Israel served notice today that it will make no concessions to retain the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) on the Golan Heights when its mandate expires May 31 and made it clear that it considers UNDOF’s continued presence “an inseparable part of the disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria” signed in 1974.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman said “Israel certainly will not initiate removal of the force but it will not agree to making renewal dependent on Israeli concessions or international commitments to the Syrians at Israel’s expense.” He said “The presence of the UN observer force on the Golan Heights is an inseparable part of the disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria. No blackmail efforts will force Israel to make any commitments in advance.”
The spokesman was apparently referring to the situation of last Nov. 30 when Syria agreed to a six-month extension of UNDOF only after the UN Security Council acceded to Damascus’ demand to hold a special debate on the Middle East with the participation of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
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