The “Strong Lebanon” parliamentary bloc and the Free Patriotic Movement, both led by caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, began on Tuesday a tour to the country’s political and religious leaders to push for the inclusion, in the next government’s ministerial statement, of an item on the return of displaced Syrians to their country. In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat after meeting with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai, a deputy in Strong Lebanon said: “This file has become an absolute priority that we will not relinquish under any circumstance or pressure.” “What is required at this stage is to keep this issue on the table, waiting for the formation of the government,” the deputy said, adding: “The return of refugees will be the first item on the government’s ministerial statement and on its agenda and then [the government] will proceed to develop an implementation plan to complete this return.” “The Free Patriotic Movement will not oppose any plan agreed upon with the other parties; moreover, we won’t reject cooperation with any foreign side to achieve our goals,” the MP stressed. MP George Attallah spoke on behalf of the delegation which met with Rai, underlining the need to “unify the stance on a political project to resolve the crisis of displacement and deal with it on the basis of national sovereignty.” President Michel Aoun, for his part, touched on the file of the displaced Syrians with a delegation of US Catholic Bishops. The president briefed the delegation on the situation in Lebanon, focusing on “the external and economic crises and the Syrian war that have weighed on the country, especially the repercussions of the Syrian displacement and Lebanon’s call for a gradual return of displaced people to safe areas in their country.” Aoun called on the delegation to “interfere with the US administration so as to support Lebanon’s position and facilitate the return of the displaced,” pointing to “obstacles placed by some external parties in the way of the Lebanese demand.”