Lebanese officials in dispute over stranded expats

BEIRUT - Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri threatened on Saturday to suspend his support for Prime Minister Hassan Diab's government if it did not act to bring home expatriates stranded abroad during the coronavirus pandemic.

Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti said on Thursday that Lebanese citizens abroad must undergo a test to make sure they are not carrying coronavirus before boarding a flight home.

"If the government keeps its position on the issue of the expatriates beyond this coming Tuesday we will suspend our representation in the government," Berri, head of the Shiite Amal Movement, said in a statement from his office.

Berri is one of Lebanon's most powerful figures and named the finance minister and others in the government which is grappling with a financial crisis and would be paralysed were he to withdraw his backing.

Like all of Lebanon's main politicians, Berri has a significant support base in the country's large diaspora.

Leading Christian politician Samir Geagea also attacked the government on the issue on Saturday, expressing concern that countries struggling to cope with outbreaks would prioritize the treatment of their own nationals over expatriates.

Some Lebanese stuck abroad are struggling to get by, their situation complicated by tight restrictions imposed by Lebanese banks on transfers abroad and cash withdrawals from ATMs overseas. Lebanon has been struggling with a crippling financial crisis since October.

Hitti said this week the ceilings for bank transfers to students stuck abroad would be increased.

"We hope to bring home Lebanese today, before tomorrow, and understand the feelings of families and their children but the PCR tests must be secured because there is great danger in a person infected with corona boarding a plane with those who are not infected," he wrote on Twitter.

The government would arrange flights to bring home those stuck abroad, he said, urging Lebanese abroad to register with embassies to provide them with help.

Lebanon's financial crisis is among a host of issues that has fueled a months-long protest movement seeking an overhaul of the country's political system, that has waned in recent weeks as the battle against the coronavirus pandemic took precedence.

On Saturday, Lebanese security forces cleared away a protest camp in central Beirut and reopened roads blocked by demonstrators since protests against the governing elite started in October.

The camp centred around Martyrs Square had mostly fallen dormant in recent months as the protests died down. Lebanon this week tightened measures to restrict movement as part of its effort to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Security forces began pulling down tents on Friday night, meeting resistance from several dozen protesters who were still camped out. One protester set himself on fire before being quickly smothered in blankets by members of the security forces, according to a Reuters witness.

On Saturday, a handful of protesters took away furniture used during the sit-in. Although Martyrs' Square was reopened to traffic, a security source said roads leading to the nearby Riyad al-Solh Square remained closed.

The Lebanese government declared a medical emergency on March 15 to prevent the spread of coronavirus. This week it banned people from leaving their homes from 7pm to 5am. Lebanon has recorded 412 cases of coronavirus and eight deaths.

Martyrs' Square was a focal point of large nationwide protests that erupted on Oct. 17. Fuelled by the corruption and bad governance of Lebanon's ruling elite, the protests cut across sectarian divisions and led to Saad al-Hariri quitting as prime minister, toppling his government.

The heavily-indebted state this month declared it could not meet its foreign debt repayments. The local currency has sunk more than 40% against the dollar.