Iraq calls for int'l donor summit to support displaced Syrians

Iraqi President Fuad Masum called on Saturday for an international donor conference to be held to provide financial support for the displaced Syrians in Iraq.

The President made this request at an Arab summit in Egypt's red sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh, appealing to the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Conference, the United Nations, as well as Russia and China to attend the proposed conference, "in order to deal with the problems of the displaced Syrians in Iraq and put an end to their financial suffering."

Since the Syrian unrest erupted in mid-March 2011, about four million displaced Syrians fled the country to the neighboring states of Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey and Egypt.

"There are over two million displaced Iraqis and thousands of displaced Syrians in nine Iraqi provinces that burden all their expenses," Masum said, stressing his country's need for Arab financial support for the displaced in Iraq.

Masum added that his leadership is keen to accomplish national reconciliation among conflicting parties to put an end to the ongoing turmoil in Iraq.

With regard to the Yemeni crisis, the Iraqi president called on Arab leaders to invite conflicting parties in Yemen to return to the table of dialogue.

The Yemeni crisis has become the focus of the current Arab summit led by Egypt and attended by 20 Arab monarchs and presidents, including fleeing Yemeni President Abd-Rabbo Mansour Hadi, amid an ongoing Saudi-led military airstrikes against targets of Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Ahead of the summit, Iraqi foreign minister Ibrahim al-Ja'afari told Xinhua that his country rejects any military intervention in the Arab world and called for a political solution for the Yemeni crisis. Endit