John Kerry: The $2 Billion the U.S. Has Already Spent on Syrian Refugees Is Not Enough

‘I’m not going to stand up here and pretend that the two billion or the money we’re giving today is enough’

JOHN KERRY: "With the newest contribution that I've announced today, the United States has now committed more than $2 billion to support refugees and the nations that have opened their doors to them. Let me be clear: There is still an enormous need on the ground that is not being met, and I'm not going to stand up here and pretend that the two billion or the money we're giving today is enough. Also for those refugees, just being supported in a refugee camp is not enough. It doesn't change their lives, it doesn't end the war, it doesn't speak to their day-to-day sense of loss and abandonment, and it certainly doesn't provide them with the long-term security and opportunity that they deserve. So all of us, all nations, have a responsibility to try to end this conflict. And I particularly call on those nations directly supporting the Assad regime -- in what has become a grotesque display of modern warfare by a state against its own people -- I call on them -- Iran, Russia, and I call on Hezbollah, based right here in Lebanon -- to engage in the legitimate effort to bring this war to an end. I also call on the international donors who have made pledges, to deliver on those pledges. It is important now, critically important, to support Lebanon and to support others in the region who are suffering the consequences of this humanitarian crisis."

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