China urges talks over Syria violence

Foreign Ministry reaffirms nation's role as positive force to situation

China urged on Friday all parties in Syria to stop all forms of violence and to start a political dialogue as quickly as possible.

"The International community should encourage the parties in Syria to carry out the dialogue, instead of encouraging them to continue the conflict," said Liu Zhenmin, permanent representative of the Permanent Mission to the United Nations Office at Geneva and Other International Organizations in Switzerland.

Speaking at the special session on Syria of the Human Rights Council, Liu said China condemns in the strongest terms the killings of civilians, including children and women in Houla and supports a comprehensive investigation into the incident.

He urged the Syrian government and opposition groups to fully implement the six-point plan proposed by UN-Arab League joint envoy Kofi Annan and related resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.

Liu also called for the international community to continue to support the UN Supervision Mission in Syria and reiterated China's opposition to armed intervention or forcing a so-called "regime change" in Syria.

China said on Friday that it is not acting as an "obstacle" to resolving the Syrian crisis, but is instead a "positive force" in promoting a political resolution to the issue.

"Syria has avoided a full-scale war because of the efforts of the international community, including China, which have brought forth new opportunities for a political solution to the crisis," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin at a news conference.

Liu reiterated that China has been committed to safeguarding the purpose and principles of the UN Charter and the basic norms governing international relations, as well as maintaining peace and stability in the Middle East and standing up for the fundamental interests of the Syrian people.

His remarks were made when asked to comment on the statements on Thursday by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who claimed that Russia and China stand in the way of an international coalition against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"The Russians keep telling us they want to do everything they can to avoid a civil war, because they believe that the violence would be catastrophic," she said.

Clinton added that she wants to have the support of Russia and China before the US and other nations engage in what could become a protracted conflict in support of a disorganized rebel force.

AP and Cui Haipei contributed to this story.