Jordan seeks $700 mn in aid for Syria refugees

Jordan needs $700 million in international aid to cope with an influx of 240,000 refugees from the conflict across the border in Syria, its planning and international cooperation minister said on Saturday. "The cost for Jordan to continue to welcome our Syrian brothers... is almost $700 million, to take in over 240,000 residents and refugees at Zaatari camp and outside," Jaafar Hassan told a joint news conference with the UN refugee agency. He said the Jordanian government would not be able to provide aid to the refugees without international assistance. There are currently 177,000 Syrians in Jordan, with around 26,000 in the Zaatari refugee camp, north of Amman, that the United Nations opened five weeks ago, according to the minister.