Hapless Syrians need Arab support

There are now, according to Amman, over 80,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan. Ankara acknowledges the presence of 16,000 Syrian citizens living in makeshift tent cities near the border, a figure that is swelling by about 250 every day. Importantly, Turkey has made contingency plans to accommodate as many as half a million refugees on its soil, although little public attention is devoted to this matter.

In Lebanon, the UN High Commission for Refugees and the Higher Relief Council estimate that at least 7,000 Syrian refugees were registered with the agency in the Northern Akkar region, even if most were living with relatives or were housed in schools and other public properties. Another 7,000 Syrians found their way into the Bekaa Valley, with an equal number scattered elsewhere. As these numbers were slated to grow, who is preparing to look after them, and what kind of help reached the wounded who feared Syrian hospitals?

A few days ago, the Islamic International Relief Commission, an affiliate of the Makkah-based Muslim World League, took responsibility to provide urgent assistance to approximately 1,600 Syrian refugee families in Lebanon, which would allocate consignments of 30kg of food baskets to be distributed on a monthly basis.

The experienced Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Awad Assiri, further announced that the Saudi Red Crescent would channel relief efforts to aid thousands of Syrian refugees who have fled violence in their home country. Speaking to Al Sharq Al Awsat, Assiri stated that "The kingdom will begin a relief operation for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Turkey, and Jordan in cooperation with the local authorities," which followed directives issued by King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, who was following the matter personally.

Of course, Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon required serious assistance to meet the needs of refugees for food, clothes, and especially medicine. In the case of the wounded who were being evacuated, the need was even greater.

Many perished either in improvised hospitals or clinics since authorities did not extend basic humanitarian assistance to individuals considered to be "terrorists". The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) managed to establish ties with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to provide first aid assistance, although its access to the battlefields was denied.

On March 19, 2012, the president of the ICRC, Jakob Kellenberger, met Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, in Moscow to discuss the ICRC's concerns regarding the humanitarian situation in Syria. As far as it was known as of Wednesday morning, Lavrov promised to arrange a daily cessation in the "fighting" for a period of two hours to reach those who needed urgent attention but even this was not possible. Kellenberger apparently raised the critical situation of the sick or injured in detention facilities though he did not reveal what Lavrov insinuated was possible to accomplish.

Because Damascus failed to respond to the impartial, neutral and independent humanitarian actions of the ICRC and because most western embassies have now evacuated their diplomats and shut down their legations throughout Syria, few options remained. Iran apparently dispatched medical supplies but these were reserved for the exclusive use of Syrian soldiers.

Arab responses were limited although a new gargantuan effort was launched by Prince Turki Bin Talal Bin Abdul Aziz — a colonel in the kingdom's Royal Saudi Land Forces as well as a personal representative to his father Prince Talal Bin Abdul Aziz — who, once again, relied on his creative mind to innovate and serve the helpless.

Prince Turki, whose track record in humanitarian and relief works no longer needs any introduction — especially in the aftermath of the 2008 Israeli attacks on Gaza as well as a super complicated relief campaign during the 2006 Hezbollah-Israeli War in Lebanon that saw him bring in over 100 trailers of sorely needed necessities —received his father's support to activate one of the most important Arab NGOs, the Arab Gulf Programme for Development (AGFUND), to make yet another contribution to Syrian refugees.

Established in 1980 as a regional organisation based in Riyadh, AGFUND traditionally concentrated on development and growth projects, rather than humanitarian assistance. Nevertheless, the NGO frequently assumed challenges when governments either wished to postpone a decision, or were too preoccupied with political issues to concern themselves with what was truly important.

This is where individuals like Prince Turki, regrettably all too rare, stepped in. In this case, and beyond the immediate focus to establish a 15 million riyal fund — of which over 5 million riyals were already raised by late Tuesday — for sorely needed medical assistance to refugees in Jordan, Lebanon as well as within Syria, Prince Turki embarked on a hands-on mission. He was on the ground to shelter the displaced, tend to the wounded, and help evacuate the severely injured that required urgent medical care either in Lebanon or in Saudi Arabia.

Who says Arabs cannot act when they put their minds to it?

Dr Joseph A. Kechichian is a commentator and author of several books on Gulf affairs.