Lebanon imposes restrictions on entry of Syrians fleeing war

Lebanon began Monday imposing unprecedented visa restrictions on Syrians on Monday, including those fleeing their country's civil war. 

"Today we began implementing the new entry measures and Syrians at the borders have begun presenting their documents to enter," a source at Lebanon's general security agency said. 

The visa restrictions are the first in the history of the two countries and come as Lebanon struggles to deal with more than 1.1 million Syrian refugees. The influx has tested the limited resources of the country, as well as the patience of its citizens, particularly in the wake of deteriorating security in areas like Arsal, a border town in eastern Lebanon hosting tens of thousands of refugees.

For months, Lebanon's government has sounded the alarm, warning the international community that it could no longer deal with the influx.

In October, Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas announced that Lebanon "no longer officially receives any displaced Syrians," with exceptions on humanitarian grounds only.  He told AFP that the new visa requirement was intended to limit the flood of new arrivals.

"The goal is to prevent (Syrians) from taking refuge" in Lebanon, and "to more seriously regulate the entry of Syrians."

A balancing act

Lina Khatib, director of the Carnegie Middle East Centre think-tank, said the visa measures were a result of Lebanon's failure to implement a refugee policy early in the Syrian conflict.  

Lebanon's government is divided between supporters of Syria's regime, including the powerful Shia movement Hezbollah, and backers of the Syrian uprising, making agreement on refugees difficult.

Politicians have been forced to act now by the increasing economic and social pressure the influx has caused, she said.

"It was simply taken by politicians in order to reach out to constituents who have grown unhappy with the impact of the refugees on the country.”  

Khatib said Lebanese concern about the refugee influx was "both real and exaggerated."  

Wages have gone down and rents have increased, but Lebanese employers have exploited Syrians willing to work for lower wages, she said.  Lebanon is also marked by its experience with Palestinian refugees who fled their homes with the creation of Israel in 1948.  More than 400,000 Palestinians, mostly descendants of the original refugees, remain in squalid and largely lawless camps in Lebanon.

Lebanon's complex sectarian make-up also plays a role, most Syrian refugees are Sunni Muslims, raising fears they could change the country's delicate sectarian balance. 

Syria's ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Abdul Karim Ali, said his country understood the new rules, but urged "coordination" with Damascus, in a statement quoted by Lebanon's National News Agency. 

The new rules raise the prospect of Syrians being unable to flee the violence that has killed more than 200,000 people since March 2011.  

UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond said new refugee registrations had already dropped after Lebanon imposed restrictions last year. 

He said the agency understood the government's reasons for the rules but would work with Lebanon to ensure "refugees aren't being pushed back into situations where their lives are in danger."