According to information obtained by the Lebanese Kataeb website (Kataeb.org), 25 Lebanese expatriates were deported from Qatar and are expected to arrive in Beirut as of Wednesday evening.
The report claimed that the Lebanese expatriates, who all work in the same company, were given a four-day ultimatum to leave the Qatari territories. It also added that the Lebanese expatriates’ residency permits were still valid as the deportation decision was issued.
It is worth to note that the 25 expelled Lebanese nationals do not have the same political affiliations, and do not belong all to the same sect.
Caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour refuted the said report, deeming it as unfounded.
Mansour noted that he contacted Lebanon’s ambassador to Qatar and was informed that none of the Lebanese citizens in Qatar had actually contacted the Lebanese embassy to report his deportation.
“Our ambassador in Qatar told me that the brotherly Qatari authorities appreciate the situation in Lebanon and that there is no such measure against the Lebanese living in Qatar,” he stressed.
The minister also denied receiving any list containing the names of Lebanese nationals who work in Gulf countries and whose residency permits will not be renewed due to their political affiliations.
Earlier this month, the Gulf Cooperation Council announced it will take action against the partisans of Hezbollah due to the Lebanese Shiite party’s active role in the Syrian war.
The GCC announcement has sparked fears that Lebanese Shiite expatriates unaffiliated with the party could be singled out or even expelled.
Mansour declared that he will visit Iran this week, as he is set to discuss bilateral relations and the already-inked protocols with Iranian officials.
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