40 Countries Gather to Raise Funds for Lebanon Aid

|PIC1|Aid agencies have warned the international community that millions of dollars are urgently needed to help Lebanon recover after the extensive bombings during the violence with Israel.

A target of £260 million has been set as governments and international organisations gather in Sweden to offer donations to rebuild the country. In particular, Oxfam has reported that the bombing has ruined Lebanon’s agricultural industry.

As many countries gather to resolve the situation, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is due to hold talks in Jordan and Syria to try and ensure the ceasefire in Lebanon is firmly in place.

Following the month-long conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, a truce has now held shakily for more than two weeks. However, Oxfam explained that the extensive bombing of southern Lebanon has caused huge damage to the country’s economy.

The charity reported that the attacks commenced just as the harvest season had begun, resulting in farmers being forced to abandon their crops, which have now mostly rotted away. Oxfam tells that approximately 170,000 farmers in the region have been affected.

|PIC2|Oxfam’s Executive Director, Jeremy Hobbs said, “The destruction of Lebanon's roads, bridges and buildings is evident but beyond the piles of bricks and mortar lies the less visible tragedy of acres of ruined farmland and rotting crops.”

”The donors meeting in Stockholm must respond with new money to help this battered nation get back on its feet.”

Lebanon’s government estimates that Israeli air strikes caused about US$3.6bn of damage, and has set back the country's steady growth by years. Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said 130,000 homes had been destroyed or damaged.

Funds are being sought to help clear landmines and unexploded cluster bombs, which are preventing farmers returning to work in their fields.

Ministers from more than 40 countries are attending the ‘donors' conference’ in Stockholm, as well as officials from the UN, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Red Cross.

The European Union has already vowed to offer £28million for Lebanon's short-term recovery. But Swedish foreign ministry spokesman John Zanchi said organisers were hoping for much more.

“We are hoping the international community will step up,” he said.

Mr Annan is currently engaged in his Middle East tour and is due to meet King Abdullah in Jordan before travelling on to Syria, where he is expected to tackle the issue of its support for Hezbollah.