Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister, Gebran Bassil, stressed Saturday that the Lebanese authority would never accept the integration of Syrians nor their settlement in Lebanon.

"We will not accept their integration or resettlement. The Syrians are our brethrens, but their return to their country is their right and we will prevail in this confrontation for the benefit of Lebanon and the interests of the displaced themselves," vowed Bassil.

Speaking at a reception organized in his honor by the Free Patriotic Movement in Las Vegas, represented by the Lebanese-American Democratic Council, Bassil disclosed that his tour among Lebanese expatriate communities in North America "aims to unite efforts to prevent any project to resettle displaced or refugees in Lebanon."

He added that the visit also aims to encourage expatriates to retrieve their Lebanese citizenship and to participate, for the first time, in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

"Each time we restore the nationality to an authentic Lebanese, we ward off the ghosts of resettlement and its dangers from our country. In wake of the issued laws and decisions that facilitate the participation of expatriates in the elections, it has become the responsibility of expatriates to immensely partake in said elections," asserted Bassil

Source: AFP