Aoun Meets U.S. Bishops, Urges Facilitation of Refugees Return
The crisis of Syrian refugees in Lebanon was the focal point of discussion between President Michel Aoun and a delegation of U.S. Catholic Bishops at the Baabda Palace on Tuesday.
Aoun called upon the delegation to back Lebanon’s stance and urge the U.S. administration to facilitate the return of refugees. He pointed to obstacles created by some “foreign parties hampering Lebanon’s efforts to return the displaced.”
On the U.S. decision to move its Israel embassy, Aoun reflected Lebanon’s position rejecting the transfer of the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
“The Holy city includes religious landmarks for Christians, Muslims and Jews and can not be for a religious group without the other,” said Aoun.
Lebanon hosts around 1.5 million Syrian refugees, or roughly a quarter of the population, since the war broke out in neighboring Syria in 2011, according to the United Nations.
Their presence has strained public services and the country’s infrastructure and suppressed economic growth.
19 June 2018, 17:28
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The Bishops criticizde Lebanon's decision to let non-Catholics participate in the Christian set-aside of half of its Parliamentary seats per its Constitutional Article 24.
Article 24 ...
Until the Chamber of Deputies issues an Electoral Law, outside the sectarian record, representative seats are distributed according to the following rules:
a. Equally between Christians and Moslems. ...
The leader of the group told Aoun, "Surely letting in Protestants is not what Napoleon had in mind when he wrote the Lebanese Constitution."
20 June 2018, 10:19
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They all have a chip on their shoulders. They go to the West and change their names to Chris, Joe, and Sam from Abbas, Ali and Hussain. Yet, here he is always attacking the Christians and questioning why they have 50% of parliament.
20 June 2018, 16:32
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Why do they have 50% of the government? It's like asking Israeli Jews why they want a Jewish state in Palestine. I don't need to know your deepest motivations. Just tell me what you're getting out of the deal. It seems suicidal.
