Ashton visits Syrian refugee camp

European Union foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, on Monday, visited Zaatri camp for Syrian refugees and looked firsthand at their conditions and services offered inside the camp. Ashton, who was accompanied by EU Ambassador to Jordan, Joanna Wronecka, met with a number of refugees and listened to their suffering while fleeing to Jordan. She called on donor nations to offer further aid to avert any humanitarian disasters in the future. Ashton commended Jordan’s services and support to the refugees and additional partners, led by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the UNICEF. Ashton toured schools in the camp and met with a number of children, and learned about their most pressing needs. She also visited a French field hospital and looked at services provided by the hospital to the refugees. The EU ambassador in Amman stressed Jordan-EU ties, noting that the Kingdom is one of the first countries in the region that enjoys strong partnership with the European Union based on dialogue and mutual respect.