Munzer: Sooner or Later, All Occupied Territories Will be Returned

NEW YORK– Acting charge d’ affairs of Syria’s permanent delegation at the UN, Munzer Munzer, reiterated Syria’s non-negotiable sovereign right to restore the occupied Golan, adding that sooner or later, all occupied territories will be returned.

Munzer’s speech came during a UN Security Council’s meeting held Thursday evening on the situation in the Middle East, according to SANA.

He strongly condemned determination of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Middle East Peace Process, Nicholai Mladinov, to ignore any talk about the situation in the Occupied Syrian Golan, clarify the attitude of the United Nation towards this issue in accordance with the UN relevant resolutions, specially resolution No.497 of 1981 and address the suffering of more than 23,000 Syrian citizens during 50 years of occupation, not to mention ignoring the Israeli entity’s illegal practices and continuous violations of the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement through cooperation with the armed terrorist groups which captured several positions in the UNDOF area.

 Munzer added that Israeli entity still refuses to relinquish the Golan and abide by the international legitimacy resolutions including the UNSC resolution no.497 as it continues to confiscate lands in the Occupied Syrian Golan, expand settlements, exploit its natural resources and rob its archaeological artifacts, in addition to planting landmines and preventing Golan inhabitants from communicating with their parents, families and relatives in Syria, continuing their studies according to the Syrian national education curricula or building hospitals in the Golan.

Moreover, the Israeli entity continued its policies of repression, arbitrary arrests, racial discrimination and mock trials of prisoners, said Munzer, reminding the international community of Syria’s Mandela, prisoner Sedqi al-Maqt who was re-arrested by the Israeli occupation forces in March 2017 after serving 27 years in the Israeli jails and sentenced him to 14 years in jail.

He added that the international silence towards Israeli practices and measures and the US Administration’s infinite support encouraged the Israeli occupation authorities to continue its violations of the UNSC resolutions and pose a threat to the regional and international peace and security.

Munzer reiterated the Golan inhabitants’ rejection of Israeli occupation’s repressive practices, the latest of which is the Israeli Interior Minister’s decision to hold local elections in October 2018 in a flagrant violation of the UNSC resolutions and international conventions.

He stressed that these procedures are null and void, reaffirming the Golanese’s adherence to their homeland and the Syrian Arab identity and their resistance of all Israeli attempts to impose their domination.

Munzer urged the UN Security Council to take an immediate action and force the Israeli authorities to halt their attacks and violations, end their occupation of the occupied Arab territories, including the occupied Syrian Golan and to completely withdraw till the line of June 4th, 1967 in accordance with the UNSC resolutions 242, 338 and 497.

Regarding the Palestinian issue, Munzer said that the US Administration’s decision to transfer its embassy to the occupied al-Quds city and recognize it as the Israeli occupation entity’s capital violates all resolutions adopted by the UNSC and the UN General Assembly and al-Quds’ legal, political and historic position and it is an illegitimate unilateral measure and a crime to usurp Palestine and displace its people.

He noted that the US use of veto to block a Security Council draft resolution on the status of al-Quds, Dec.18, 2017 stresses its callousness and ignorance of the international laws and exposes its infinite support to the Zionist entity at the expense of the Palestinian people as it clearly shows that the US has never been an honest broker in the ongoing efforts to reach a peaceful settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Syria welcomes the resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly on al-Quds in December 2017 which gave a big slap in the face for the United States, said Munzer, adding that the international community’s support to the Palestinian people’s rights stresses that the American influence is limited.

He renewed Syria’s firm and principled stance in support of the Syrian people’s right to self-determination and establishing their independent state with al-Quds as its capital, in addition to guaranteeing the right of refugees to return home in accordance with resolution No. 194(1948), noting that Syria, despite the terrorist war and its repercussions on the country, will spare no effort till full restoration of all occupied Arab territories and that Palestine will remain the compass.

He added that Syria welcomes granting Palestine a non-member observer status in the UN.

Commenting on the Saudi representative’s statement, Munzer said that in order to reach a political solution to the situation in Syria, the Saudi regime should halt issuing Wahabi fatwas which fuel and exacerbate terrorism and end its support to the armed terrorist groups which kill the Syrian people.

Munzer added that the Saudi regime provides support to more than 100 terrorist organizations and groups in Syria and supply them with weapons and toxic chemicals to use them against civilians and Syrian army personnel.