Geagea: Our Land, EU Should Take Refugees

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea intensified his comments on Lebanon’s ongoing Syrian refugee crisis following the recent murder of LF official Pascal Sleiman by a Syrian gang. Speaking at a press conference in Maarab, Geagea criticized the European Union’s handling of the situation, suggesting that if the EU views it as a humanitarian issue, it should distribute the refugees evenly across its member states.

Geagea questioned the actions of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) since the refugee crisis began in 2011 and what measures had been taken since 2016 when the FPM had a ministerial and parliamentary majority. He accused the FPM of deceit and challenged it to account for its actions regarding the refugee issue.

Addressing the argument that there aren’t enough municipal police to manage the refugee situation, Geagea offered to provide volunteers from his party to assist in all regions, declaring that his party would no longer tolerate any incompetence or neglect in handling the issue.

In response to caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi’s rejection of so-called “self-security,” Geagea emphasized the necessity for the government to fulfill its responsibilities, particularly in resolving the refugee situation. He argued that government inaction on this front prompts citizens to take matters into their own hands.

Geagea underscored the need for Lebanon to make sovereign decisions to safeguard the nation, rather than waiting for directives from the EU or the international community. He warned that the refugee crisis posed an existential threat to Lebanon.