China strongly condemns the terrorist bombing in the Chechen capital of Grozny, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao in Beijing Monday.  

Liu made the remark in a statement on the Sunday blast at a stadium of Grozny, which killed Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov along with several other leaders, and caused numerous civilian casualties.

The Chinese government opposes any form of terrorism and firmly supports the Russian government's action to fight terrorism and maintain the country's stability. It is also willing to make unremitting efforts, together with the international community including Russia, to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism, said the statement.

Chinese President Hu Jintao sent a letter of condolence to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin earlier in the day, expressing his condolences over the deaths and sincere sympathy for their relatives and the injured.

Turning to the Iraq issue, Liu said the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US and British military personnel is astonishing, and China condemns such action that violates international conventions.

Liu said that thorough investigation should be carried out and those held responsible should be prosecuted according to law.

The United States and Britain should adhere to the Geneva Conventions and other international conventions, and protect the basic human rights of Iraqi prisoners, Liu said.

In another development, the spokesman firmly opposes the practice of a few countries, including the Solomon Islands, to move any Taiwan-related motion to the World Health Organization (WHO) conference.

Commenting on the recent request by Solomon Islands and a few other countries to invite Taiwan to attend the WHO conference as an observer, Liu said it lacks any legal foundation to move any motion concerning Taiwan at the WHO conference, and the Chinese government firmly opposes such move.

Liu said the WHO is a specialized agency of the United Nations and only sovereign states are eligible to apply for membership. The WHO conference is the WHO's supreme power organization.

According to WHO's rules and regulations, Taiwan, as a part of China, is not eligible to participate in the WHO or attend the WHO conference as an observer, Liu said.

He said that the Chinese central government has been always concerned over the well-being and the right of health of the Taiwan people, and has promoted the exchanges on health across the straits to help Taiwan acquire the relevant information.

Liu noted that with the permission of the Chinese central government, experts from the WHO have been to Taiwan several times to learn about the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and other epidemics there, and the Taiwan experts have also participated in the WHO special meetings on SARS and cancer.

Facts show that Taiwan has a smooth channel to get health information, he said, adding that the Chinese central government had expressed welcome for Taiwan health experts to join the Chinese delegation to present at the WHO conference, but it is a pity that the Taiwan authorities had no response.

This demonstrates that the real purpose of the Taiwan authorities is to use the health issue to create "two Chinas", and "one China, one Taiwan" within the WHO to achieve its attempt at the "Taiwan Independence", which can not succeed, Liu said.

The first working group meeting of the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue will begin in Beijing on May 12 as scheduled, sources with the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Monday.

The meeting will be participated in by the six parties, namely, China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Russia and Japan.

Diplomats of concerned parties in Beijing said the Japanese and ROK delegations have already arrived here, and the delegations from the United States and the DPRK will arrive here late Monday and Tuesday respectively. The time of Russian delegation's arrival is not confirmed yet.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said recently that all related sides regard this meeting as one important step for resolving the issue, and all sides will have in-depth exchange of views on various topics.

Kong said that the conclusion of the meeting will depend on the process of the meeting.

Ning Fukui, Chinese ambassador on Korean Peninsula affairs, will act as the representative of the Chinese side to attend the meeting, Kong said, noting that China, as the host country, hopes that all sides will work cooperatively to make good preparation for the third-round of the six-party talks.

During the second round of the six-party talks from Feb. 25 to 28 in Beijing, all concerned parties agreed to form a working group to prepare for the third-round of the talks, which is expected to be held before the end of June.

(Xinhua News Agency May 11, 2004)