NEW DELHI: Making its involvement in mitigating the conflict in the Middle East more concrete, India is mulling to propose a BRICS fund for the reconstruction of war-ravaged Syria at the upcoming Summit in Goa where the Heads of the world’s 5 major emerging national economies will meet.
Last year when the five countries established the New Development Bank, it showed willingness to pool together resources to provide reconstruction aid to Syria and other war-torn countries across the world.
Sources indicated that India might be putting the proposal to provide this reconstruction aid by pooling in resources. While Russia has been playing an active role in the conflict by deciding to fight on the side of the Syrian President Bashar-al Assad and its armed forces targeting the rebels, other member countries do not have immediate stake in the conflict. So the adoption of the proposal, sources said, would depend on the cooperation of the member-states.
In its first major outreach to the region since the conflict began in the country in 2011, Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar had traveled to Syria in August this year and held a meeting with President Assad. The meeting signaled India siding with the ruling dispensation in Syria, even as the Western countries especially the US has been in favour overturning the Assad government. The Syrian President while appreciating India’s “objective” position on the conflict invited New Delhi to play a greater role in the reconstruction of the war-torn country.
Akbar’s visit came close on the heels of a high ranking Chinese official. The Syrian regime has been seeking India’s support for long, but despite opposing to oust the Assad government through foreign intervention, New Delhi has not been vocal about its views on the issue. The proposal would change this and would be in sync with India’s growing aspiration for increased weight in the international arena. Also stability in the Middle East is of India’s interest as the region remains its major source of energy.
Also as India has been vying for a permanent seat the UN Security Council a step-back from the traditional non-aligned policy and configuring its foreign policy on international conflict would be desirable.
The Heads of State of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will be present during the summit to be organized in Goa on October 15-16.
According to the UN estimates Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey and Egypt will collectively need $5.5 billion a year to fund their response to the Syrian crisis. But the international community has been able to put together only a little more than 1/5th of the estimated requirement. Brazil has also pledged $ 5 million last year at an international pledging conference on the crisis.