US under UN fire over Golan

Other members of Security Council condemn Trump's recognition of occupied territory

The United States came under sharp criticism from the 14 other United Nations Security Council member states on Wednesday for its decision to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights in violation of council resolutions.

Speaker after speaker at the open meeting supported Syria's sovereignty over the strategic plateau and opposed Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights and US President Donald Trump's proclamation earlier this week, The Associated Press reported.

UN Under Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo said the UN position on Golan is clear in the relevant UN resolutions, notably in Security Council resolutions 242 and 497, Xinhua News Agency reported.

"We hope that the recent developments will not be used as an excuse by anyone to pursue actions that could undermine the relative stability of the situation on the Golan and beyond," she said.

France's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Anne Gueguen said any attempt to move away from international law and Council resolutions through unilateral decisions "is doomed to failure", expressing regret that the move by the United States undermines collective Council action.

British Ambassador Karen Pierce affirmed her country's belief in the rules-based international order.

Wu Haitao, the deputy permanent representative of the Chinese mission to the UN, said China is opposed to the alteration of the fact through unilateral action, and that China does not wish to see the further escalation of tensions in the region. "China does not wish to see the further escalation of tension in the region."

The parties concerned should implement relevant Security Council resolutions and agreements on disengagement, exercise restraint and desist from any action that may exacerbate tensions along the ceasefire line, he added.

Russia urged the international community to continue to view the Golan Heights as Israeli-occupied territory. "If anybody feels any temptation to follow this poor example, we would urge them to refrain from this aggressive revision of international law," Russia's Deputy Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov said.

South Africa's UN Ambassador Jerry Matjila said: "This unilateral action (of the US) does nothing to assist in finding a long-term peaceful solution to the conflict in the Middle East."

He and others pointed to resolutions calling for Israel to end its occupation of the Golan Heights, including a December 1981 Security Council resolution that called Israel's 1967 annexation of the strategic area "null and void and without international legal effect".

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1981. A 1974 cease-fire agreement that officially ended the 1973 Middle East war led to the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force known as UNDOF on the Golan Heights.

Trump's proclamation that the Golan Heights is now part of Israel raised questions about the future of UNDOF after its mandate expires on June 30.

US political coordinator Rodney Hunter told the council that UNDOF has "a vital role to play in preserving stability between Israel and Syria", an assurance that the US government's recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the strategic plateau won't affect its operation.

He said the force's mandate to ensure that the area of separation between Syria and Israel "is a buffer zone free from any military presence or activities" is of "critical strategic and security importance" to Israel, and "can contribute to the stability of the entire Middle East".

Meanwhile, the European Union said it will not recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, AP reported.

The EU Foreign Affairs Department said it was the "unanimous position" of all 28 member states not to change their stance in line with UN resolutions that identify the Golan Heights as occupied territory and reject the seizure of land by force.

Agencies/Xinhua