UK pledges 100m pounds

UK Secretary of Development and International Cooperation Justine Greening said that the UK would pledge 100 million pounds, the (equivalent of 164 million US dollars) to the Syrian refugees. Greening made her remarks in the opening session of the Second Kuwait Pledging Conference for Syria. She said such pledge is as twice as much as given from United Kingdom last year, noting that her country has already provided 500 million pounds since the beginning of the crisis. "We cannot doubt that this is the worst disaster in our history, the Syrian lost all their possessions and fled to neighboring countries," Greening added. The minister called on all sides to allow for passing this humanitarian aid to besieged areas and allow the international community make efforts to save lives, stressing on the need to enable humanitarian workers to perform their work in safe conditions. The UK minister also stressed the importance of helping Syria's neighboring countries, who were generous to open their borders in light of the growing number of refugees. Meanwhile, Jordans Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Ibrahim Al-Saif praised Kuwaits role in supporting Syrian refugees. Al-Saif said that the Jordanian government continued to provide all forms of support to Syrian refugees in Jordan. The minister called for increasing contact with the international organizations and the international community in order to provide material support and relief aid for those suffering from the Syrian crisis. For his part, Algerian Foreign Minister Ramadan Lamamra said that the humanitarian situation in Syria is worsening, especially for civilians who are being forced to flee their nation as a result of the fierce fighting. Efforts need to be intensified to limit the suffering of the Syrian refugees, and to encourage warring parties in Syria to sit together on the negotiating table and to hold serious dialogue aimed at putting a stop to the fighting. Algeria is hosting growing numbers of these refugees, he said, and is providing them with whatever it can due to assistance it is being provided with from some countries. His country also pledges its support of the upcoming Geneva II talks aimed at putting a stop to the conflict. Lamamra concluded by thanking Kuwait for hosting the event. On behalf of Qatar, its Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Atiyah pledged USD 60 million to the efforts. He called on the international community to intensify its efforts in addressing the needs of Syrian refugees and those displaced within their country. The Foreign Minister also expressed the greetings and gratitude of the Amir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for hosting the event.