China’s new special envoy to the Middle East, Wang Shejie said Saturday that, in its efforts to push forward with the regional peace agenda, Beijing will increase its cooperation with Lebanon and other countries in the region.
Speaking to reporters after meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Shejie praised the newest United Nations (UN) Security Council resolution giving Iraq a last chance to dismantle its alleged weapons of mass destruction in order to avoid war.
“The latest Security Council resolution … has averted a war, which would have hurt the Iraqi and other people in the region,” the Chinese envoy said, according to the Lebanese Daily Star.
Shejie later met with President Lahoud, during which the Lebanese leader praised China’s decision to dispatch a special envoy to the Middle East.
Moreover, the President expressed appreciation to China “for standing by Lebanon and defending its rights especially during the Israeli occupation” of the South.
The president called for cooperation between Lebanon and China, saying it “would benefit both countries.”
In addition, Lahoud called for implementing UN resolutions concerning the Middle East, which he said were supported by Arab countries and “incorporated in the Arab Peace Initiative, which calls for an Israeli withdrawal from Arab territories in return for full recognition of Israel by Arab states.”
Furthermore, Lahoud informed the Chinese envoy about Beirut’s stance regarding the project to pump water from the Wazzani Springs for thirsty villages in the South. In addition, he described Lebanon’s willingness to allow the United Nations to arbitrate in the dispute with Israel over the water, according to the Star.
For his part, Shejie expressed his country’s solidarity with Lebanon and its support of its independence and sovereignty, and added that China and Lebanon held “similar viewpoints regarding the Middle East peace process,” and called for a peaceful resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict, saying that resorting to military force would only exacerbate the conflict. (Albawaba.com)
