The foreign minister of Syria's new interim government stood side by side with the EU's foreign affairs chief as officials from dozens of countries crammed together for a family photo at an international donor drive in Brussels on Monday.

Asaad Al-Shibani's front-and-center spot showed how Syrian authorities' efforts to shed their extremist image are paying off in the European Union. In the early days after the ouster of former dictator Bashar Assad, the EU wouldn't even pick up the phone to the Islamist rebels who toppled him.

But the optimism of those early days has also been replaced by some bleaker realities in Syria.

Deadly sectarian violence in coastal areas has sparked fears of even more death and instability; and rebuilding after decades of dictatorship and civil war is proving far from easy — especially with the country remaining largely cut off from international financial systems.

The EU-led donor drive drummed up some €5.8 billion ($6.3 billion) in grants and loans to support Syria and neighboring countries. Germany pledged €300 million, while the EU upped its overall contribution to some €2.12 billion.

Kathryn Achilles of the Norwegian Refugee Council called the pledges a "demonstration of global solidarity for the Syrian people" which must "be a starting point for continued support."

But the total amount generated was significantly less than last year's edition of the conference, which drew some €7.5 billion. And in line........

© Deutsche Welle