Kerry pledges $100m in Syria aid

US Secretary of State John Kerry has announced that the Obama administration will provide an additional $100m in humanitarian aid for Syria. Speaking to Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh in Rome, Kerry said the new funds will help Syria’s neighbours to cope with 1.4 million refugees and reassure Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey that they will not have to shoulder the economic burden of the crisis alone. $43m will go directly to Jordan, which is currently accommodating 525,000 Syrian refugees and continuing to receive an average of 2,000 per day. Kerry also suggested that President Bashar al-Assad would have to step down for a political solution to the Syrian crisis to take hold. The US Secretary of State asserted that he hoped to “bring all parties to the table” to “effect a transition government by mutual consent on both sides.” He added: “in our judgment, President Assad will not be a component of that transitional government.” Kerry emphasised Jordan’s centrality to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and praised Judeh’s government for galvanising Arab League participation in last month’s peace talks in Washington. Judeh confirmed the strength of the US and Jordan’s relationship, which he described as “a true partnership, across the board.” US humanitarian assistance during the two-year conflict now totals $510m.