"We believe that the Palestine Authority is the indispensable and legitimate party to any peaceful future and its important role should be completely safeguarded," said Shen Guofang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, when speaking at an open UN Security Council debate on the current situation in the Middle East.
The open debate was held at the request of the Arab nations in the United Nations against the backdrop of the worsened situation in the Middle East.
China backs President Arafat and his Palestine Authority's pursuit of peace through negotiation, Shen said, adding that Arafat has for many years made great contributions to the restoration of the legitimate rights of the Palestinians and the promotion of the Middle East peace process.
Meanwhile, Shen reiterated the stance of China on the Middle East conflict. "We strongly condemn the present series of violent attacks on the civilians. The retaliation by Israel through military means does not help alleviate the conflict," he said.
"Such events repeatedly taking place between Israel and Palestine prove the futility of a policy of an eye for an eye," he said. "They can only lead to even more violence and further escalation, harming civilians on both sides."
"We call on the two sides to stay calm in handling the serious situation, bringing an end to the cycle of revenge and counter- revenge and settling their dispute through negotiation," he said.
"The only way to solve the question of the Middle East is a cessation of the Israeli military occupation of the Palestine territory on the basis of the principle of the land for peace, the implementation of all peace agreements, and the full restoration of all the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to an independent state," he said.
Under the current situation, the international community should attach great importance to the tensions between Palestinians and Israelis, and the UN Security Council, which has the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, should make prompt response to the dangerous development in the Middle East situation, he said.
Israeli troops reoccupied the West Bank area and conducted air raids on Palestinian security targets in Gaza as part of a wave of reprisals for recent Palestinian attacks on Israelis.
( December 17, 2001)
