NICOSIA: The president of Cyprus said Tuesday he has personally asked the head of the European Union’s executive arm to intercede with Lebanese authorities so that they could put a stop to boatloads of Syrian refugees from heading to the east Mediterranean island nation.
President Nikos Christodoulides told reporters that Lebanon is the beneficiary of significant EU financial aid for both its own citizens and for the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees it continues to host, but that doesn’t come without strings attached.
“This aid can’t be given while we have to deal with this issue,” Christodoulides said, adding that he personally spoke with EU Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen. “It’s not only the Republic of Cyprus but the EU itself that is facing a serious problem given these phenomena we have seen in recent days.”
In the last 48 hours, more than 350 migrants and asylum seekers, almost exclusively Syrian nationals, arrived in Cyprus by boat, according to Cypriot government spokesman Constantinos Letymbiotis. It’s believed more boatloads of migrants are on their way.
Last month, some 450 Syrian migrants aboard six boats were spotted off the southeastern coast of Cyprus within a 24-hour span. All six boats had departed from Lebanon.
The EU is willing to give Lebanon more money to cope with the huge number of refugees it hosts, but “for this thing to happen, Lebanon shouldn’t allow migrants to leave and come to Cyprus,” Christodoulides said.
The Cypriot president said the recent seaborne influx of Syrian migrants has reverted Cyprus back into “crisis mode” despite managing in recent months to repatriate more migrants who had their asylum applications rejected than those arriving.
Christodoulides chaired an ad-hoc meeting of top police and government officials Tuesday in an effort to come up with ways of dealing with the sudden migrant influx.
He said his government could adopt additional, temporary measures designed to help authorities cope with the influx that may not be “liked” by Cypriots. He didn’t elaborate.
Meanwhile, Cyprus said a government proposal to enable repatriations of Syrian refugees by designating specific areas within the country as safe zones is “gaining ground” among the island nation’s fellow EU member states.
Justice Minister Constantinos Ioannou said that given the potential risk of the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza engulfing Lebanon and other Middle Eastern states, it’s incumbent on the EU to reach a collective decision on Syria.
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Cyprus president asks EU Commission chief to get Lebanon to stop migrants from leaving its shores
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Cyprus president asks EU Commission chief to get Lebanon to stop migrants from leaving its shores
- “This aid can’t be given while we have to deal with this issue,” Christodoulides said
- In the last 48 hours, more than 350 migrants and asylum seekers, almost exclusively Syrian nationals, arrived in Cyprus by boat
Lebanon close to completing disarmament of Hezbollah south of Litani River, says PM
BEIRUT: Lebanon is close to completing the disarmament of Hezbollah south of the Litani River, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Saturday, as the country races to fulfil a key demand of its ceasefire with Israel before a year-end deadline.
The US-backed ceasefire, agreed in November 2024, ended more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and required the disarmament of the Iran-aligned militant group, starting in areas south of the river adjacent to Israel.
Lebanese authorities, led by President Joseph Aoun and Salam,
tasked
the US-backed Lebanese army on August 5 with devising a plan to establish a state monopoly on arms by the end of the year.
“Prime Minister Salam affirmed that the first phase of the weapons consolidation plan related to the area south of the Litani River is only days away from completion,” a statement from his office said.
“The state is ready to move on to the second phase — namely (confiscating weapons) north of the Litani River — based on the plan prepared by the Lebanese army pursuant to a mandate from the government,” Salam added.
The statement came after Salam held talks with Simon Karam, Lebanon’s top civilian negotiator on a committee overseeing the Hezbollah-Israel truce.
Since the ceasefire, the sides have regularly accused each other of violations, with Israel questioning the Lebanese army’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah. Israeli warplanes have increasingly targeted Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and even in the capital.
Hezbollah, a Shiite Muslim group, has tried to resist the pressure — from its mainly Christian and Sunni Muslim opponents in Lebanon as well as from the US and Saudi Arabia — to disarm, saying it would be a mistake while Israel continues its air strikes on the country.
Israel has publicly urged Lebanese authorities to fulfil the conditions of the truce, saying it will act “as necessary” if Lebanon fails to take steps against Hezbollah.
The US-backed ceasefire, agreed in November 2024, ended more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and required the disarmament of the Iran-aligned militant group, starting in areas south of the river adjacent to Israel.
Lebanese authorities, led by President Joseph Aoun and Salam,
tasked
the US-backed Lebanese army on August 5 with devising a plan to establish a state monopoly on arms by the end of the year.
“Prime Minister Salam affirmed that the first phase of the weapons consolidation plan related to the area south of the Litani River is only days away from completion,” a statement from his office said.
“The state is ready to move on to the second phase — namely (confiscating weapons) north of the Litani River — based on the plan prepared by the Lebanese army pursuant to a mandate from the government,” Salam added.
The statement came after Salam held talks with Simon Karam, Lebanon’s top civilian negotiator on a committee overseeing the Hezbollah-Israel truce.
Since the ceasefire, the sides have regularly accused each other of violations, with Israel questioning the Lebanese army’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah. Israeli warplanes have increasingly targeted Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and even in the capital.
Hezbollah, a Shiite Muslim group, has tried to resist the pressure — from its mainly Christian and Sunni Muslim opponents in Lebanon as well as from the US and Saudi Arabia — to disarm, saying it would be a mistake while Israel continues its air strikes on the country.
Israel has publicly urged Lebanese authorities to fulfil the conditions of the truce, saying it will act “as necessary” if Lebanon fails to take steps against Hezbollah.
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