STORY: Lebanese parliament discusses Syrian refugee crisis
SHOOTING TIME: May 15, 2024
DATELINE: May 17, 2024
LENGTH: 00:00:55
LOCATION: Beirut
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): NAJIB MIKATI, Lebanese Prime Minister 
2. Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri presiding parliament session
3. Lebanese parliament meeting

STORYLINE:

The Lebanese parliament convened Wednesday and approved a binding recommendation to the caretaker government aimed at "returning the illegal Syrian migrants and residents in Lebanon to their country within a year at the latest."

The parliament recommended that the caretaker government forms a ministerial committee to "communicate and directly and strenuously follow up with the international and regional sides and the various bodies, especially with the Syrian government, and to devise a detailed timeframe for repatriating the displaced (Syrians), except for special cases protected by the Lebanese laws and specified by the committee."

During the session, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati stressed that aid allocated by the European Commission is unconditional.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): NAJIB MIKATI, Lebanese Prime Minister
"We insisted that this aid be aimed at encouraging the displaced Syrians to return to their country and not to stay in Lebanon, asserting that a large part of Syria has become safe for them to return. We have warned that the continuation of this dilemma in Lebanon would be like a fireball that its repercussions would not be limited to Lebanon, but it would extend to Europe and become a regional and international crisis."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced earlier this month an aid package to Lebanon worth 1 billion euros.

It will help Lebanese authorities address challenges such as monitoring land borders and fighting against illegal immigration from and to Lebanon.

Lebanon hosts the largest number of refugees per capita, with the government estimating around 2 million Syrian refugees.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Lebanon.
(XHTV)