China's Foreign Minister Expresses Worry about Syria
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi has told the new U.N. special envoy for Syria that Beijing is increasingly concerned about the worsening situation in the conflict-ridden Middle Eastern country.
Yang made the comments late Friday during a telephone conversation with Lakhdar Brahimi, according to a statement posted on the ministry's website.
Yang said the situation in Syria was growing more severe by the day, and that China is deeply worried and is closely following the humanitarian situation there, according to the statement.
He also welcomed Brahimi, a former Algerian foreign minister, to his new post and said China supports him in his efforts to realize a political resolution to the crisis, the statement said.
Brahimi succeeded former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan in the post as U.N.-Arab League envoy last month after Annan quit in frustration over what he called a lack of international support for his bid to end the conflict.
Armed resistance groups seeking to oust Syria's President Bashar Assad are locked in intense fighting with his government in Aleppo, Syria's largest city, as well as other parts of the country.
Efforts to end the fighting have proven unsuccessful partly due to differences among U.N. Security Council permanent members.
China, for example, differs with the United States on how to handle the conflict and, along with Russia, has vetoed Security Council resolutions on the issue.
China is generally suspicious of intervention in the internal affairs of other nations. State media last month accused Western powers of hampering international efforts to end the conflict.
The Foreign Ministry statement quoted Yang as saying that political dialogue is the only correct way to solve the Syrian crisis. Yang also called for respecting Syria's sovereignty and people's choice.
The outside world also should not force a solution on the country nor should it carry out military intervention, Yang said.
The statement added Brahimi expressed his views on the situation, saying he attaches importance to China's position and is willing to keep in close contact with Beijing.
Source: Agence France Presse
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