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China proposes Syrian cease-fire plan
China said Thursday it has proposed a new plan for a Syrian cease-fire involving a phased-in regional approach and a transitional governing body.
China laid out its plan when Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met with United Nations-Arab League Syrian envoy Lakhdar Brahimi on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters that under the "new proposal there are constructive new suggestions such as a ceasefire region by region and phase by phase, and establishing a transitional governing body.”
Along with Russia, China has blocked U.S.-backed proposals in the United Nations Security Council that would have taken stronger measures against Syrian President Bashar Assad.
The Syrian conflict has dragged on for more than 18 months, with a death toll topping 30,000 as Syrian rebels fight Assad’s forces.
Brahimi attempted to broker a temporary cease-fire during the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha last week, but that did little to stem the violence.
Hong said that China wanted the world to act with greater urgency to support Brahimi’s efforts to stop the violence, according to Reuters.
“More and more countries have come to realize that a military option offers no way out, and a political settlement has become an increasingly shared aspiration," Hong said.
“China's new proposal is aimed at building international consensus and supporting Brahimi's mediation efforts ... and push forward for relevant parties in Syria to realize an early ceasefire and end of violence, and launch a political transition process led by the Syrian people at an early date," he said.
