Damascus (AsiaNews /
Agencies) - Chinese Deputy- Foreign Minister, Zhai Jun, is in Damascus for a two-day visit. He
arrived last night, meeting with his counterpart Faisal Meqdad specifying how
"strengthening cooperation" with Syria, faced with a crisis after 11
months of insurgency, demanding President
Bashar Assad step aside.
Zhai
said that "the sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity
of Syria
must be respected by all parties [in conflict] and the international
community." "China - he
added - hopes that national dialogue and reforms will go forward".
Before
his departure fromBeijing Zhai recalled that his country does not share in
calls for "armed intervention" or a "so-called regime change
obtained by force."
Beijing's position is very similar to that of Russia. On
4 February, China and Russia vetoed a
UN Security Council resolution, which condemned the Assad regime and the
violence of the army against the Syrian people.
Two
days ago, Moscow and Beijing even voted against a resolution
adopted by a large majority of the UN General Assembly because it contained no
condemnation of the widespread violence of the armed opposition.
Next
week a meeting between Western and Arab countries the "Friends of
Syria" will take place in Tunis,
to discuss possible aid to the Syrian resistance (possibly military support). The
Arab League has long called for Assad to relinquish power and suggested a UN
and Arab military force is needed to stop the violence of the regime.
Meanwhile,
opposition activists claimed yesterday that security forces killed at least 40
people. But
these reports are difficult to confirm because there are no independent sources
in the country.