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By Antoine Azzam
When Pope John Paul II visited Lebanon in 1997 he described the Cedar's Land as being "more than a country, Lebanon is a message to the World, an example of pluralism for East and West."
Pope John Paul II probably never imagined things would get as bad as they are nowadays.
Today, there are over a million registered Syrians displaced in Lebanon. The actual number may be 1.5 million as the UNHCR stopped registering arrivals in 2015. Moreover, there are also more than 500,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.
With these numbers Lebanon has the most refugees per capita in the world. They constitute two-thirds of its population!
The displaced Syrians are a burden for the beleaguered Lebanese economy, which is already indebted to the tune of $84 billion ― over 150 percent of its GDP.
Moreover, since Syrians are allowed to work in Lebanon they accept being paid much less than Lebanese people in a country with significant youth unemployment.
Furthermore, the displaced Syrian Sunnis are causing disparities in Lebanon's precarious confessional balance, 1.5 million Sunnis have put the Christians in an uncomfortable demographic situation.
In addition, it is worth mentioning that Syrian armed forces occupied Lebanon from 1976 to 2005 and the Syrian intelligence apparatus made or influenced most of the major decisions in the country. Syrians acted like they owned the country for almost 30 years. So, the recent presence of displaced Syrians brings back bad memories for the Lebanese people who now worry that this might pave the way for Syria to destabilize Lebanon 18 years after it was ejected from the country.
On the other hand, the Lebanese population knows the cautionary tale of the Palestinians who fled Palestine after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war with the expectation that they would one day return. 75 years later, almost a half million registered Palestinians live in camps, administered by the UNRWA, in a Beirut suburb.
Where does the international community stand in all this? Well, international financial aid is being paid directly to the refugees and not to the hosting country. Lebanon is not receiving funds from the international community to cater to the needs of the refugees there.
There are many failed states in the region so an urgent plan should be implemented to prevent Lebanon from "joining the club." Because a failed Lebanon might unleash another wave of refugees on Europe.
How can Korea assist?
As a global pivotal state, the Republic of Korea can pressure the interested parties to let Lebanon deal with the displaced as it sees fit and not obstruct their safe repatriation. Their presence in Lebanon is not justified since Syria is not at war anymore.
Korea can also directly support the Lebanese government to restore and develop Lebanon's infrastructure, which has been exhausted by displaced people and refugees.
Lately, oil and gas were discovered in the Lebanese free economic zone, so, Lebanon will soon be able to pay back.
Today, Lebanon is endangered by a huge load of displaced people and refugees. The identity of Lebanon as a land of conviviality as well as its mission as a land of tolerance and coexistence in the region are now being compromised.
One can wonder if a new cartography of the region is being drawn, and if this transfer of population announces the expiry of the 1916 Sykes-Picot agreement.
Many questions come to my mind but only one thing is clear … a new sphere of influence and control in the region is occurring!
The writer is the ambassador of Lebanon to South Korea.
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