Bassil closes Lebanese borders to Syrians

In a striking and unprecedented decision, the Lebanese minister for energy and head of the coalition for change and reformation, Gebran Bassil, has urged to close the county's borders to  Syrian refugees, saying that the government cannot afford to manage them. Bassil compared the situation to that of the Palestinian refugees who fled to Lebanon during the Israeli occupation. "It starts with refugee camps, and then it turns to military training camps,” the minister was quoted as saying. Bassil has rejected the complaints towards the Maronite Patriarch Beshara Boutros "who has spoken for all Christians in Lebanon when he expressed his concerns about the so-called Arab Spring. Bassil has also announced the project of a coastal gas line which extends from Tyre in the south,  to Deir Ammar in the north, saying that the project has been ready for assessment since last year, but it had to be suspended for financial reasons. The minister also said that he hopes the government will issue treasury bills in order to finance the project, which will cost about $450 million US. According to the ministry, the expense is not high if confronted with the $1.33 billion the project will help save by reducing the cost of electric power production. About the allegations of a change of position by PM Naguib Mikati on the case of oil tankers, Bassil said: "If the PM confirms it officially, we will take appropriate action".