China presses for peace in Somalia

Beijing plans urgent debate on crises in Africa at UN

UNITED NATIONS - China, which this month took over the presidency of the United Nations Security Council, said it plans to hold an open debate on Somalia and other crises in Africa in a week.

Li Baodong, China's permanent representative to the UN, told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday that "we cannot have a piecemeal solution (in Somalia)", adding that "constant attention" is needed on this issue.