Samya Kullab, Mazin Sidahmed
Majid’s residency papers will expire in 10 days, and the coffee shop worker says he doesn’t know how new controversial entry measures for Syrian nationals, which went into effect Monday, will affect his ability to renew.
“I can’t go back to Syria, because I’m wanted for military service,” he explained. Under the new measures, Majid will have to find a Lebanese sponsor to remain in the country.
His wife and children live under fire in Aleppo, he says, and were not permitted to return to Lebanon after leaving to seek medical treatment, cheaper in Syria still than in Beirut. “I’m here and they are there. What are we going to do?”
“No Arab country will take them now,” the Lebanese owner of the shop said.
“If you go to Turkey, then back to Syria you are done for. Lebanon won’t let you in. Jordan won’t let you in. Saudi Arabia won’t let you in.”
The measures require Syrians to obtain one of six types of entry permits – tourist, business, student, transit, short stay or medical – and has evoked mixed reactions among officials and aid organizations, and much confusion among Syrians whom it affects directly.
A security source at the Masnaa border crossing said traffic was very slow Monday. The day before the regulations came into effect 10,000 individuals had crossed, the source said.
At the northern Arida border crossing, little to no traffic was reported by officials.
“People waited two days on the other side of the border to learn how stringently the new law was being applied and how to get visas,” one of the few who managed to cross said.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees has acknowledged that the new decision lies within Lebanon’s jurisdiction as a sovereign country, but expressed concern over the fact that the new measures do not provide explicit provisions for Syrian asylum-seekers.
Government sources maintain that a separate set of criteria, to be issued by the Social Affairs Ministry in the coming days, will regulate the entry of “humanitarian cases,” referring to Syrians fleeing war.
The new measures are meant to distinguish visitors and workers from refugees and curb the flow of Syrian nationals into Lebanon.
Interior Ministry aide Khalil Gebara told The Daily Star that in line with a Cabinet decision made in October, “the decision to permit entry for exceptional cases will be taken by the Interior and Social Affairs ministries.” He added that as of Monday, the Social Affairs Ministry had begun coordinating with General Security over the criteria for such cases.
Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk Monday defended the new entry regulations, saying their enforcement would reduce the number of Syrians in the country.
“There are 1.5 million Syrians in Lebanon, among them 1,070,000 are registered as refugees,” Machnouk said in a news conference. “Lebanon is not able to receive more refugees.”
Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas, another advocate of the new measures, explained in comments made Monday how entry would be granted under the new regulations.
He clarified that Syrians would not have to approach the Lebanese Embassy in Damascus to acquire visas; these will be granted at border crossings, he told a local radio station. “Reactions to the measures have been exaggerated,” he added.
Derbas said new regulations requiring sponsorship for Syrian workers would curb the number of professional Syrians practicing in posts restricted for Lebanese.
He added that Syrian workers had one month to correct their status by applying for a one-year permit “in accordance with the kafala [sponsorship] system.”
The new measures seek to organize the presence of Syrians in Lebanon and hold Lebanese citizens responsible for every Syrian worker in the country.
Derbas also revealed that the number of registered Syrian refugees was recently reduced from 1,195,000 to 1,100,000 upon an official decision.
Ministry aide Hala al-Helou said a “combination of factors” had led to a decrease in numbers, including stricter border measures and regular UNHCR deregistration procedures following regular evaluations.
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt criticized the new regulations as understudied and premature. Though the Druze leader acknowledged the adverse effects the deluge of Syrian refugees was having on Lebanon’s infrastructure and public services, he said, “complicating measures against refugees and regular citizens on border crossings without proper study” was unwarranted.
The PSP leader called on the interior minister and General Security to approach the “sensitive and difficult case” in a conciliatory way that preserves the dignity of Syrian refugees.
But Syrian workers say they are in the dark about how the measures will affect their status in Lebanon. Legal ambiguities have caused many to avoid travel to Syria.
“I was hoping to go back for a visit but if they grab me at the border, I’ll never be able to come back or work or do anything,” said Ahmad, a shoe shiner on Hamra street.
Another chimed in: “What’s going to happen to the people who are living and working here already? It’s not clear, nobody knows.”
A government source said the Interior Ministry would clarify the status of those who already have residency papers in the coming days.
Until there is clarity, Syrian workers remain puzzled by the rationale behind the measures.
“Have you ever seen a Syrian person coming here for tourism?” laughed Mohammad, another worker, his peers chuckling along with him.
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