Posts tagged ‘Syria’

14/08/2012

* Syria crisis: China hosts Assad aide Bouthaina Shaaban

BBC News: “A senior aide to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has flown to China for talks on the crisis, officials say.

The Chinese foreign ministry said Bouthaina Shaaban would meet Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi later.

The ministry said it was part of its effort to implement the UN’s six-point peace plan. China has twice vetoed UN resolutions against the Assad regime.

Meanwhile, UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos has arrived in Syria to assess the flow of emergency aid.

She is expected to ask for more visas for foreign aid workers as the Syrian Arab Red Crescent struggles to distribute food.

The UN says an estimated two million Syrian civilians have now been affected by the crisis and more than one million have fled their homes.

Tens of thousands of people have fled across Syria’s borders into Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq amid continuing violence across the country.

In another development, foreign ministers of the Islamic Co-operation Organisation (OIC) have called for Syria to be suspended from the 57-nation bloc at an emergency two-day summit in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, which starts on Tuesday.

Only ministers from Algeria and Iran, which is regarded as Syria’s closest ally, were against the recommendation, reports say.

“We certainly do not agree with the suspension of any OIC member,” Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said after a preliminary meeting in the city of Jeddah on Monday.

“We have to look for other ways, means and mechanisms for resolving conflicts and crises,” he said.”

via BBC News – Syria crisis: China hosts Assad aide Bouthaina Shaaban.

Despite the deteriorating situation in Syria, China resolutely sticks to its principle of non-military intervention and its position of not supporting any regime change.

13/07/2012

* China condemns new massacre in Syria

Xinhua: “China on Friday strongly condemned the massacre in Syria’s Hama region on Thursday, which caused the death of more than 200 Syrians, mostly civilians.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin made the remarks at a regular press briefing when asked to comment on the massacre.

Syria’s state TV said Thursday that armed groups committed a massacre in al-Traimseh of central Hama province in order to frame Syrian troops, as activists alleged that at least 200 people had been killed in the town.

“China has always strongly denounced actions that harm innocent civilians,” said Liu, calling on concerned Syrian parties to take concrete measures and fulfill their commitment to cease violence as soon as possible.

Ministers attending the Action Group meeting on Syria that concluded in Geneva on June 30 agreed to establish principles and guidelines to usher the way for a Syrian-led transition.

A joint communique issued after the meeting said that the global community wished to see “an end to the violence and human rights abuses” and that the Syrian people had the right to “independently and democratically determine their own future.””

via China condemns new massacre in Syria – Xinhua | English.news.cn.

China is gradually taking a hard line and moving towards a Western position and away from the Russian one.

27/04/2012

* US Is Seeing Positive Signs From Chinese

New York Tines: “When China suddenly began cutting back its purchases of oil from Iran in the last month,  officials in the Obama administration were guardedly optimistic, seeing the move as  the latest in a string of encouraging signs from Beijing on sensitive security issues  like Syria and North Korea, as well as on politically fraught economic issues like China’s exchange rate.

As with so many signals from Beijing, though, its underlying motives for reducing its imports of Iranian oil remain a mystery: Are the Chinese embracing Western sanctions? Or, as some experts suspect, are they trying to extract a better price from one of their main suppliers of crude? The answer is probably a bit of both, according to senior administration officials who acknowledge that they do not know for certain. But for the White House, which has labored to build a more constructive relationship with China, Beijing’s motives may matter less than the general direction in which it appears to be moving.”

via U.S. Is Seeing Positive Signs From Chinese – NYTimes.com.

29/03/2012

* BRICS flexing muscle – to set up joint bank, call for dialogue on Iran & Syria

Times of India: “Seeking to reinforce their growing economic heft with diplomatic clout, the BRICS grouping Thursday pitched for a bigger say in global governance institutions, including the UN and the IMF, and told the West that dialogue was the only way to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue and the Syria crisis.

Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, which comprise nearly half the world’s population and a growing share of global GDP, signed two pacts to spur trade in their local currencies. They also agreed to set up a working group for a joint development bank to promote mutual investment in infrastructure.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India and Presidents Hu Jintao China, Dmitry Medvedev Russia, Dilma Rousseff Brazil and Jacob Zuma South Africa ended the fourth BRICS summit by renewing the pitch for reforming global governance institutions and closer coordination on global issues.The five leaders stressed on the restructuring of the world order to accommodate emerging economies and developing countries and for promoting sustained and balanced global economic growth.”

via BRICS to set up joint bank, call for dialogue on Iran & Syria – The Times of India.

21/03/2012

* UN unites on Syria – including China and Russia

President Bashar al-Assad of Syria . Original ...

President Bashar al-Assad of Syria . Original background. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Reuters: “The UN Security Council, including Russia and China, threw its weight on Wednesday behind

Mr. Kofi Annan, former General Secratery of th...

In a statement approved by all its 15 members, the council threatened Syria with unspecified “further steps” if it failed to comply with Annans peace plan, which calls for a ceasefire and demands swift access for aid agencies.

Although the original statement was diluted at Russias demand, editing out any specific ultimatums, the fact that all world powers signed up to the proposal dealt a serious blow to President Bashar al-Assad as he battles a popular uprising.

via U.N. unites on Syria, sanctions set for Assads wife | Reuters.

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