Apr 28, 2007, 11:39 GMT
Damascus - European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel toured Saturday humanitarian projects funded by the Commission's Humanitarian Aid department in Syria in aid of Palestinian and Iraqi refugees.
Michel visited Palestinian refugee camps and areas sheltering Iraqis who have fled their wartorn country, and projects implemented by their partners UNRWA, UNHCR and ICRC.
He inaugurated refugee shelters which were rehabilitated with EU funds. The programme begun in 2003, amounts to more than 2.3 million euros (3.13 million dollars) and will benefit around 500 families in six refugee camps.
An estimated 1.5 million Iraqi citizens have fled to Syria since the Iraqi regime was toppled in 2003. Syria also shelters around 500,000 Palestinian refugees.
Michel had arrived Thursday in Syria as part of a five-day tour that has taken him to Israel and the Palestinian territories. He is scheduled to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Syrian officials on Sunday.
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