Dispute on Refugees Ahead of ‘Beirut Declaration’

Arab economic summit held in Beirut on Sunday/NNA
Arab economic summit held in Beirut on Sunday/NNA
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Dispute on Refugees Ahead of ‘Beirut Declaration’

Arab economic summit held in Beirut on Sunday/NNA
Arab economic summit held in Beirut on Sunday/NNA

The fourth Arab Economic and Social Development Summit concluded in Beirut Sunday by reaching an agreement on refugees and the displaced.

Participants had agreed on the refugee clause in the final draft communique following lengthy discussions held Friday during the summit’s preparatory meetings.

Lebanon had pushed for adding a clause on the return of refugees in paragraph 13 of the summit’s communique. But the proposal was rejected by three Arab states, forcing Lebanon to give up its demands in return for a separate announcement on refugees made by caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil during a joint press conference with Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

Bassil considered the announcement a victory for his country and for all states hosting refugees.

"We call on the international community to assume its responsibilities to reduce the tragedy of displacement and asylum, to provide all facilities to find radical solutions, and to intensify collective international efforts to promote the conditions for the return of displaced persons and refugees to their homeland," he said during the press conference.

"The Syrian refugees' statement is a victory for Lebanon and a gesture of solidarity on part of the Arab countries towards the host countries, and a recognition of their sacrifices," the minister added.

The Beirut Declaration recognized the worsening of the crisis of refugees and displaced persons in Arab states and the consequent economic and social burdens shouldered by host countries, and the major challenges for improving their situation and alleviating their suffering.

The League's Secretary-General announced that the next Arab economic summit would be held in Mauritania's capital Nouakchot in 2023.



Israel Says it Carried Out Warning Strike on 'Extremists' in Syria Threatening Druze

Syrian security forces secure the area following armed clashes in Jaramana town, near Damascus, Syria, 29 April 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED AL RIFAI
Syrian security forces secure the area following armed clashes in Jaramana town, near Damascus, Syria, 29 April 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED AL RIFAI
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Israel Says it Carried Out Warning Strike on 'Extremists' in Syria Threatening Druze

Syrian security forces secure the area following armed clashes in Jaramana town, near Damascus, Syria, 29 April 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED AL RIFAI
Syrian security forces secure the area following armed clashes in Jaramana town, near Damascus, Syria, 29 April 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED AL RIFAI

The Israeli military carried out a warning strike against "extremists" preparing to attack members of the Druze minority in the Syrian town of Sahnaya, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday in a joint statement with Defense Minister Israel Katz.

"The IDF (military) carried out a warning action and struck the organization of an extremist group preparing to attack the Druze population in the town of Sahnaya, in the Damascus region of Syria," said the statement.

The Israeli announcement came after an eruption of deadly sectarian violence in predominantly Druze areas near Damascus.

The Israeli statement also said a message "was passed on to the Syrian regime - Israel expects it to act in order to prevent harm to the Druze."

A spokesman for Syria's interior ministry, speaking to Reuters from Sahnaya said he had no indication that an attack had taken place.