Al Watan said that in the last two months alone, 200,000 refugees have fled from neighboring Iraq, riddled with sectarian violence, to relatively stable Syria.
The regional staff of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said Syria, despite its "exceptional efforts" and "remarkable generosity" toward refugees of all religious beliefs, needed more international help to cope with a community that may reach 2 million people in the short term.
While 33,000 Iraqi students have been admitted to already overcrowded Syrian high schools, the UN workers said, about 200,000 are on waiting lists.
Damascus needs $60 million for essential medical and social aid, but has received as little as $12 million from international donors, the UN office said.
