China urges Syrian resolution within UN framework

BEIJING - Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei on Monday called for early and proper resolution of the Syrian issue within the framework of the United Nations.

Hong made the comment in response to a framework agreement on resolving the issue of Syrian chemical weapons reached by US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Saturday.

The agreement is to secure and destroy Syria's chemical weapons by mid-2014 and impose UN penalties if the Bashar al-Assad government fails to comply.

Under the agreement, Syria must submit a "comprehensive listing" of its chemical weapons stockpiles within one week, and weapons inspectors must be on the ground in Syria by November.

Hong said China welcomes the signing of the framework agreement and hopes that the agreement will be implemented.

A political resolution is the only realistic way to solve the issues in Syria, he said, adding that this political process should be pushed forward together with the destruction of the chemical weapons.

China calls for an immediate ceasefire in Syria to create conditions for destruction of the chemical weapons and an early convening of the second international conference on Syria in Geneva, according to the spokesman.