The two countries announced an increase in their humanitarian aid - 3 million pounds ($4.74 million) from London and 5 million euros ($6.25 million) from Paris - and called on other states to boost their commitments.

Fabius said Paris was channeling some aid to areas of Syria no longer under government control so that local communities can self-govern, encouraging people not to flee the country.

“The opposition has taken strong positions in the country,” Fabius said after the meeting. “We need to help them financially, administratively and in terms of supplies.”

Aid groups say as many as 300,000 Syrians have poured out of Syria since the uprising against Syrian Assad’s rule began last year, while up to 3 million have been displaced. Turkey has seen the highest refugee influx.

SYRIA SAYS HELP NEEDED

Syria’s U.N. Ambassador Bashar Ja’afari said Syria did need humanitarian assistance, but its sovereignty should not be undermined in the process. He described refugee camps in neighboring countries as “detention camps.”

“Syria feels a great bitterness and sorrow when we see some of our brothers living in tents on the border in dreadful conditions being dissuaded by attempts at intimidation from returning home,” Ja’afari told the council. “They are turned into refugees, prisoners of these camps.”

He said they were fleeing Syria because “terrorists” were using them as human shields.

Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin blamed economic sanctions imposed on Syria by the United States and the European Union for worsening the humanitarian crisis.