China Says Top Syria Aide to Visit for Talks
China said Monday that a top aide to Syrian President Bashar Assad will visit this week for talks with Chinese leaders, as violence rages in the country.
Bouthaina Shaaban, a "special adviser" to the Syrian president, will visit from Tuesday for talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and other officials, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
China was also considering inviting members of the Syrian opposition to visit soon, it said, but gave no details.
The statement repeated China's calls for an immediate ceasefire and political dialogue to resolve the Syria crisis.
Beijing earlier this month expressed regret over former U.N. chief Kofi Annan's resignation as international envoy for Syria and said it would continue to "work for a political resolution" to the conflict.
China, which along with Moscow has vetoed three U.N. Security Council resolutions on Syria, has said it wanted the United Nations to play an important role in trying to solve the deadly conflict.
China's unwillingness to back further action in Syria may stem from its discomfort with Western military intervention, analysts say.
14 August 2012, 02:38
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This woman is a joke....so passionatly brainwashed by the psyche that devours any sense of logic she may have. How can you work for a backward neranderthal regime only intent on staying in power and never delivering for your poeple I have no idea??? She goes on and on and on and on ad nauseum about how wonderful ASSad is and the whoel regime - wake up woman and smell the roses - you work for a failed boss and state!
