The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross delegation in Beirut Monday met with Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri to discuss refugee returns, according to a statement for the premier’s office.
ICRC’s Beirut head Christophe Martin told Hariri that his organization supports the repatriation of Syrian refugees so long as a number of criteria are met. These include that repatriation be “dignified,” that refugees’ security is guaranteed and that the principle of “non-refoulment” is respected, according to which refugees cannot be returned to a country where they are liable to be subjected to persecution.
Martin and Hariri also discussed the new commission to investigate disappearances during Lebanon’s Civil War. The commission, established in a law passed Nov. 18, is empowered to locate the disappeared, identify and exhume burial sites and hand over the remains of victims to their family members.
Supporters of the commission, however, are concerned that powerful political groups might hinder its implementation to forestall discussion of their role in the disappearances.
An ICRC spokesman said last week that, while their organization had collected DNA samples from families to assist the commission’s work, it would wait to confirm that the commission is independent and competent before transferring its data to it.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
