Syria regime asks UN to condemn US accepting Israel's Golan control

Syria regime's ambassador to the United Nations has denounced President Donald Trump's recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights.

In a meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Bashar Jaafri claimed western involvement in the Syrian war "war was to ensure Israeli occupation of Arab territories and to ensure that that occupation could go on forever."

"This is a criminal project or plan for which the US government and its allies have used all tools at their disposal –– moral, political tools have been used by them to guarantee chaos and destruction in our region, to divide us on the basis of religious, ethnic reasons to build a new reality as was imposed in the past," Jaafri said.

Also on Wednesday, the regime's foreign ministry called on the UN human rights commissioner to denounce US action.

Syrians rally against US decision 

The ministry's statement said Trump's decision this week is a "blatant aggression" against Syria's territorial integrity and sovereignty, as well as a violation of the UN charter and international law.

It called on UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to publicly say Trump's decision endangers the rights of Syrians living in the occupied Golan.

Thousands of Syrians have held rallies in cities controlled by Bashar al Assad's regime against Trump's announcement. In the coastal city Tartus, hundreds gathered on Wednesday outside the governor's office in protest.

On Monday, US President Trump signed a proclamation recognising Israel's 1981 annexation of the strategic plateau, which it seized from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War.

Israel's move has not been recognised internationally, and three UN Security Council resolutions have called for it to withdraw from the territory.

Peace process

The US move on Golan will help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by removing uncertainty, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday.

"We believe this increases the likelihood that we get resolution of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians," Pompeo told a congressional hearing. 

"We think it speaks with the clarity that takes this away from any uncertainty about how we'll proceed."

EU reiterates position 

Earlier on Wednesday, the European Union stressed that its members would not follow the United States in recognising the Golan Heights as Israel territory.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini issued a statement on behalf of member states reiterating their long-standing view.

"The position of the European Union as regards the status of the Golan Heights has not changed," the statement said, ahead of a meeting of the UN Security Council on Washington's decision.

"In line with the international law and UN Security Council resolutions 242 and 497, the European Union does not recognise Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights."