The Syria Response Coordinators team expressed its categorical rejection of the attendance of representatives of the Syrian regime at the Brussels donor conference on supporting Syria through the seventh edition of the conference, which is held annually to support humanitarian work in Syria.
The team stated that the upcoming conference would be organized by European countries, the United States of America, and the United Nations. However, they noted that there had been recent attempts to involve the Syrian regime in the conference by including the Syrian Red Crescent, which is known to provide support to the regime forces in the region through its financing.
The team criticized this move as a new attempt to rescue the Syrian regime’s structure and reintegrate it into the international community under the guise of humanitarian work. They pointed out that many countries and the United Nations have already gone to great lengths to assist the Syrian regime in various ways, including concealing aid to those affected by the recent earthquake through European and Arab countries and the United Nations. This aid came in the form of over 288 cargo planes, not including the aid delivered by land or sea.
The team expressed its preference to cancel the current conference as long as normalization openly exists and there is no need to hide behind meetings that have not achieved any of their objectives. This was observed during previous years through the increasing ongoing funding deficit, which was documented by the Humanitarian Fund.
The team pointed out that many countries often make promises of huge donations. Still, when it comes to actual implementation, the percentage of fulfillment drops to a low level, sometimes not even reaching 20% of what was initially pledged in front of the media. Therefore, the team believes that this conference will only serve as another means for the Syrian regime to maintain its current situation and buy more time without any significant change or progress toward a real solution for the Syrian crisis.
As long as full normalization with the Syrian regime is achieved, there is no need for more conferences since aid operations are continuing. Everything pledged during the conferences goes in huge proportions to enhance the survival of the Syrian regime, and this is evident through the Syrian regime’s acquisition of 70% of the total UN aid to Syria and 90% of the total humanitarian aid. Therefore, holding another conference will only provide a new means and outlet for the Syrian regime to maintain the current situation in Syria for another year.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
