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UN Security Council extends mandate of peacekeeping mission in Golan Heights

27 June 2013 23:11 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The UN Security Council on Thursday extended the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights for another six months and called on all parties to cooperate fully with the mission, which has faced numerous threats to its safety in recent months, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

In a unanimously adopted resolution, the Security Council decided to renew the mandate of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), which monitors the 1974 disengagement accord between Syria and Israel after their 1973 war, until December 31, 2013.

Since early March, UNDOF peacekeepers have twice been captured in the Golan Heights area and held for brief periods by armed groups of the Syrian opposition, as a result of the spill-over from the ongoing crisis in Syria.

Austria, which has been a cornerstone of UNDOF, announced on June 6 it would withdraw its peacekeepers because of deteriorating security.

In the resolution, the Council strongly condemned the incidents threatening the safety and security of UN personnel in recent months and urged all parties to the Syrian conflict to "exercise maximum restraint and prevent any breaches of the ceasefire and the area of separation."

The resolution underscored that there should be no military activity of any kind in the area of separation, including military operations by the Syrian armed forces. At the same time, it underlined that "there should be no military activity of the armed opposition groups in the area of separation."

The Council called on "all parties to cooperate fully with the operations of UNDOF, to respect its privileges and immunities and to ensure its freedom of movement, as well as the security of and unhindered and immediate access for the United Nations personnel carrying out their mandate," said the resolution.

In addition, the 15-nation body stressed the need to enhance the safety and security of UNDOF and endorsed UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's recommendation to beef up the force strength and improve its self-defense equipment.

In a 10-page report sent to the Security Council on June 12, Ban not only recommended UNDOF be extended to the end of the year but to bring its strength to 1,250 personnel. Currently, there are 911 peacekeepers from Austria, Fiji, India and the Philippines on duty.