Talks are under way for release of 21 Filipino UN peacekeepers
Source: Agencies |
March 8, 2013, Friday
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THE Philippine government said yesterday that talks were under way for the release of 21 unarmed Filipino UN peacekeepers who were detained by Syrian rebels in the Golan Heights in the increasingly volatile zone separating Israeli and Syrian troops.
Foreign Affairs Department spokesman Raul Hernandez said the peacekeepers, who were detained on Wednesday, were unharmed and were being treated as "visitors and guests."
Hernandez told reporters in Manila that the UN force commander in the area was negotiating with the leader of the rebel group, whose demands concerned the positioning of Syrian government forces in the area. He said there was no deadline for the negotiations.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino III said earlier yesterday that the UN force commander told him to expect the peacekeepers to be released within 24 hours, with negotiations progressing well. The UN Security Council demanded their immediate and unconditional release.
The capture came a week after the announcement that a member of the peacekeeping force is missing. The force, known as UNDOF, was established a year after the 1973 Mideast war. It monitors the disengagement of Israeli and Syrian forces and maintains a cease-fire.
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967, and Syria wants the land returned in exchange for peace.
Israeli officials have grown increasingly jittery as the Syrian war moves closer to Israel. There have been several instances in which stray fire has landed in the Golan Heights, and Israel is concerned that Syrian weapons could fall into the hands of hostile groups and be used against Israel.
The 21 peacekeepers, including three officers and the rest enlisted personnel, were in a four-vehicle convoy when they were intercepted by Syrian rebels around noon on Wednesday, said Philippine military spokesman Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos.
Burgos said the soldiers were initially blocked by Syrian rebels at a first checkpoint.
"After a round of negotiation, they were allowed to leave and proceed to their destination," he said. "On the second checkpoint, they were again intercepted and were not released."
A video posted online by the rebels showed a group of armed rebels standing around at least three white UN vehicles with the words UNDOF on them, allegedly in the village of Jamlah in Daraa province.
The video accuses the peacekeepers of assisting the Syrian regime to redeploy in an area near the Golan Heights that the rebels seized a few days ago.
Foreign Affairs Department spokesman Raul Hernandez said the peacekeepers, who were detained on Wednesday, were unharmed and were being treated as "visitors and guests."
Hernandez told reporters in Manila that the UN force commander in the area was negotiating with the leader of the rebel group, whose demands concerned the positioning of Syrian government forces in the area. He said there was no deadline for the negotiations.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino III said earlier yesterday that the UN force commander told him to expect the peacekeepers to be released within 24 hours, with negotiations progressing well. The UN Security Council demanded their immediate and unconditional release.
The capture came a week after the announcement that a member of the peacekeeping force is missing. The force, known as UNDOF, was established a year after the 1973 Mideast war. It monitors the disengagement of Israeli and Syrian forces and maintains a cease-fire.
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967, and Syria wants the land returned in exchange for peace.
Israeli officials have grown increasingly jittery as the Syrian war moves closer to Israel. There have been several instances in which stray fire has landed in the Golan Heights, and Israel is concerned that Syrian weapons could fall into the hands of hostile groups and be used against Israel.
The 21 peacekeepers, including three officers and the rest enlisted personnel, were in a four-vehicle convoy when they were intercepted by Syrian rebels around noon on Wednesday, said Philippine military spokesman Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos.
Burgos said the soldiers were initially blocked by Syrian rebels at a first checkpoint.
"After a round of negotiation, they were allowed to leave and proceed to their destination," he said. "On the second checkpoint, they were again intercepted and were not released."
A video posted online by the rebels showed a group of armed rebels standing around at least three white UN vehicles with the words UNDOF on them, allegedly in the village of Jamlah in Daraa province.
The video accuses the peacekeepers of assisting the Syrian regime to redeploy in an area near the Golan Heights that the rebels seized a few days ago.
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