Interim Prime Minister Ahmed Tomeh announced that his government received a $6 million USD financial grant from the United States to finance the “Syria in Green” program during a press conference held on Tuesday in the Turkish city of Gaziantep. Tomeh said that the program aims to study and assess needs of civilians in the liberated areas and to implement development and relief projects, to activate civil authority by empowering local councils and ministries of the interim government, and to build confidence between citizens the interim government and donors. He added that “this is not a temporary program, but a multi-faced one aimed at building society and to prepare for the reconstruction phase after the fall of the Assad regime. The US grant is an initial response to the interim government’s repeated requests donors to provide as much possible to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people. Director of the program Anas Tomah pointed out that “the performance of the program earned it the confidence of donors, including the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which signed two agreements to support of the projects in electricity, water, education, health, infrastructure, and wheat, flour, and waste management, support for the local administration, and urgent matters.
The U.S. envoy to Syria Daniel Rubinstein said in mid-2014 that the United States was studying giving support for the Syrian Interim Government during a meeting with interim Prime Minister Ahmed Tomeh. Rubenstein pointed out that the United States will also help implement “Syria in Green” project as soon as possible. Tomeh pointed to the increasing ability of the interim government to work in all sectors on all opposition-held Syrian territory, stressing that his government is working hard to provide the appropriate conditions of life to the people in those areas which have been coming under constant bombardment by regime forces. (Source: Syrian Coalition)
