International donors gathered in Brussels on Monday pledged almost €6 billion ($6.5 billion) in aid for Syria, hoping to help new leaders rebuild the country following the ouster of President Bashar Assad in December.
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.
For the first time, the Syrian authorities were represented at the annual conference in Brussels – with interim foreign minister Assaad al-Shibani attending.
But an outbreak of deadly violence this month – the worst since Assad was toppled in December – has rocked confidence in the new Islamist-led authorities.
European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said Brussels was stepping up its commitment for this year and next to almost €2.5 billion euros to help those in Syria and neighbouring countries.
The European Commission said that overall €4.2 billion were offered in the form of grants, and €1.6 billion in low interest loans.
"Syrians need greater support, whether they are still abroad, or they decide to go home," von der Leyen told the Brussels conference.
No pledges from US
The vow from Brussels came on top of significant contributions from individual countries, including some €300 million from Germany and €192 million from Britain.
Last year's donor drive raised €7.5 billion euros in grants and loans to help the people of Syria.
However, efforts to top that figure were impacted by US President Donald Trump's axing of Washington's foreign aid budget.
Natasha Franceschi, US deputy assistant secretary for the Levant and Syria, said the United States has provided more assistance to the Syrian people than any other nation over the last 14 years, but she did not announce any pledge of money.
French and German diplomats seek fresh start with new Syrian leaders
"We will continue to provide certain assistance in line with US policies and laws, but we also now expect that other nations are going to help shoulder the financial burden," she told the conference. The Trump administration is currently reviewing all foreign aid.
At the same time, other Western governments are cutting back on aid spending, in part to use in defence budgets.
"We will give more, but we cannot fill the gap left by the US," EU Crisis Management Commissioner Hadja Lahbib told reporters. "We will need to share the burden."
Syria's new rulers – headed by former Islamist rebel commander Ahmed al-Sharaa – have been clamouring for assistance to help the country's recovery.
Lifting sanctions
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 do appreciate the major measures taken by the European Union, such as the lifting or suspending of the sanctions," Shibani said.
"However, these measures did not live up so far to our expectations. We want further measures in order to help us secure our recovery."
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.
But 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 Assad family belongs.
EU to ease some sanctions against Syria following Assad's fall
Shibani insisted that the new authorities would bring to justice "anyone who perpetrated any crime, whose hands are stained with blood".
"We believe in the true sense of citizenship, the citizenship of every single citizen of Syria, regardless of their ethnicity or religion," he said.
The EU has held its annual donor drive for Syria for the past eight years but it mainly focused on supporting refugees in neighbouring countries and avoided any contacts with the Assad regime.
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 Assad's 2011 crackdown on opposition sparked the civil war.
The country still faces a dire humanitarian situation, with an estimated 16.7 million people in need of assistance, according to the United Nations.
(with AFP)
