Chinese envoy set to embark on peace-making Middle East visit

The Palestine-Israel conflict continues to escalate and "the prospect of further spillover is a matter of deep concern", Zhai Jun, Chinese government's special envoy on the Middle East affairs, said on Sunday.

Speaking on the prospects of the Palestine-Israel conflict and the efforts China will make to cool down the situation and advance peace and talks, Zhai noted that he will visit the Middle East next week to coordinate with various parties to promote peace talks.

"Then next week I will visit some of the countries concerned in the Middle East to further strengthen coordination from all sides," he said.

"The direction of our work is to seek ceasefire, protect civilians, de-escalate the situation and promote peace talks," he added.

Zhai pointed out that the Palestine-Israel conflict is now expanding at an accelerated pace.

Armed clashes have also taken place on the borders of Israel and Lebanon, and those between Israel and Syria, and the conflict's spillover effects on the region and the international community are spreading, he warned.

He said the international community "must be highly vigilant in this regard and, based on the principle of objectivity and impartiality, make joint efforts to control the situation and avoid it getting out of control".

Zhai emphasized that the United Nations "has an irreplaceable and important role" in the Palestine question.

"The UN is the most authoritative international body, and the UN, especially its Security Council, shoulders the responsibility for maintaining world peace and security," he said.

The diplomat noted that the basis for the settlement of the Palestinian question should not exclude the relevant resolutions adopted by the UN over the past 70 years.

"As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China will, as always, support the UN in taking the lead in carrying out mediation, providing humanitarian assistance and pushing for the situation to cool down as soon as possible," he said.

Beijing has always believed that the use of force is never a solution to problems, and that responding to violence with more violence will only lead to a vicious circle of revenge and create more obstacles to a political solution, Zhai noted.

"The only way to create necessary conditions for a political solution is to stop the violence with a ceasefire as soon as possible and push for the situation to cool down," he said.

"The international community must take immediate action, urge all parties concerned to strictly abide by international humanitarian law, open humanitarian relief channels as soon as possible, and make every effort to avoid a serious humanitarian disaster," he said.

Speaking of the root cause of the Palestinian question, Zhai pointed out that the root cause lies in the fact that Palestine's long-cherished dream of building an independent state has yet been realized over the recent decades.

"Therefore the way out lies in the founding of an independent State of Palestine, that is, the implementation of the 'two-state solution' and the realization of the peaceful coexistence of the two countries -- Palestine and Israel," he said.

"Since the beginning of this Palestine-Israel conflict, China has been communicating and coordinating with the parties concerned, working to promote a ceasefire and stop the violence, condemn the acts of harming civilians, call for the avoiding a humanitarian disaster, and also look forward to the resumption of the Middle East peace process," he said.

When asked about the safety of Chinese citizens amid the Palestine-Israel conflict, Zhai said, "Our Foreign Ministry activated the emergency mechanism for consular protection immediately after the outbreak of the conflict, and has been coordinating the work of security protection for Chinese citizens in Palestine and Israel."

Four Chinese compatriots have been killed, the six injured are being treated in local hospitals, and two are still missing, he said.

"We are pressing ahead with the treatment of the injured, urging the foreign parties involved to make every effort to search for and rescue the missing individuals, and also handling the matters related to the victims," he said.

"We will continue to carefully study the security situation in Palestine and Israel, closely track the air, land routes and security conditions, and do our best to provide counseling and assistance," Zhai said.

zhangyunbi@chinadaily.com.cn