Baghdad Summit: Guterres calls for end to war in Gaza, respect for sovereignty of Syria, Lebanon

WAM
17 May 2025, 19:25 GMT+10

BAGHDAD, 17th May, 2025 (WAM) - Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, stressed the need for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the unconditional release of all hostages and the free flow of humanitarian aid ending the blockade, now.

''Nothing justifies the collective punishment of the Palestinian people. We reject the repeated displacement of the Gaza population - and we obviously reject any question of forced displacement outside of Gaza. We must also stay focused on the terrible situation in the occupied West Bank, said Guterres in his remarks at the 34th Arab Summit in Baghdad.

''Only a two-State solution can deliver sustainable peace,'' he stressed.

In Lebanon, he said Security Council resolution 1701 is unequivocal: sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon must be respected, and the Government of Lebanon must have control over all Lebanese territory.
''And I welcome the stated commitment by Lebanese officials to ensure a state monopoly over weapons.''

In Syria, sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity are critical. ''And we must firmly support an inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process, based on the key principles of Security Council resolution 2254 - a process that safeguards the rights and participation of all Syrians regardless of ethnicity and religion, and ensures their protection, he said.

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