An international conference on Iraq ended Tuesday with the adoption of a 14-point communiqué that called for international support for a democratic Iraq.
China's permanent representative to the United Nations Wang Guangya attended the meeting and delivered a speech on behalf of the Chinese government Tuesday.
In his speech, Wang said that the Iraqi people should determine Iraq's future and that the independence, sovereignty, national unity and territorial integrity of the country should be observed. The security problems in Iraq demand a comprehensive political solution and improvement of the situation should fall within the framework of the development of the political process in the country.
The Chinese government hopes the upcoming elections in Iraq, which should be just, democratic and transparent, will lead to the formation of a transitional government that represents the majority of the Iraqi people and possesses due authority.
Wang stressed that China believes the Iraq issue should be solved within the UN framework and China hopes the United Nations can have an important role in Iraq's reconstruction.
He said China also hopes Iraq will develop friendly and cooperative relations with its neighbors. The international community should consider the views of Iraq's neighboring countries and the Arab nations to allow them to play a positive role in solving the Iraq problem.
Wang said the Chinese people will always be trustworthy friends of the Iraqi people, noting that the two countries have enjoyed friendly relations for an extended period.
He announced that China will donate supplies worth US$1 million to help Iraq carry out the elections. China is also willing to help train Iraqi diplomats and professionals in the fields of economics and energy.
Wang arrived in the Egyptian Red Sea resort on Monday afternoon and headed directly into a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit, during which he delivered a letter from Chinese President Hu Jintao to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Wang has also been engaged in a string of bilateral meetings with other delegates to the international conference, including German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Javier Solana, European Union Council secretary-general and high representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy.
The Iraq gathering, hosted by Egypt, brought together representatives of over 20 countries and regional and international organizations, including Iraq's neighboring countries, the G-8, China, the United Nations and the European Union.
(Xinhua News Agency November 24, 2004)
