BEIRUT, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Labor Minister Camille Abousleiman assured on Thursday that his ministry will facilitate the process of issuing work permits for Palestinians working in Lebanon, a statement by the ministry said.

"Procedures for issuing work permits for Palestinian refugees will become easier and free of charge from now. We do not aim at harming Palestinians and we only want to properly implement the Lebanese labor law," Abousleiman said.

The minister added that he would exempt Palestinians from enrollment in social security, a current requirement for obtaining a work permit.

Early in June, Abousleiman gave employers and workers a one-month grace period, which expired on July 10, to apply for a work permit.

Since then, the labor ministry has closed down dozens of noncompliant shops and fined those found to employ foreign workers without work permits.

This has sparked anger among Palestinians who labeled the decision as "unfair," and prompted them to wage demonstrations all over Lebanon against the ministry's measures.

The minister called upon Palestinians on Thursday to stop demonstrating because the proper implementation of the labor law "will protect their right by guaranteeing their access to the minimum wage at least." Enditem

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