Stranded Drivers Express 'Disgust' over Cabinet's Failure to Resolve of their Case
The Lebanese drivers who have been stranded in Saudi Arabia as a result of the closure of the Nasib border crossing between Jordan and Syria have expressed their disappointment at the cabinet's failure to properly resolve their case, reported As Safir newspaper on Saturday.
They said that the recent cabinet decisions “did not meet their expectations in resolving their case.”
They had hoped that it would approve the dispatch of a ship that would transport them back to Lebanon.
They instead expressed their “disgust and anger against it” after it failed to meet their expectations.
The families of the drivers vowed that they will not remain silent “over the crime committed by the Lebanese state” against its sons, whereby they have been left stranded at the mercy of nature.
They added that some of the relatives are preparing to stage a sit-in to pressure the government to take greater action to end the case.
They may also block the international highway stretching between al-Marj and al-Masnaa near the border with Syria, said As Safir.
One of the drivers described as “more than tragic” the situation of his colleagues, saying that they are suffering from dusty conditions in Saudi Arabia.
Some of them are suffering from medical conditions, while others are running low on funds.
The drivers are hoping that a ship would be dispatched to Saudi Arabia's Daba port, but they have also complained that they are being “extorted” by merchants seeking to benefit from their plight.
The cost of their transportation to Lebanon could reach 3,500 dollars.
At least 30 Lebanese drivers had been stranded since early April on the Syrian-Jordanian border, in the free zone, after rebels, backed by al-Nusra Front, seized the Syrian side, prompting Amman to close the frontier crossing.
Nine of the drivers had returned to Beirut on Monday.
M.T.
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://mobile.naharnet.com/stories/en/175927 |