Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said Thursday that China has decided to cut debts from Iraq and will reopen the Chinese embassy in that country.

To support Iraq's post-war reconstruction, China has decided to remit a large amount of the debts owed to China by the Middle East nation out of humanitarian concerns, Zhang said at a regular news conference in Beijing.

She noted the concrete amount to be reduced is now being calculated and studied by the two sides.

As a developing country, China fully understands difficulties of the reconstruction and the humanitarian situation in Iraq, she explained, expressing the hope that the Iraqi people can quickly step on the road of stable and peaceful development.

According to the spokeswoman, under the escort of Chinese armed police dispatched from home, a group of Chinese diplomats will leave for Baghdad on February 15 to make preparations for the reopening of the Chinese Embassy. The group will be headed by Chinese interim Charged' Affairs to Iraq Sun Bigan, and is composed of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce.

Zhang said that upon their arrival in Iraq, these diplomats will keep wide contact with officials from the temporary Governing Council of Iraq, the US-led coalition and the United Nations, so as to make further preparations for the reopening of the Chinese Embassy in Iraq.

China has traditional friendly relations with Iraq, and holds very positive attitude on Iraq's quick restoration of stability and peace. With the efforts of this group of diplomats, China will further develop the traditional friendship with the Iraqi people and maintain its rights and interests in Iraq.

These diplomats will also assist Chinese people in Iraq in the country's reconstruction work, she said.

Sun, who was former Chinese Ambassador to Iraq, and his staff are temporarily in Jordan.

When asked to comment on the Iraq war since the weapons of mass-destruction have not yet been found in Iraq, the spokeswoman said China's stance on the Iraq issue remains unchanged and China maintains that international conflicts should not be addressed through military forces.

She stressed China has stated its stance on the Iraq issue even before the Iraq war and such a stance has remained unchanged.

Despite of the complicated international situation, international issues should be resolved peacefully by political means, she added.

Also at yesterday's briefing, the spokeswoman said China, as the rotating president of the United Nations Security Council in February, will strive for positive progress in solving some major issues of the world.

In this process, China will keep close contact with members of the United Nations and the UN Secretariat for joint efforts on the principle of "being pragmatic, efficient, fair and transparent," so as to maintain the role and authority of the United Nations, Zhang said.

The UN council would hold consultations on issues concerning Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, East Timor, Kosovo and the Middle East in February, Zhang said.

The 15-member council will also closely track events in Iraq, according to Council President Wang Guangya of China.

Turning to Indian-Pak relations, the spokeswoman said China welcomes the recent announcement by India and Pakistan to start the composite dialogue.

As a common neighbor and friend of both India and Pakistan, China is willing to witness further relief of the Indian-Pakistani ties, Zhang said.

Zhang said China hoped the two sides would maintain this good momentum and solve all disputes through dialogue, so as to push forward the all-around development of bilateral relations.

This was beneficial not only to South Asian countries including India and Pakistan, but also to Asia and the world at large, Zhang added.

Pakistani Foreign Office spokesman Masood Khan said on Jan. 27 at a weekly press briefing that the two nations will start the composite dialogue in Islamabad from Feb. 16 to Feb. 18.

In January this year on the sidelines of the 12th Summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee held a meeting and decided to open dialogue in February for peaceful settlement of all outstanding bilateral issues, including Kashmir.

(Sources including Xinhua News Agency and China Daily, February 6, 2004)