Germany yesterday kicked off a new pledging round of aid for Syria, as the EU hosts a donor drive for the war-torn country after the ouster of former president Bashar al-Assad.
For the first time, Syrian authorities were represented at the annual conference in Brussels — with interim foreign minister Assaad al-Shibani set to attend.
Western and regional powers are desperate to steer Syria onto the road to stability after 14 years of civil war that have sent millions of refugees over its borders.
Photo: EPA-EFE
However, an outbreak of deadly violence this month — the worst since al-Assad was toppled in December — has rocked confidence in the new Islamist-led authorities.
“There can only be a peaceful future for Syria if there is an inclusive political process,” German Minister of Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock said.
She announced that Berlin would provide an additional 300 million euros (US$327 million) for the UN and other organizations providing assistance for Syrians in the country and around the region.
The EU has held its annual donor drive for Syria for the past eight years — but it mainly focused on supporting refugees in neighboring countries and avoided any contacts with al-Assad’s regime.
The conference is focused on bolstering funds for the most urgent humanitarian needs facing Syrians and refugees living around the region.
Syria’s needs are massive, as swathes of the country lie in ruins and the economy has been ravaged by years of international isolation after al-Assad’s 2011 crackdown on opposition sparked the civil war. An estimated 16.7 million people are in need of assistance.
The UN says that at current growth rates, Syria would need more than 50 years to get back to its economic level before the outbreak of its devastating civil war.
Syria’s new rulers — headed by former Islamist rebel commander Ahmed al-Sharaa — have been clamoring for assistance to help the country’s recovery.
The EU has eased sanctions on key sectors of the economy, but along with other powers it insists the authorities must make good on promises for an inclusive transition.
“We need to continue with the lifting of sanctions, because if there is hope for the people, then there is also less chaos,” EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said.
There have been positive moves from Damascus, including Sharaa signing a constitutional declaration laying out a five-year transitional period and rights for women and freedom of expression.
However, hopes were shaken by the violence on Syria’s Mediterranean coast, which a war monitor said saw security forces kill nearly 1,500 civilians, most of them members of the Alawite minority to which the al-Assad family belongs.
Kallas said the EU wanted to see the new Syrian leadership “holding accountable those people who have done these massacres.”
Last year’s donor drive raised 7.5 billion euros ($8.2 billion) dollars in grants and loans to help the people of Syria. Efforts to top that level this time around could however be hit by US President Donald Trump’s axing of Washington’s foreign aid budget.
A representative from the US government was expected at the Brussels event, EU officials said.
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