Saudi: We have not made new pledges to support Syria

Saudi media outlets quoted an official at the Saudi embassy in Washington as saying that the kingdom has not made any new financial pledges to Syria since August.

“The kingdom is a major contributor to the Global Coalition Against Daesh and the second largest air force to strike the terrorist organisation in Syria, in addition to millions of dollars of donations it is providing for relief action there,” said the Saudi diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The TV channel CNBC stated that US President Donald Trump’s announcement on Twitter that Saudi Arabia had agreed to pay for the reconstruction of Syria is based on a commitment Riyadh made in August.

READ: US withdrawal from Syria would contribute to a comprehensive settlement

According to Saudi media, the US Department of State explained that Trump did not refer to any new commitment made by Saudi Arabia, pointing out that the kingdom had already pledged $100 million in support for the settlement projects in the areas liberated from Daesh.

The United States welcomes “the contributions of all members of the Coalition so as to defeat Daesh in Syria, including the previous huge contributions of Saudi Arabia. We are looking forward to future efforts in order to make sure that Daesh will be completely defeated and ensure the stability of liberated areas. We will work closely with allies and partners in order to share the burden of these efforts,” an email sent by US National Security Council spokesman Jarrett Marquez said.