China state news agency says still hope for Syrian peace

BEIJING, (Feb 19 )- There is still hope that the Syrian crisis can be resolved peacefully through talks, as any armed intervention will only spread turmoil through the region, China's official Xinhua news agency said on Sunday after a Chinese envoy visited Syria.

China and Russia infuriated Western and Arab states this month by blocking a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that backed an Arab plan urging Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to quit amid his government's violent crackdown on opposition protests.

Stung by the criticism, China has since sent envoys to the region to seek a diplomatic solution, including Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun, who met Assad in Damascus on Saturday and backed his plans for a referendum and multi-party elections.

"China believes, as many others do, there is still hope the Syria crisis can be resolved through peaceful dialogue between the opposition and the government, contrary to some Western countries' argument that time is running out for talks in Syria," Xinhua said in an English-language commentary.

"Among Syria's assorted opposition groups, some have voiced a willingness to hold dialogue with the Syrian government and also warned those seeking outside intervention against becoming a tool of the West," it added.

"However, their calls for peaceful inter-Syrian dialogue have been largely ignored, intentionally or unintentionally, in Western media reports, which convey the wrong impression that there is an overwhelming consensus among different factions of the opposition forces that they want foreign intervention in their country."

Assad announced his plan on Wednesday for a referendum on a new constitution on February 26 followed by a multi-party election. The Syrian opposition and the West dismissed it as sham.

China and Russia have been Assad's most important international defenders during the crackdown which has killed several thousand people and divided world powers. The United Nations, the United States, Europe, Turkey and Arab powers want Assad to step down and have condemned the repression.

Zhai also met opposition groups while he was in Syria.

"GEOPOLITICAL CONSIDERATIONS"

Underscoring the challenge such peace calls from China face, Syrian security forces fired on a huge protest against Assad in Damascus, opposition activists said, shortly after Zhai has appealed for a halt to 11 months of violence.

Xinhua said foreign intervention in Syria would not work.

"Previous cases show that blatant external intervention has provided few episodes of peace and prosperity, as promised by the West. Blood is still being shed in Iraq, Somalia and Afghanistan, where foreign forces have intervened and come to 'help'."

The West was "driven less by their self-proclaimed 'lofty goal' of liberalizing the Syrian people than by geopolitical considerations", Xinhua said.

Such commentaries by the state-run news agency can be considered a reflection of government thinking.

Similar pieces over the past few days in the Communist Party mouthpiece the People's Daily have likewise warned against armed intervention, forced regime change or sanctions.

On Thursday, the People's Daily warned that meddling in Syria by foreign powers risked stirring up a hornets' nest of bloodshed and instability in the Middle East which could shock markets and derail the weak global economy.