China urges ceasefire in Syria

BEIJING, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying on Thursday called for an immediate ceasefire for relevant parties in Syria.

Hua made the remarks when asked to comment on the Syrian conflict at a regular press briefing.

Ahmad Jarba, the new head of the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), a primary opposition group in Syria, on Sunday offered a truce for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV reported.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday urged all parties in Syria to stop fighting and maintain peace for the month of Ramadan.

Hua said China welcomes any proposals and efforts that will be conducive to stopping violence and promoting a political settlement in Syria.

China hopes parties concerned will fully implement the June 30, 2012 Action Group Communique and actively respond to calls for a new round of peace talks in Geneva, she said.

The Syrian civil war, which began in March 2011 between the government and opposition groups seeking to oust President Bashar Al-Assad, has already left more than 93,000 people dead. Another 1.7 million people have fled the country.

We Recommend:
A forward thrust in Sino-US relations	New media tells'Chinese foreign affairs story'	Xi, Obama meet for first summit
No tolerance for rogue behavior on dispute	Poverty elimination remains important task	China is victim of hacking attacks