COUNTRIES URGED TO SHELTER 180,000 SYRIAN REFUGEES

Damascus, 15 Safar 1436/8 December 2014 (MINA) – The UN refugee agency and dozens of international humanitarian organizations have launched a campaign urging countries around the world to host around 180,000 Syrian refugees.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Monday that there are more than 3.2 million Syrian refugees in neighboring countries, predicting the number could rise to nearly 3.6 million by the end of 2015.

If other states could shelter 180,000 refugees and support Syria’s neighbors, “it would also encourage those countries to keep their borders open to ensure those in Syria can flee the conflict, and could contribute to their stability,” the UNHCR said, Press TV quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

“Syria’s neighboring countries have shown incredible generosity over the last three and a half years, but the strain of the crisis is weighing heavily on infrastructure and public services,” the agency said.

The UNHCR says more than two million registered refugees have taken shelter in Turkey and Lebanon.

The agency says several countries, including the Persian Gulf Arab states and Latin American countries, have not accepted any refugees since unrest hit Syria in 2011.

The UN is scheduled to discuss the issue of the Syrian refugees during a conference in Geneva on Tuesday.

Over 7.2 million Syrians have become internally displaced due to the war, according to the UN.

More than 200,000 people have died so far in the conflict in Syria, according to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Zeid al-Hussein.

Western powers and their regional allies – especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey – are the main supporters of the militants operating inside Syria. (T/P007/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)