Arab News | Syria seeks US-backed security deal with Israel but rejects occupation

DUBAI: Syria wants to pursue a US-backed security agreement with Israel but will not accept the occupation of its territory, Damascus’ UN envoy Ibrahim Olabi said on Thursday, accusing Israel of undermining diplomatic efforts with military incursions and airstrikes.

Olabi told the UN Security Council that Syria had chosen dialogue and mediation to avoid further regional escalation, while Israel had responded with attacks and incursions.

“Israel penetrated our villages, displaced our people, bombed our facilities while we chose to spare the region further suffering,” he said.

“We want to follow diplomatic solutions and a US-sponsored security agreement, as we have demonstrated through actions, not words. However, this in no way means accepting the occupation or relinquishing the rights of our people.”

Olabi said Syria had returned to the international community with a focus on rebuilding state institutions, integrating military forces, combating Daesh and other militant groups, dismantling drug-smuggling networks and strengthening ties with neighboring countries.

But he said Israel’s actions had forced him to focus his address on the threat to Syria’s sovereignty.

He accused Israel of “igniting tensions and unrest” and killing Syrians, while also obstructing international efforts to address the legacy of the former regime’s chemical weapons and nuclear materials.

Olabi said Syria had demonstrated its commitment to diplomacy through its actions and urged the region to seize what he described as a “golden opportunity” to pursue “stability and development, not war and aggression.”

He also described Syria as an “indispensable partner” in securing regional stability, while accusing Israel of posing the greatest threat to security in the region.