China Urges Israelis, Palestinians to Exercise Restraint

China on Friday called on the Israelis and Palestinians to exercise the maximum restraint by stopping all forms of violence and returning to the negotiation table to move forward the peace momentum in the Middle East region.

Taking floor at an open debate of the United Nations Security Council, ambassador Wang Yingfan condemned both the suicide bombings against Israeli civilians and the barbarian Israeli aggression against the Palestinian Authority.

The violent action by a small number of people runs counter to peace aspirations of the Palestinian people while the massive military offensive by Israel against Palestinians is not different from a declaration of war against Palestine as some commentaries put it, said Wang Yingfan, China's permanent representative to the UN.

He called on Israel to immediately cease military action and withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories.

The principle of land for peace and relevant Security Council resolutions should be observed and Palestine and Israel should live side by side in peace, Wang noted.

Wang joined two dozen speakers from council members and Arab countries. The council session was called at the request of the Arab League in response to the worsening situation in the Middle East.

Israeli tanks rolled into the West Bank city of Ramallah early Friday and Israeli soldiers took control of most of the compound of Palestinian leader Yasser Afarat, killing five Palestinians and injuring more than 40 others.

The Israeli incursion came after the Israeli cabinet decided Friday to launch massive military operations against the Palestinians in retaliation for a suicide bombing in the northern Israeli seaside town of Netanya Wednesday, in which 21 people were killed.

A draft resolution put before the council by the Arab League called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Palestinian cities including Ramallah, but it seems that there is little chance for its passage at the session, according to a UN spokesman.

( March 30, 2002)