Republished March 31, 2017 - 8:35 AM
Original Publication Date March 31, 2017 - 2:00 AM
GENEVA - The head of the Red Cross and Red Crescent has renewed his appeal for Syria's warring sides to stop fighting, saying humanitarian benefits from funds raised at an upcoming aid conference will only go as far as peace and stability will allow.
Elhadj As Sy, secretary-general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, spoke to The Associated Press after returning from a third trip to Syria, his first since last year.
A major conference in Brussels next week will aim to plan efforts to help the country rebuild once there is an end to the civil war, now in its seventh year.
The European Union, Germany, Kuwait, Norway, Qatar, the United Kingdom and the United Nations will lead the conference on Wednesday entitled "Supporting the future of Syria and the region" involving government officials from 70 delegations plus key donors, civil society, and humanitarian and development organizations.
"We would hope that this conference will send a signal to all parties involved to stop the conflict," Sy said. "Seven years in a war, it is too much for anybody — for any group of people.
"Unless, you know, we have peace and stability, we will not see the gains that we are trying to achieve with the humanitarian support that we are providing," he said.
Aid groups are expected to seek new commitments from donors following a conference in London last year aimed at helping Syrians.
IFRC said Friday that Sy visited Homs, which has recently returned under the control of President Bashar Assad's forces and their allies, and Damascus during the two-day visit. He met with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem in the capital.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017