Mr. Robin Yassin-Kassab:

The Russians actually bombed an aid convoy some months ago. Again, that sums it up. It is important and essential to send aid, spend money on it and give humanitarian assistance. However, it is not going to reach the people inside who really need it unless it is backed up by much stronger political action, whether that is military or economic, against the people who are blocking the aid.

It is important that it is not just money and food boxes going into refugee camps in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, but aid in creating opportunities. That is one way which could stop the appeal of travelling across the Mediterranean Sea for those stuck in those places. In Jordan, they speak the same language as Syrians. For a Syrian, culturally it is not difficult and is easier to get around Jordan. They would rather be there. The problem is they are stuck in a camp where there is no economy, no work, and no proper schools. Accordingly, they have no future for their children. For generations, Syrians have admired education, and if they have an opportunity, they really take it up. For them, it is the idea that not only is their life ruined, but their kids are going to grow up illiterate and not have a skill. All Syrians will say they wanted their son to be a doctor but now he cannot even read properly.

Building schools in the camps and investing money in such a way that it will create jobs in these places would be helpful. There will have to be a great deal of discussion about the long-term future of these camps and about the provision of a great deal of help for Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. Lebanon and Jordan are small countries that are quite unstable already. Lebanon is quite remarkable in that it has not collapsed into civil war as a result of what is happening in Syria. We need to think about that. Zaatari camp is now the third biggest city in Jordan. It seems this guy is staying in Syria and therefore in 20 years time it looks like that camp may well be the third biggest city in Jordan. It will be like the Palestinian camps. In 1950 to 1952 the camps there comprised tents and it seemed the people would return home in a few years but in the place of those tents there are now multistorey concrete buildings in densely packed urban areas. That

may well be what will happen with these camps in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan and they may spread along the borders just inside Syria. I have been just inside Syria on its border with Turkey and every few kilometres along it one sees another camp settlement. It will be interesting to see what will happen there. They may become permanent and perhaps Turkey will get the job of protecting them. I do not know if Turkey will deter Assad's planes from coming and bombing those camps. I am not sure what will happen.