Al-Daihani: Preparations for second donors conference for Syrians underway

Kuwait's Ambassador to the Arab League Aziz Al-Daihani said Tuesday preparations were underway to organize the 2nd donors conference for the Syrian people, due in the Arab Gulf country on January 15. His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah's acceptance of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's request to host the conference reflected the Kuwaiti leadership's keenness on further highlighting the plight of the Syrian people, Al-Daihani told reporters. He underlined that Kuwait has been at the fore of countries offering assistance for the Syrian people, namely hundreds of thousands of refugees in neighboring countries: Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey. He noted His Highness the Amir's announcement of provision of aid for the needy Syrians. Kuwait hosted the first donors conference for the Syrian people in January 2013, where USD 1.5 billion including Kuwait's USD 300 million were pledged. Ban's selection of Kuwait to host the first donors conference, said Al-Daihani, was due to the Gulf country's huge humanitarian role vis-a-vis the Syrian people. The UN seeks more than USD six billion in pledges in the second donors conference. Al-Daihani said Kuwait was fully confident that the UN agencies were distributing aid for the Syrian people either inside their country or in neighboring nations. The ambassador said Kuwait was offering food, blankets, mobile homes, tents and medicine for the Syrian people.