Syria launches development fund for reconstruction

DAMASCUS

Syria’s new leadership on Sept. 4 inaugurated a national reconstruction fund with a high-profile ceremony at the Damascus Citadel, vowing to restore the war-ravaged nation and enhance the lives of its citizens following the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad’s regime last December.

“We meet today to announce the launch of the Syrian Development Fund, through which we invite you to spend your generous funds to rebuild what the deposed regime has destroyed and restore the land they have burned into a green prosperous state,” President Ahmad al-Sharaa said in his address.

Sharaa expressed that the new fund would focus on bringing displaced Syrians back to their communities and restoring farmland.

“We are not here to beg for charity for Syria,” he said. “We are here to remind ourselves and you of the duty of this moment.”

“The ousted regime has destroyed our economy, plundered our money, destroyed our homes and displaced our people in camps and refugee places. We meet here today to heal the wounds of beloved Syria, rebuild it with the help of its people and return the displaced and refugees to their land.”

Sharaa added that the fund will be highly transparent and will disclose all money spent on strategic projects.

[HH] Assad’s luxury cars auctioned

In an unexpected disclosure, organizers announced that four vehicles from Assad’s extensive collection would be put up for auction, among them a Mercedes SL 65 AMG and a Ferrari F50.

According to officials, the cars — worth an estimated $20 million — were being “given back to the public.”

Minutes after the fund’s launch, donations surpassed $30 million, according to the Syrian state news agency SANA.

Later, donations exceeded $60 million about an hour after the announcement.

Businessmen, corporate owners and tribal sheikhs from Syria and other Arab countries contributed donations, with a single family alone pledging $1 million.

The ceremony also saw numerous ministers making contributions.