Syria neighbours call for more refugee aid, as US urges open borders

BERLIN, Germany – Syria’s neighbours told an international conference in Germany they were approaching “host country fatigue,” as the United States said it was “critical” that Syrians fleeing violence continue to find refuge.

"We are approaching host-country fatigue in which the limit of our ability to address the needs of Syrian refugees is being tested and has already been reached," Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh told representatives from 40 countries gathered Tuesday at the one-day “Conference on the Syrian Refugee Situation.”

More than three million refugees have fled Syria since the start of the civil war in 2011, with the latest surge following renewed Islamic State (ISIS) attacks on the Kurdish city of Kobane that has been resisting a takeover by the militants for more than five weeks.

The largest numbers of refugees have fled to Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt and Iraq – where the northern Kurdistan Region is equally overstretched and struggling to cope with the latest influx of some 8,000 refugees who flooded in over the past month.

 “We know that governments and communities in neighbouring countries are straining to handle this massive influx of refugees. Nonetheless, it is critical that those fleeing violence are able to seek refuge,” said a US statement after the conference.

But Turkey's deputy foreign minister Naci Koru called on the international community to contribute more for the refugees,

“The neighbouring countries, including Turkey, have, to date, had to shoulder an unfair share of the humanitarian burden resulting from the conflict in Syria,” said Koru. “In a spirit of partnership, we are in need of equitable and meaningful burden-sharing by the international community,” he added.

In the Kurdistan Region, the needs of the refugees are far from being met, with international donors so far funding only 30 per cent for the refugees and 20 per cent for the Iraqi displaced, Harry Schute, an advisor to the Kurdistan Regional Government said in a recent briefing.

The United States told the conference that since the start of the conflict it has provided more than $2.9 billion in humanitarian assistance inside Syria and throughout the region.

The United States pledged an extra $10 million in humanitarian assistance to help communities in the region hosting the refugees, and Germany committed to 140 million euros in extra funding this year, over and above the 500 million euros pledged for the next three years.

Meanwhile, host country Germany's Development Minister Gerd Muller was quoted as saying Monday that the refugee crisis and ISIS violence are “the catastrophe of a century.”

The UK-based international charity Oxfam said the response from international countries should come before the harsh winter approaches in the refugee camps.

“It is essential that other governments step up to offer long-term financial support to host countries both to meet immediate humanitarian needs and support development approaches into the future,” Oxfam said on its website.

“They should also provide a life-line to refugees in need through resettlement in countries outside the immediate region,” it added.

Oxfam has called on wealthy nations to accept at least 5 percent of the projected refugee population. It said that was “well within their capacity and – while still a fraction of the whole – would make a significant impact on people’s lives.”

Germany has agreed to accept 26,400 refugees.