Kuwait hosts UN-backed Syria donor talks

Syrian refugees

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Kuwait is to host an international humanitarian donor conference for Syria amid increasing concerns for millions of Syrians affected by war and cold.

Speaking at a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a grouping of six oil-exporting Gulf Arab countries, Kuwaiti emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al Sabah said the conference comes in response to an invitation by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

"The Syrian wound is still bleeding, and the killing machine still continues, killing dozens of our brothers in Syria each day," he told the GCC annual meeting in Bahrain. "In response to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, there will be an international conference for donors for the Syrian people. Kuwait has agreed to host the conference, which will take place at the end of January."

Sheikh Sabah said an end to the Syrian crisis looked far off, and the situation "requires the international community to take swift and effective measures for humanitarian support".

The UN asked on December 19 for $1.5 billion to help save the lives of millions of Syrians suffering what it termed a dramatically deteriorating humanitarian situation. 

According to its request, $519.6 million is required to help four million people within Syria and $1 billion to assist 1 million Syrian refugees who live in five other countries until July 2013.