Kuwait calls on international community to participate in donor conference for Syria

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service - if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at http://ift.tt/jcXqJW.

Thursday 03 Dec 2015 - 11:22 Makkah mean time-21-2-1437 Pic: KUNA Kuwait City (IINA) – Kuwait has invited the international community to participate in the Fourth Donors' Conference slated for February in London to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people, KUNA reported. Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah said in his opening remarks at the 6th meeting for major donors aiding Syrian people that the international community should unify their efforts to stop bloodshed and destruction in Syria. He added that it is the responsibility of everyone, especially the UN Security Council, to find a swift and peaceful solution for this made-made disaster. Al-Jarallah expressed his appreciation for the UK for hosting the donors’ conference, with a joint chairmanship of Kuwait, Norway and Germany. Al-Jarallah pointed to repeated warnings against the serious impacts of the Syrian crisis not only on the Syrians themselves but on the whole world as well.  He explained that at this stage of the crisis, it is important to connect the efforts of the developmental institutions with humanitarian aid organizations. A good example of this cooperative effort is a $150-million project that has been carried out through the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED). On his part, Chairman of International Islamic Charity Organization (IICO) Dr Abdullah Al-Maatouq said that the Syrian crisis has been on a standstill position for a long time now, pointing out that humanitarian efforts should not replace political endeavors. Al-Maatouq, who is also Kuwait’s Humanitarian envoy to the United Nations, said that Syrian civilians should be provided with protection from ongoing airstrikes and all sorts of violence. "There are more than 360,000 Syrian people trapped between areas of disputes, where there is a lack of safety and security," he said. In addition, there are more than 1.2 million people who are internally displaced, Al-Maatouq said, calling on all donor countries to honor their pledges that were made in previous donor conferences. AB/IINA