a coalition with the government for the return of Syrian displaced persons. Today, we requested from His Excellency to reactivate the return convoys that were facilitating the return of Syrian displaced persons to Syria under the supervision of General Security, which have been suspended for years. The President assured us that he would reactivate the return convoys. I also requested His Excellency to establish a hotline for reporting any entity that fails to enforce the law on foreigners."
