PRESS RELEASE
China Envoy to Syria Foresees a Political Settlement Soon
Sept. 25, 2017 (EIRNS)—Following a meeting in Beijing with Egypt’s Assistant Foreign Minister for Arab Affairs Tarek Al-Kouni, China’s special envoy for Syria, Xie Xiaoyan, said he feels confident that the situation in Syria is headed for a political settlement, Xinhua reported.
"We’ve noticed some countries have adjusted their positions on the Syrian issue," he said. "I think this presents a good opportunity...to push forward the political settlement." The Chinese envoy also reported that he discussed the Syrian situation with Egyptian officials, in order to coordinate the push toward this outcome.
It was Xie’s evaluation that the creation of de-escalation zones reflected the international community’s desire that all parties to the Syrian conflict try to resolve their differences. But, he cautioned, these zones should only be considered temporary, and cannot pose a threat to Syria’s territorial integrity.
"The independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria must be respected and protected," Xie underscored.
The Chinese envoy was emphatic on the need to defeat terrorism, such that it can never regroup, as it is "the common enemy of the world." He stressed that not only the symptoms of terrorism must be tackled, but also its root causes. Egypt, he said, has been playing an important role in helping to resolve the Syrian crisis, and China wishes to continue coordinating with the el-Sisi government on this and other matters.
Along similar lines, Syria’s ambassador to China, Imad Moustapha, told Sputnik he’s confident that, by the end of October, the Assad government will regain full control of the country’s oil and gas fields. He reported that the government is already developing projects for post-war reconstruction, including such top priorities as energy infrastructure and housing. Over the past two months, he said, the government has recaptured most major oil fields, and he anticipated that by late October, it will regain control of 100 percent of them.
