China urges continued Syria negotiation

BEIJING - China on Monday urged the two warring sides of Syria to support the mediation efforts of UN-Arab League Special Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi, and maintain the momentum of negotiations.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the Geneva negotiations are a continuous process, which requires the Syrian government and opposition to gradually build trust through negotiations and find a solution to their disputes.

"We cannot expect all the problems to be settled by one or two conferences," she added.

The second round of the Geneva II conference ended on Saturday without tangible results, and a third round was reportedly agreed upon though its date has not yet been announced.

During the past two rounds of talks in Geneva, the Syrian government insisted on taking a halt to violence and terrorism as a top priority, while the opposition focused on establishing a transitional governing body with full executive authority and without the presence of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The two sides agreed to negotiate under the framework of the Geneva Communique, adopted in 2012, but distance remained between them in their approach to talks.

"The Syria issue concerns various contradictions and difference, thus is very complicated," Hua told a routine press briefing.

China urged the two sides of Syria to stick to the direction of political solution, work with and support the efforts of special envoy Brahimi, and maintain the momentum of talks, she said.

"In the face of the ongoing turmoil in Syria, the two sides should bear in mind the future and destiny of their country and have a greater sense of urgency," according to Hua.

China also called on the international community to do more to promote the negotiations and create a favorable external environment, the spokeswoman added.