China defends decision to join Russia in Syria resolution veto

PanARMENIAN.Net - China on Monday, February 6 defended its decision to join Russia in vetoing a UN Security Council resolution on Syria, a move that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called a “travesty.”

“China does not accept these accusations,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said of the international criticism. “We believe China's relevant position is in the fundamental interests of Syria and its people. Our goal is to let the Syrian people be free of warfare, rather than complicating the issue,” he said.

A commentary in People's Daily, the official newspaper of the ruling Communist Party, said China had acted “responsibly” by using its right of veto as a permanent member of the Security Council. The situation in Syria was “extremely complex,” it said, adding that support for one side in the current conflict could “sow fresh seeds of disaster.”

“China does not shelter anyone, nor do we intentionally oppose anyone,” Liu said. “We uphold justice on the Syrian issue.”

The English-language China Daily newspaper quoted experts as saying the veto by China and Russia would “win more time for a political solution to the crisis.”

“If the draft resolution was passed by the UN and President Assad refuses to transfer power, Syria would become a second Libya within two months,” it quoted Dong Manyuan of the China Institute of International Studies as saying, M&C reported citing DPA.

Li Baodong, China's ambassador to the United Nations said China believed that “sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria should be fully respected.”

Clinton on Sunday said that United States would press for further sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, warning that continued repression could “escalate into a brutal civil war.”