Divisions, elections and Assad lay bare Europe’s Syrian quagmire

The European Union will convene donors next week to keep Syria on the global agenda, but as the economic and social burden of refugees on neighboring countries mounts the bloc is divided and unable to find solutions to tackle the issue, diplomats say.

Syria has become a forgotten crisis that nobody wants to stir amid the war raging between Israel and Islamist Palestinian militants Hamas and tensions growing between Iran and Western powers over its regional activities.

More than 5 million refugees mostly in Lebanon and Turkey and millions more displaced internally have little prospect of returning home with political stability no closer than since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's rule began in 2011.

Funding to support them is dropping with the likes of the World Food Program reducing its aid. Difficulties to host refugees are surfacing, notably...