UNITED NATIONS, Dec 23 (NNN-XINHUA) – The UN Security Council, yesterday, adopted a resolution to extend the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force on the Golan Heights for six months, until Jun 30, 2023.
The UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) on the Golan Heights, has been tasked to maintain a ceasefire between Israel and Syria since 1974.
Resolution 2671, which won the unanimous support of the 15-member council, requests the secretary-general to ensure that UNDOF has the capacity and resources needed, to fulfil its mandate in a safe and secure manner.
The council called upon the concerned parties to immediately implement its Resolution 338 of Oct 22, 1973. It stressed the obligation of both parties to scrupulously and fully respect the terms of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement, calling on them to exercise maximum restraint and prevent any breaches of the ceasefire and the area of separation, while underlining that UNDOF remains an impartial entity.
The council further called on the parties to provide all necessary support, to allow for the full utilisation of the Quneitra Crossing by UNDOF, in line with established procedures, and to lift COVID-19 related restrictions, as soon as sanitary conditions permit.
It requested UNDOF, within existing capacities and resources, as well as, member states and relevant parties, to take all appropriate steps, to protect the safety, security and health of UNDOF personnel, in line with Resolution 2518, taking into account the impact of COVID-19.
UNDOF was established in May, 1974, following the agreed disengagement of the Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights, that ended the 1973 Yom Kippur War.– NNN-XINHUA
