NNA – In an issued statement on Saturday, the media office of MP George Atallah warned against "deceptive projects” aiming to keep the displaced in Lebanon through civil society bodies.

As a follow-up to a previous statement on July 14, 2022, in which Atallah underlined total rejection of the international deception against Lebanon by aiming to maintain the presence of the displaced Syrians on its territory, he again cautioned against certain civil society associations that are funded from abroad under hidden projects that clearly aim to integrate the displaced into their host communities.

Atallah referred to a recently circulated project by the “GIZ Association” aiming to displace the Lebanese from their villages and settle the Syrian refugees in their place under the headline of “peaceful coexistence in refugee-hosting communities”, through the formation of a joint committee in each town that includes representatives from the municipality, the host community and the refugee community in exchange for financial or development incentives.

"Therefore, it is important for us to reiterate our rejection of any form of international deceit against Lebanon that aims to keep or integrate the displaced and refugees on Lebanese territory under whatever pretext or reason,” the MP asserted.

He added that the “camouflaged and veiled projects” do not deceive the Lebanese and will not be allowed to pass “because their goal is to eliminate our Lebanese identity, and hence will be totally confronted.”

“We call on the Lebanese who work in associations funded from abroad to pay attention to what is being plotted against their country,” Atallah underscored.

========R.Sh.