The European Union pledged more than 2 billion euros ($2.17 billion) to support Syrian refugees across the region.
Cheerful Syrian refugee friends smiling to the camera, Zaatari, Jordan
The European Union pledged more than 2 billion euros ($2.17 billion) to support Syrian refugees across the region on Monday and dismissed any talk of a possible return of refugees to their homeland, saying conditions for a voluntary and safe return were not in place.
"But our commitment cannot end with financial pledges alone," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said at the start of a conference on Syria in Brussels.
"Despite the lack of recent progress, we must redouble our efforts to find a political solution to the conflict, a solution that upholds the aspirations of the Syrian people for a peaceful and democratic future."
($1 = 0.9215 euros)
Reporting by John Irish
The head of the Council of Europe, the continent's leading human rights watchdog, told Reuters it was worried about any violations of rights in Turkey after the jailing of President Tayyip Erdogan's chief political rival and hundreds of arrests that followed mass protests.
Saudi Arabia plans to pay off Syria's debts to the World Bank, three people familiar with the matter said, paving the way for the approval of millions of dollars in grants for reconstruction and to support the country's paralysed public sector.
The European Union will increase its financial support for the Palestinian Authority with a three-year package worth around 1.6 billion euros ($1.8 billion), the European Commissioner responsible for the Middle East told Reuters in an interview.
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