Beijing calls for political solution to Syrian crisis

UN vote seeks a leadership change in war-torn nation

China on Thursday once again stressed that a political solution is "the only realistic way" to resolve the Syrian issue after the United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution calling for a political transition in Syria.

Analysts said the resolution may not help create favorable conditions for a political settlement of the Syrian crisis, but will lead to more disasters to the country and its people.



"China believes that the future destiny of Syria should be decided by the Syrian people themselves," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said.

The pressing problem is to urge all sides to stop the violence and start a political transition based on the communique of the Geneva foreign ministers' meeting of the Action Group of the Syrian issue, he said.

Any action taken by the international community, including the UN General Assembly, should be conducive to realizing those goals while observing the principles of the UN Charter and basic norms governing international relations, said the spokesman.

China and 11 other countries, including Russia, voted to oppose the draft resolution that the UN General Assembly approved on Wednesday with 59 abstentions.

The US co-sponsored and Arab-backed resolution is not legally binding but can carry moral weight. It welcomes the establishment of the Syrian National Coalition, the main opposition group, "as effective interlocutors needed for a political transition" and strongly condemns Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for escalating use of heavy weapons and "gross violations" of human rights.

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