China on Tuesday appeals to Israel and Palestine to stop the
vicious circle of violence so as to pave the way for the resumption
of peace talks.
Visiting Chinese government special envoy on the Middle East, Wang
Shijie, made this appeal in meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister
Silvan Shalom in Jerusalem.
Wang said China always supports solving the Middle East issue
through peaceful talks, and China welcomes and supports the roadmap
for the Middle East peace, which is formulated by the United
States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations.
He
said that China hopes Israel and Palestine can seize this
opportunity and resume peace talks as soon as possible. The urgent
matter for the two sides is to stop the vicious circle of violence,
he added.
The Chinese envoy said China condemns the recent extreme violence
against civilians in the region and understands and respects
Israel's concerns over its security.
China hopes the two sides can solve their differences in a way of
mutual understanding and mutual concessions and in a manner of easy
problems first and difficult once later, the envoy said.
Wang said China also hopes that the peace talks can be resumed
between Israel and Syria, and Israel and Lebanon on the bases of UN
resolutions and the principles of land for peace.
During the meeting, Shalom explained the Israeli stands on the
Israeli and Palestinian conflict. He said Israel appreciates
China's active and constructive role in promoting peace in the
Middle East.
The foreign minister said Israel pays much importance to developing
cooperative relations with China and is making efforts to push the
bilateral relations forward.
Wang arrived in Israel on Sunday for a four-day visit and he is
going to meet Palestinian leaders in Ramallah and Gaza on
Wednesday.
(China Daily May 21, 2003)