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Any recognition of Israel's sovereignty over Syrian Golan illegal -- Aboul-Gheit

CAIRO, March 21 (KUNA) -- Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmad Aboul-Gheit affirmed on Thursday the Golan Heights is an occupied Syrian territory and any recognition of Israel's sovereignty over it is illegal and does not entail rights and obligations.
Aboul-Gheit added in a remark that "the American administration's statement paving the way for a US official recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan runs completely counter to the international law.
He added that no country has the right to take such a position.
He emphasized that the Golan Heights is an occupied Syrian territory in the international law, and the resolutions of the United Nations and the Security Council as well as the international community.
Time passing does not legitimize the Israeli occupation or make it acceptable internationally, he said.
Security Council resolution 497 (1981) unanimously adopted affirmed unequivocally the non-recognition of Israel's annexation of Syria's Golan Heights, he said.
The league's chief called on Israel to rescind the Golan Heights' annexation law.
The league is standing strongly behind the Syrian legitimate rights concerning the Golan Heights, he noted.
Aboul-Gheit pointed out that any US recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights would lead to a serious reaction to the American position on the Arab-Israeli conflict in general, mainly after enormous setbacks made by the US administration in the Palestinian cause.
He stressed that the league followed up, with great annoyance, the Israeli efforts over the recent period to obtain the American recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the occupied Golan.
He stated that Israel, in this regard, exploited the troubled situation experienced by Syria to make gains at the expense of others. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said Thursday that it is time for the US to "fully recognize" Israel's Sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
In a tweet, Trump stressed "after 52 years it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel's Sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is of critical strategic and security importance to the State of Israel and Regional Stability". (end) msh.mfm.hm