Congress rebukes Lebanon over Syrian refugee transfers
Congress is asking the State Department to weigh in on Lebanon’s dispute with the UN refugee agency as it seeks to repatriate thousands of Syrian refugees.
Lebanon is coming under increased scrutiny over its deal with the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria to repatriate thousands of refugees back to Syria and Lebanon's ensuing spat with the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR.
Now US lawmakers, already skeptical of Beirut over Hezbollah’s influence in the country, are chiming in as well.
Tucked into the report accompanying the Senate’s annual spending bill is a provision directing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to “work with the Government of Lebanon to ensure that it is fully cooperating with UNHCR to find safe, voluntary, dignified, and sustainable solutions for Syrian refugees.” The bill cleared committee late last month and is awaiting a vote on the Senate floor.
The report language is the latest signal that some US politicians are getting increasingly irritated with their Lebanese counterparts, especially following Hezbollah’s success in elections earlier this year, which increased its influence in the government. After the elections, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., the chairwoman of the House panel overseeing the Middle East, called for a reassessment of US military aid to Lebanon. Pompeo likewise called for a review of military aid while testifying before House lawmakers the very next day.
