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India May Propose BRICS Fund To Rebuild Syria at Oct. 15-16 Summit
11 October 2016
PRESS RELEASE EIRNS—According to unnamed sources cited by the New Indian Express on Oct. 8, India is planning to propose a BRICS fund for the reconstruction of war-devastated Syria at the upcoming BRICS Summit in Goa Oct. 15-16. The adoption of the proposal would depend on the cooperation of the member-states, the newspaper said, writing, "Last year when the five countries established the New Development Bank, [the BRICS] showed willingness to pool together resources to provide reconstruction aid to Syria and other war-torn countries across the world." Last March, at the Raisina Dialogue forum, hosted by India’s Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi, Schiller Institute founder Helga Zepp-LaRouche, in her address, had urged India to help rebuild Syria, wracked by years of war. Last August, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sent Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar to Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, which trip was considered India’s first major outreach to the region since the conflict began in 2011, reported New Indian Express. During the trip, Akbar met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who told Akbar that Syria wanted India to play a greater role in Syria’s reconstruction. Till now, India has done little more than oppose the Western powers’ demand to oust the Assad government. The proposal to set up a fund within the BRICS to reconstruct Syria would change that and could start a process that would provide hope to the war-ravaged Syrians. The newspaper reported UN estimates that call for raising $5.5 billion a year to help Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey and Egypt to overcome the damages they have incurred due to the Syrian conflict. However, the international community has so far succeeded in meeting a little more than one-fifth of that amount. |