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THE U.N. CHIEF Ban Ki-moon appealed for a major boost in international relief aid for Syria and called for the fighting to end “in the name of humanity” even as more refugees poured into neighbouring Jordan and its leader warned resources were strained to the limit.
The U.N.’s call for up to $1.5 billion in humanitarian assistance at an international conference in Kuwait reflects the deepening civilian crisis inside Syria and the civil war’s increasing spillover around the region.
Jordan’s economic council said the kingdom had spent more than $833 million on aid for refugees — accounting for nearly half the estimated 700,000 people who have fled Syria — and that it was unable to sustain a financial burden that has so far siphoned off about 3 per cent of its GDP.
Some U.N. officials say the refugee figures could approach 1 million later this year if the conflict in Syria does not ease.
A Syrian refugee stands on top of a water tank at Zaatari refugee camp, near the Syrian border in Mafraq, Jordan. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon, File)
Speaking at the U.N.-led gathering in Kuwait, Jordan’s King Abdullah II said sheltering and assisting the refugee wave is above the country’s “capacity and potential.”
Last week, the king used the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to amplify his appeal for international help as “the weakest refugees are struggling now just to survive this year’s harsh winter” and more cross the Syria-Jordan border at up to 3,000 a day.
In his opening remarks, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon urged all sides “and particularly the Syrian government” to halt attacks in the 22-month-old civil war that the U.N. says has claimed more than 60,000 lives.
Aid officials estimate that more than 2 million Syrians have been uprooted or are suffering inside the country as the civil war widens – including what peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi called “unprecedented levels of horror” in an address to the U.N. Security Council after at least 65 bodies were found yesterday in a suspected execution-style killing near Aleppo.
A Syrian refugee woman, removes her laundry from the ground at a temporary refugee in Lebanon. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)
Before the latest donors’ conference, Ban described the international humanitarian response to Syria as “very much limited”.
Ban described the situation in Syria as “catastrophic and getting worse by the day.”
He listed a “cascading catalogue of horrors” facing Syrians, including shortages of food and medicine and abuses such as “sexual violence and arbitrary arrests and detention.”
While international aid channels are open to refugee camps in places such as Turkey and Jordan, there is far more limited capacity to organise relief efforts inside Syria because of the fighting and obstacles from Assad’s regime.
Paris-based Medecins Sans Frontieres said the U.N. and others need to open more routes for aid to reach rebel-held areas, which now receive only a “tiny share” of international humanitarian help”.
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It’s not the world giving Syria license to kill, it’s the UN’s veto policy. On July 19th, 2012 China and Russia used their veto to stop the Security Council’s attempt to evoke chapter VII sanctions from the United Nations Charter to intervene and prevent genocide in Syria. The vetoes by China and Russia halted any international intervention.
I dont see why there are 4 thumbs down here. Without a clear and open explaination the veto by Russia and China wreaks of self interest, Russia being Syrias largest weapons supplier. Cash flow before blood flow all over again
….and Counting
You’ll find he is being thumbed down by the Russia Today crowd like B Lowe who accept Russian state propaganda as gospel. It’s clear that the west also has a vested interest in Syria but an intervention, even a peacekeeping intervention which the Russians and Chinese have called for (and vetoed at the same time) is a necessity right now.
Yes they vetoed. Only because Russia and China are well aware that the West/NATO were trying to implement regime change in Syria as they did in Libya, but not for the benefit of the Syrian people but for some other Western regional goals.
Also, it is the rebels who repeatedly refuse to enter into talks. They are divided(currently fighting amongst themselves with several clashes over loot and distribution of resources documented) and have repeatedly stated that they will not enter into talks with the Syrian government. Russia has tried numerous times to organise talks between ‘rebels’ and Syrian government representatives. It is and has been the likes of Qatar and Saudi Arabia who have scuppered such talks by coming out and stating they will ignore such initiatives and keep arming the rebels.
A precondition by the rebels has been that the rebels will not enter into negotiations with Assad but this is completely unrealistic.
B Lowe, so I guess it has nothing to do with Russia selling guns to Syria?
“stated that they will not enter into talks with the Syrian government”
There is no Syrian Government, only a dictatorship masquerading as one. Assad must go, and the world should oversee a democratic election to elect a real Government.
Adas, nothing to do with Turkey arming and allowing transit of foreign Islamic jihadists into Syria?
Nothing to do with the fact that Saudi Arabia is bankrolling the Turkish economy and thus has leverage on Turkey ensuring that foreign Islamic jihadists pour into Syria to cause mayhem. Or the 1,000 prisoners that Saudi Arabia gave the choice to of either staying in prison or being freed on condition they fight in Syria.
B Lowe, the UN could help control the situation and prevent genocide. All the things you listed do not affect Russia or China. That is not why they vetoed to prevent the intervention of the UN in Syria. Civil war in Syria generates income and that’s what counts to Russia and China. Intervention would be the best thing for Syrian people right now.
@BLowe
“A precondition by the rebels has been that the rebels will not enter into negotiations with Assad but this is completely unrealistic”
whereas a precondition to the Russia/China talks proposal is that the Assad dictatorship must remain in place, which is equally completely unrealistic, so what’s your point?.
@Adas @Paul
You are of course perfectly correct in pointing out huge Russian arms contracts with Syria, but that is not Russia’s only vested interest in maintaining the Assad dictatorship.
They also have a highly strategic naval base in the Syrian port of Tartus which will do everything they can to maintain.
Not to mention the many commercial investments and loans in the country, and of course the fear of increased political instability closer to home if the Russian people see that the Syrians are successful with their uprising.
Wonder what B Lowe would have to say about all this?
http://middleeastvoices.voanews.com/2013/01/insight-russias-many-interests-in-syria-83185/
Well the US, Britain and France are no strangers to using their veto either. The whole Veto issue is the biggest obstacle to world unity and peace in my opinion. There will never be true consensus about anything when every resolution made is conditional on 5 states being ok with it.
B Lowe, you have boxed yourself into a corner! Take your blinkers off!
Gearóid Ó Murchadha, exactly. The power of veto is one of the biggest failures of the UN.
Re Declan.
I enjoy reading other people’s comments and reflecting on them and I enjoy putting out some counter arguments but all you do is personally attack a person.
Declan, I am merely trying to encourage debate and I do provide comments that many people disagree with but debate is healthy. Declan, how about you contribute something rather than just character assinate.
Re ‘mattoid’. Both articles were informative. Thanks for providing.
You’re welcome
Just waiting on high ground argument from steoG.
“Peacekeeping” is not a solution. It’s not like the UN has a big button that does peace but Russia won’t let them press it. The rebels want to overthrow Assad for various conflicting reasons and Assad wants to defeat the rebels. Neither group wants peace before achieving their goal and neither will enter talks, so what do you expect the peacekeepers to do? Stand in the middle of a warzone telling everyone to calm down?
So peacekeeping isn’t an option so that leaves full on military intervention like in Libya, presumably on the side of the rebels. But the rebels have been accused of war crimes too, and they’re racked with infighting. Even if Assad was overthrown that easy, it’ll just lead to civil war between the rebel groups. After that, there’s no guarentee the victors will be tolerant democrats desperate for peace. At least one rebel faction says after Assad they’re going to destroy Israel. What if they gain power?
Really, there’s no obvious “right” answer of what to do with Syria. And Russia has larger strategic concerns than selling weapons. That’s a fairly small-minded approach to a complex geopolitical situation. At the very least, its in their interest to check rampant US imperialist interventions. War isn’t the answer to eveything.
JayK, I like your comment, I agree with you, there is no one reason or one right answer. But you didn’t mention one thing, Syria is not just made up of the rebels and the Syrian government, there are also civilians getting killed. The UN needs to protect those people.
B Lowe, you engage in wholesale character assassination of the west and its media.
B Lowe
You can come down now JayK and Mattoid have said it all for me I agree with their assessments
A holocaust developing before our eyes
Profits before people if ever there was a case
Well at least someone else other than Israel has a license now.
$833 BILLION or is that Million!!
Was thinking the same. Must be million.
I think you find it’s Russia and china are giving Assad the blank cheque to massacre his own people
have your say