Status of Jerusalem must be resolved through talks: Bosnia

Bosnia said in the United Nations Wednesday that it "does not recognize the annexation of East Jerusalem" and stressed the need to resolve the issue "through negotiations between the parties."

The statement came as Mirsada Colakovic, charge d'affaires and deputy permanent representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United Nations, was speaking at an open Security Council debate on the situation in the Middle East.

"Bosnia and Herzegovina does not recognize the annexation of East Jerusalem and underlines that the status of Jerusalem is a permanent status issue that must be resolved through negotiations between the parties," she said.

"Jerusalem, the Holy City of the three great monotheistic religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam -- should be the symbol of peace, freedom of religious expressions and human rights," she said.

Today, the status of Jerusalem remains one of the core issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem has been repeatedly criticized by the United Nations and related bodies. Placing most foreign embassies in Tel Aviv and none in Jerusalem, the international community does not recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Meanwhile, the senior Bosnian diplomat also showed her understanding of the Israeli concerns about security, saying, " Israel's security concerns, including a complete stop to all violence and arms smuggling into Gaza, must also be addressed."

On the other hand, she said, "Bosnia and Herzegovina condemns the latest attack on the children recreational facility in Gaza."

On June 28, a group of about 25 armed and masked men attacked and set fire to the facility on the beach in Nuseirat that was being used to host the Summer Games, run by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

No one was hurt in the incident, which follows a similar attack on May 23 when a group of 30 armed and masked men attacked and set fire to an UNRWA Summer Games facility that was under construction on the beach in Gaza City.

The Summer Games began on June 12 and will run through Aug. 5, providing 1,200 summer camps for more than 250,000 refugee children across Gaza.

Source: Xinhua