BRUSSELS (AP) — International donors pledged billions of dollars in aid for war-ravaged Syria as the U.N. Security Council convened Wednesday for emergency talks over a suspected chemical attack that killed dozens in a rebel-held province. At a donor conference in Brussels, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for Syria's warring factions and government backers such as Russia and Iran to bring an end to a six-year conflict that has killed almost 400,000 people. U.N. agencies estimate war damage across Syria so far at $350 billion, including physical destruction and the loss of economic activity. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel noted that with the European Union divided over the refugee emergency, the bloc has failed to share responsibility for even a quarter of the 160,000 refugees that member countries promised to relocate from Italy and Greece. According to U.N. relief coordinator Stephen O'Brien "for the immediate needs of 2017, we need about $8 billion," but he said that aid cannot reach those in need without a cease-fire.
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