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China 'supports humanitarian aid for Syria' Syria unrest: 'Humanitarian' vote pressed at UN
(about 4 hours later)
China backs international efforts to send humanitarian aid to Syria, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi has said. A new resolution is being drawn up at the United Nations to focus on humanitarian aid for Syria, in the hope both China and Russia, which have opposed previous votes, will back it.
He was speaking to the head of the Arab League, Nabil Elaraby, over the phone. Although diplomats said the move was in the early stage, China indicated some support, saying conditions should be created to provide humanitarian aid.
Mr Yang said China was willing to work with the Arab nations for ''a peaceful and proper settlement of the Syria issue'', the official Xinhua news agency reported. A UN meeting on Tuesday was told more than 7,500 had died in Syrian unrest.
The comments came after France said the UN Security Council would work on a draft resolution on aid for Syria. Syrian forces continued to pound the city of Homs and other areas.
The United States has drafted an outline for a new resolution seeking access for humanitarian aid workers and an end to violence, United Nations envoys said on Tuesday. Three journalists, Edith Bouvier, William Daniels and Javier Espinosa, are still believed to be trapped in Homs.
The Chinese state media report on Wednesday did not mention the announcement made in Paris. Sunday Times photographer Paul Conroy was smuggled out to Lebanon on Tuesday in an operation that left 13 Syrian opposition activists dead.
It said Mr Yang spoke to Mr Elaraby on Tuesday and had also had conversations with counterparts in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Algeria early this week. 'Political dialogue'
The US and France are working on a new draft UN Security Council seeking access for humanitarian aid workers and an end to violence.
One diplomat told Reuters news agency: "There is a text, though it's not a formal draft resolution yet. It's been drafted by the Americans. It hasn't gone to the full council, just to a small circle of like-minded countries."
Another diplomat told Agence France-Presse: "This resolution will concentrate on humanitarian access to the cities, but it will indicate that the government is the cause of the crisis."
The aim is to make it hard for Russia and China to use their veto. They have blocked two earlier resolutions.
China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi indicated his country was in favour of creating the conditions for aid to be sent.
Speaking to the head of the Arab League, Nabil Elaraby, over the phone, Mr Yang said China was willing to work with the Arab nations for ''a peaceful and proper settlement of the Syria issue'', the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Mr Yang said that it was ''an urgent task'' for opposing sides in Syria to halt violence in order to begin ''an inclusive political dialogue''.Mr Yang said that it was ''an urgent task'' for opposing sides in Syria to halt violence in order to begin ''an inclusive political dialogue''.
"The international community should create favourable conditions in this regard and provide humanitarian aid to Syria," Xinhua news agency quoted him as saying. "The international community should create favourable conditions in this regard and provide humanitarian aid to Syria," Xinhua quoted him as saying.
On 4 February China and Russia blocked a UN resolution backing an Arab plan condemning the crackdown and calling on Mr Assad to step down. On 4 February China and Russia blocked a UN resolution backing an Arab plan condemning the crackdown and calling on President Bashar al-Assad to step down.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week called that veto "despicable" - comments the Chinese foreign ministry said were not acceptable.US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week called that veto "despicable" - comments the Chinese foreign ministry said were not acceptable.
More than 7,500 people have died in Syria since security forces launched a crackdown on dissent last March, a senior UN official said on Tuesday. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said of the latest resolution efforts: "I solemnly appeal to Russia and China that they do not block this new resolution at the Security Council."
Meanwhile Syrian opposition activists say the situation in the Baba Amr district of Homs remains dire, with little food, water or medicine.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says some 100 people were killed in the past two days in the continuing Syrian bombardment of Homs.
The fate of the remaining journalists remains unclear. They left with Mr Conroy but became separated.
Ms Bouvier and Mr Conroy were both hurt in an earlier attack that killed fellow journalists Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik.
The UN's new estimate of the number of deaths in Syria came at a meeting of the UN Security Council.
"There are credible reports that the death toll now often exceeds 100 civilians a day, including many women and children," said Lynn Pascoe.
"The total killed so far is certainly well over 7,500 people."
The Syrian government says at least 1,345 members of the security forces have been killed combating what it calls "armed gangs and terrorists", and puts the number of civilians killed at 2,493.
An emergency meeting of the UN Human Rights Council was also held on Tuesday in Geneva, where commissioner Navi Pillay said atrocities against civilians were being committed.
Syria's representative to the UN, Faysal Khabbaz Hamoui, stormed out of the session, accusing countries of "inciting sectarianism and providing arms".