US Golan move critical regional problem: Iraqi speaker

By Umar Farooq

WASHINGTON (AA) - Iraq’s Speaker of the Council of Representatives said Friday the U.S. decision on the Golan Heights will be a critical problem in the future of the region.

Mohammed al-Halbousi said conflicts can have regional impacts and he focused on the U.S. decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights.

"Regional conflicts will increase day by day, and it is very important that the right people in the region and the world to act and in order to create an opportunity for dialogue between all conflicting parties," al-Halbousi said in a speech at the United States Institute of Peace.

"One of the first problems that will play a critical role in the next stage is the Palestinian cause and the increasing tensions following the United States' signed announcement to recognize the sovereignty of the Israeli entity over the Golan Heights," he added.

He said Iraq abides by UN resolutions on the Golan, and said the world must work toward resolving this problem in a "reasonable and practical way."

Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War.

It continues to occupy roughly two-thirds of the wider area as a de facto result of the conflict. It moved to formally annex the territory in 1981 -- an action unanimously rejected at the time by the UN Security Council, which called on Israel to rescind its decision.

On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a presidential proclamation officially recognizing Golan Heights as Israeli territory.