China assigns new envoy on Syria crisis

Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Ming will discuss the Syrian crisis with Saudi Arabia and Egypt from March 10 to 14 and then with France from March 14 to 16, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told reporters in a news briefing on Friday.

The Chinese government envoy is due to meet with “responsible people at the Arab League and other countries to push for a just and appropriate resolution” and then have “consultations” in France, Liu added.

The Chinese envoy is also set to discuss Beijing’s recent statement in respect of the ongoing turmoil in Syria, which urged foreign powers not to send humanitarian aid to the volatile region and avoid “interference” in the Syrian affairs.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry called on all relevant parties in the international community not to interfere in Syria’s internal affairs under the garb of humanitarian concerns and stressed its commitment to backing Syria’s sovereignty, independence and unity.

Liu further expressed delight over the visit by UN-Arab League’s envoy Kofi Annan to Syria, saying “China welcomes the UN Arab League envoy Kofi Annan’s mediation efforts to push for a political solution to the Syrian crisis.”

Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March last year. Hundreds of people, including security forces, have been killed in the turmoil.

China has strongly opposed any foreign intervention in Syria and believes the Syrian crisis should be resolved through peaceful dialogue.

On February 4, Beijing and Moscow vetoed a Western-backed anti-Syrian draft resolution at the UN Security Council, which called for the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to resign and hand over power to opposition leaders.

The West and the opposition accuse then Syrian government of killing the protesters. But Damascus blames ”outlaws, saboteurs and armed terrorist groups” for the unrest, insisting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.

AO/HJL

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