SC Warned Of ˈTerrifyingˈ Humanitarian Situation For Syria

Tehran, April 22, IRNA - UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres, warned the Security Council that without an end to the fighting soon, almost half Syria’s 20.8 million population could be in need of humanitarian help by the end of 2013. According to a press release issued by the UNHCR, in an address to the council Guterres said, “400,000 refugees have fled Syria in the last seven weeks, bringing the population of Syrians registered as refugees or waiting to be registered to 1,367,413. If current trends continue, then by the end of the year there may be up to 3.5 million Syrian refugees, together with 6.5 million people inside Syria who could become in need of help.” “These figures are terrifying,” he said. “This is not just frightening, it risks becoming simply unsustainable. There is no way to adequately respond to the enormous humanitarian needs these figures represent. And it is difficult to imagine how a nation can endure so much suffering.” He further asked, ˈIsn’t there any way to stop this fighting, to open the door for a political solution?ˈ Guterres told the Security Council that humanitarian funding needs had become so urgent that governments would need to look at extraordinary funding mechanisms to avoid the international response capacity becoming overwhelmed. He also warned of the growing pressure the refugee crisis is exerting on countries in the region./end