NEW YORK: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday unveiled a total of $45 million dollars in new funding for humanitarian aid and to help the civilian opposition in Syria.

Some $30 million will go towards aid, bumping up the total US funding for humanitarian relief to $130 million with a further $15 million for the civilian Syrian opposition, she told a meeting of the Friends of Syria.

"Today I am announcing an additional 30 million dollars to help get food, water, blankets, critical medical services to the people suffering under the relentless assaults," Clinton told the meeting.

"Today I am also announcing an additional $15 million to support Syrian civilian opposition groups, bringing out total support to the unarmed opposition to almost $45 million."

The talks were attended by nine Syrian activists, who have been working with local coordination committees in cities such as Homs, in a bid to help civilians caught up in the 18-month conflict which has left some 30,000 people dead.

Some of them had traveled from within Syria to New York to spell out to leaders of about two dozen countries -- out of the 90 nations which make up the group -- what their needs are.

Washington, however, stuck by its insistence that it will not bow to calls to arm the rebels, fearing it will further complicate the situation on the ground.