U.S. Pledges $76 Million for Syrian Refugees in Lebanon
The United States pledged on Wednesday 76 million dollars to Lebanon to help it cope with the rising number of Syrian refugees escaping the war in their country, the state-run National News Agency reported.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told caretaker Premier Najib Miqati during a meeting they held in Kuwait that the U.S. earmarked 76 million dollars to Lebanon to support the Syrian refugees, NNA said.
Kerry met with Miqati after the Second International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria.
NNA quoted him as telling the caretaker prime minister that Washington will continue its cooperation with Lebanon to support the Lebanese army.
He stressed that the pledge made to assist Lebanon is the highest made to any country hosting refugees so far.
At the conference Kuwait pledged 500 million dollars and the United States promised 380 million dollars to alleviate the suffering of Syrians affected by the country's civil war.
The United Nations is appealing for $6.5 billion this year to help Syrians affected the war, its largest-ever funding request for a single crisis.
Kerry said at the conference that the U.S. contribution of $380 million will bring brings America's humanitarian aid contribution to Syrian victims to $1.7 billion since the war began.
Half of the money — 177 million dollars — will go to U.N. programs for victims still in Syria. The rest is for neighboring nations that have taken in an estimated 2.3 million refugees who have fled the country.
NNA said that Kerry lauded the efforts of Miqati to help the formation of the new cabinet.
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