Shokry to attend Syria donor conference in London

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry arrived in London Wednesday evening to lead the Egyptian delegation to the Syria donor conference to be held under the aegis of Britain, Germany, Norway, Kuwait and the United Nations, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Thursday.

Egypt's participation in the conference is meant to underline Egypt's keenness on settling the Syrian crisis and its humanitarian fallout represented in the refugees conditions, Ahmed Abu Zeid said.

More than 70 states are taking part in the event which is expected to secure about 8 million dollars to meet the humanitarian needs of the Syrians.

During the five-year war, millions of Syrians were forced to flee their homes.

The stark reality of a drawn-out conflict requiring more ambitious long-term aid plans has also sunk in.

Fighting between Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces and those trying to topple him has only intensified over the past year, and the latest long-shot attempt at U.N.-brokered peace talks got off to an acrimonious start in Geneva over the weekend. Attempts to broker a cease-fire and political transition deal for Syria are further complicated by the involvement of world and regional powers facing off on opposite sides of the conflict.

Donors would work more closely with countries like Lebanon and Jordan to boost fragile economies plagued by high unemployment and help create jobs for both citizens and refugees. Currently, the vast majority of refugees are banned from legal work, making them dependent on scarce aid or forcing them into poorly paid informal jobs. The influx of Syrians has also pushed down wages of Jordanian and Lebanese laborers, driven up rents in poor neighborhoods and overwhelmed local schools and health centers.

Source: MENA