Naharnet - Lebanese Army Says Repatriated Syrian Troops Didn't Have Refugee Status - May 20, 2011

Following reports about the handing over of Syrian troops by the Lebanese army to their country's authorities and the fleeing of other troops to Lebanon, the Lebanese army on Friday stressed "there are no Syrian troops on Lebanese territory," but added that three Syrian soldiers were repatriated because they did not enjoy refugee status. The army confirmed reports that it has handed over three Syrian border guards and the body of a fourth soldier to Damascus, noting that the four troops fled to Lebanon "after their post came under gunfire by armed men and two of them were seriously wounded.""One of them died of his wounds while crossing the border," the army said in a statement issued by its Orientation Directorate. The Lebanese army repatriated the troops after consulting the relevant Lebanese judicial authorities, which recommended they be handed over to their country because "refugee or deserter status did not apply to them," according to the army's statement.