Syria 'reaffirms' commitment to restore Golan Heights
Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem addresses General Assembly, calls on international community to compel Israel to join Non-Proliferation Treaty as means to disarm Mideast of WMDs
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem on Monday reaffirmed his country's commitment to restore the Golan Heights and called on the international community to compel Israel to join the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Addressing the UN General Assembly's annual ministerial meeting, al-Moallem accused some UN Security Council members of supporting "terrorism" by Syrian rebels.
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He said that calls for President Bashar Assad to step down were "blatant interference in the domestic affairs of Syria, and the unity of its people and its sovereignty."
The Syrian foreign minister said that what is going on in Syria must not "shift the focus" from what he claimed were the real issues – the Palestinians and the Golan Heights.
Israel the only nuclear power in the region. Al-Moallem (Photo: AP)
He declared that Syria reaffirms its commitment to its "natural right" to restore the Syrian Golan Heights adding that Damascus rejects Israel's attempts to change the region's natural landscape while violating Security Council resolutions.
Al-Moallem further added that Syria is renewing its call for the international community to recognize a Palestinian state and blamed Israel for the failure of efforts to bring about a "just and comprehensive" peace in the Middle East.
He noted that Israel's settlement policy violates understandings adopted as a basis for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
Addressing the nuclear issue, the Syrian diplomat called on the international community to "free the Middle East of WMDs." He called on the world to compel Israel, "the only nuclear power in the region," to join the NPT and allow IAEA inspection of its nuclear facilities.
He claimed that sanctions against Syria serve only Israel's "expansionist interests."
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