Al-Jaafari Reiterates Syria’s Right to Restore Occupied Golan by All Legal Means
GENEVA, (ST)-Head of the Syrian Arab Republic’s delegation to the Intra-Syrian talks in Geneva Bashar Al-Jaafari said “we dedicated considerable time for the talk on the irresponsible and provocative behavior of head of the Israeli occupation government Benjamin Netanyahu who called on his cabinet to meet in the occupied Syrian Golan.”
In a press conference following the delegation’s meeting with the UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura earlier on Monday, al-Jaafari said “we stressed to de Mistura the right of the Syrian Arab Republic to restoring the occupied Syrian Golan to the June 4th 1967 borders through adopting all UN Charter-guaranteed legal means.
“It is not a matter of coincidence that the Israeli escalation in occupied Golan was accompanied by also provocative and irresponsible remarks by members of the “Riyadh opposition” delegation taking part in the intra-Syrian talks in Geneva, according to al-Jaafari, who stressed that the riyadh-backed opposition calls for carrying out attacks on the Syrian Arab Army, breaking the cessation of hostilities agreement and shelling Syrian towns.
He affirmed that all events indicate the close cooperation between Israel and some Arab countries on the one hand and the terrorists in Syria on the other.
Al-Jaafari said “We handed de Mistura our amendments to his 12-item paper and we are waiting for him to come back with the response of the oppositions to this paper.”
He pointed out that the delegation will meet de Mistura again on Wednesday.
De Mistura: Intra-Syrian Indirect Dialogue Will Continue
UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura affirmed on Monday that the intra-Syrian indirect dialogue in Geneva will continue, saying that his mission is to approximate viewpoints among different sides, SANA reported.
“We intend to continue and resume talks and consultations with all sides inside the UN headquarters or outside it,” de Mistura said at a press conference following his meeting with “al-Riyadh opposition” delegation, describing the indirect talks as “very flexible.”
He went on to say “we will assess these talks next Friday and review what has been realized with all sides regarding their own stances, then to make the decision on how to go ahead.”
De Mistura pointed out that “al-Riyadh opposition” delegation announced its intention to suspend and postpone the official participation in the dialogue at the UN HQ, saying “discussions and talks will continue with them at their residence outside the UN site.”
“There is a point of improvement on the political track in comparison with the past as all sides agree that the political transition is the core of the process,” de Mistura said, considering that it is not possible for anyone to expect a miracle would happen to end the 5-year crisis.
He added the discussions focused on how to interpret the political transition process, saying “No doubt, the distance is large between the two sides.”
De Mistura affirmed that the cessation of hostilities agreement is still firm, but there are some breaches in many areas that stir concern, saying that operations of delivering the humanitarian aid were successful in some regions although they were slow, hoping the two presidents of the International Syria Support group would hold an exceptional meeting to deal with this situation.
He added that Russia and the US have a basic and important role in pushing the political process forwards in order to reach a political solution to the crisis in Syria.
Regarding the call of one member of al-Riyadh opposition delegation to “open the fronts in Syria,” De Mistura called for avoiding such provocative discourses, particularly during this stage of entering the core of dialogue.
As for the provocative meeting held by the Israeli occupation’s government in the occupied Syrian Golan yesterday, de Mistura said the two international resolutions No.242 and 497 are clear in considering the annexation of the Syrian Golan by “Israel” as null and void.
Hamda Mustafa