Germany Urges US, Gulf States to Contribute $1.7Bln to Aid Middle East

The United States and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf should each contribute up to $1.7 billion in support of the countries in the Middle East hosting the largest share of migrants, German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said Tuesday.

BERLIN (Sputnik) – A combined 3.68 million Syrian refugees are estimated by the UN Refugee Agency to be in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.

"I call on Europe once again to allocate 1.5 billion euro, and also demand the US and Persian Gulf states to contribute analogous amounts," Gabriel said in a televised address to parliament.

The vice chancellor and chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) said it was imperative to provide "the best outlook" for people living outside their countries of origin.

"Otherwise, we will have to deal with a lost generation that could lead to a growth in not only refugees, but new Islamic State and other terrorist group fighters," he stressed.

Sigmar Gabriel reiterated his call for expanded US and Gulf states’ role in addressing the regional crises an earlier interview with Der Tagesspiegel daily, where he lamented the inability of the US to find a "fraction" of the hundreds of billions "made available in a few short weeks to bail out our banks."

The United States has recently announced plans to expand the number of Syrian refugees to be accepted in the US next year to 10,000 people.

Calls on the rich Gulf states to open their borders to Syrian and other Middle Eastern refugees have gained traction in recent weeks.

None of the six Gulf Cooperation Council states — Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar — has signed the 1951 UN convention on refugees that sets out the rights of individuals who are granted asylum and the responsibilities of nations that grant asylum.