Damascus, Bassam Sabbagh, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, received today Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, accompanied by chief of staff of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), Major General Nirmal Kumar Thapa. The work of UNDOF in the Disengagement Observer Zone, and the facilities provided by the Syrian government in order for the force to fulfill its mandate in accordance with the relevant Security Council resolution were touched upon during the meeting. Sabbagh stressed the need for urgent United Nations action to stop the ongoing Israeli violations against people in the occupied Syrian Golan since 1967, as well as putting an end to the repeated Israeli attacks on Syrian sovereignty and targeting of vital infrastructure and facilities, noting to the importance for the reports and briefings of the peacekeeping mission to include accurate monitoring of these attacks and violations. Lacroix, in turn, presented the objectives of his visit including a review for the work of UNDOF and visiting its sites, in addition to holding meetings with relevant Syrian officials. He thanked the Syrian side for the efforts made and facilitations offered. Source: Syrian Arab News Agency