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 | Tuesday, April 25, 2000, updated at 10:30(GMT+8) | ||||||||||||
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Jiang Zemin Talks about Kosovo, Taiwan, Greek relationsVisiting Chinese President Jiang Zemin on Friday in Athens urged for consultations in handling world affairs and called for respect of the basic right of every nation in dealing with its internal affairs.Jiang said this when criticizing the NATO war in Yugoslavia's Kosovo province last year at a banquet hosted by Greek President Costis Stephanopoulos. "A warning sent by the war is: international affairs should be handled through consultations among nations, and the basic right of every nation in dealing with its own internal affairs should be respected," he said. The war, launched a year ago by the NATO under the pretext of "humanitarian intervention" by bypassing the UN Security Council, has brought great sufferings to all the ethnic groups in Kosovo, Jiang said. Furthermore, he added, the war, instead of settling the Kosovo issue, has resulted in new humanitarian catastrophes and worsened tensions in the Balkan region. "Regional conflicts should be resolved through peaceful consultations between related parties of the region," Jiang stressed. But, he noted, "hegemonism and power politics frequently use force to imperil regional peace and stability." On the eve of the new millennium, he said, "We are gratified to see the easing of the international situation as a whole, but are also deeply concerned over the serious challenges facing world peace and development." Peace and development are the two key issues of the present world, he noted, adding that only when the five principles of peaceful coexistence, the purpose of the UN Charter and the basic norms of other universally recognized international law are strictly abided by, will peace be safeguarded actually and the common development be realized. The Chinese Government and people are willing to work with the peoples of other countries to bring a peaceful and just as well as prosperous and stable world in the 21st century, Jiang added. Jiang, who arrived in Athens Friday from Turkey for a four-day state visit, also hailed the quick development in China and Greece, and wanted to promote bilateral cooperation in various sectors. In the 28 years after the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Greece, Jiang said, "We have respected each other, treated each other on an equal footing, cooperated for mutual benefit and achieved common development, thus writing a glorious chapter in Chinese-Greek friendship." The Chinese Government attaches importance to developing long-term stable and friendly relations with Greece, and is willing to work together with the Greek side to further expand and deepen cooperation in political, economic and cultural fields, he said. Jiang Zemin said that China is always committed to the peaceful resolving of the Taiwan issue, but the One China principle is the prerequisite of the peaceful reunification of the country. "We would like to exchange views on the relations across the Taiwan Straits and peaceful reunification with all parties, organizations and personnel in Taiwan which support the One China Principle," Jiang said. "However, we will never tolerate any form of the Taiwan independence." Jiang made the remarks during his meeting with Greek Prime Minister Constantinos Simitis on Friday afternoon. Jiang noted that the Chinese government is ``listening to what the new leaders in Taiwan say and observing what they do.'' "Our fundamental principle is that only after the One China Principle is recognized, are the relations across the Taiwan Straits able to advance healthily," he added. He expressed his conviction that as the ``One China, Two Systems'' policy has been successfully adopted in Hong Kong and Macao, the Taiwan issue can be settled at an early date through the implementation of the policy.
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