Britain: Israel has to withdraw from the Golan

British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook on Thursday said no plan will be completed in the Middle East if the Syrian peace track is ignored.

In a statement distributed to reporters on Thursday on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the Anglo-Arab Association, Cook added that international law calls for Israel to withdraw from the Syrian Golan Heights, from south Lebanon and other occupied Arab lands.

Cook said Britain's position is based on U.N. resolutions calling for Israel's withdrawal from the occupied Arab territories, including the Golan and south Lebanon.

The British minister said Britain's position views the Israeli settlements in the occupied Arab lands as illegal, adding that the British government puts the Middle East peace process on top of its agenda as well as the European Union's agenda during Britain's current presidency of the EU. Cook said the land for peace principle is the best formula to achieve peace in the region.

Cook underlined the European role in the peace process, noting he will start intensive consultations with his EU counterparts next week in order to discuss means of giving the Middle East peace process a push forward. The British minister underlined the importance of Arab-British relations adding that these relations are based on solid grounds due to trade ties and common interests linking the two sides.