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China on Wednesday restated its opposition to military interventionin Syria, as Russia sought to halt fresh UN Security Council actionafter a massacre of civilians sparked global fury. The renewed support by Moscow and Beijing for the Damascus regimecame as numerous Western nations, including the United States,Britain and France, expelled Syrian diplomats in the wake ofFriday's massacre and after France floated the idea of armedintervention to protect civilians. "China opposes military intervention in Syria and opposes regimechange by force," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin toldreporters in Beijing. Liu added that China urged all parties to implement UN-Arab Leagueenvoy Kofi Annan's ceasefire proposal in Syria and to seek to endthe bloody crisis through negotiations. With Russian and Chinese support, the UN Security Council on Sundaystrongly condemned the Syrian government for using artillery in amassacre in the central town of Houla in which at least 108 peoplewere killed. But Russia, which along with China has vetoed two UN SecurityCouncil resolutions highly critical of President Bashar al-Assad'sregime, on Wednesday said it was "premature" for the council toconsider new action. "We believe that a review now by the Security Council of any newmeasures on the situation would be premature," Deputy ForeignMinister Gennady Gatilov told the Interfax news agency in commentsthat appeared to dash Washington's hopes of a change of heart inMoscow. The US State Department had said on Tuesday it hoped the Houlatragedy would spark a "turning point" in Russia's reluctance totake tougher action against its Soviet-era ally. Annan, during a meeting with Assad in Damascus on Tuesday, urgedthe Syrian leader to act immediately to end 15 months of bloodshedwhich has claimed thousands of lives, warning that the country hadreached a "tipping point." French President Francois Hollande had said on Tuesday that he didnot rule out military intervention, provided it were approved bythe UN Security Council. "An armed intervention is not excluded on the condition that it iscarried out with respect to international law, meaning afterdeliberation by the United Nations Security Council," he said in atelevision interview. Australia said it was open to discussion about militaryintervention in Syria but warned of the significant challengesinvolved in getting it off the ground. Japan on Wednesday joined the chorus of international outrage atthe slaughter of civilians in Houla, telling the Syrian ambassadorin Tokyo to leave the country "as soon as possible." Japan's decision followed the apparently coordinated expulsion ofdiplomats the previous day by the European Union, the United Statesand other governments including Australia, Canada and Switzerland. Annan was in Amman on Wednesday to discuss the Syrian crisis withJordan's leaders, after appearing to make little headway to staunchthe bloodletting during his visit Monday and Tuesday to Syria. On Tuesday alone, according to the Syrian Observatory for HumanRights, a total of 98 people were killed across Syria with anothernine dying violently on on Wednesday morning. Speaking after his talks with the Syrian leader in the capital,Annan lamented the continuing killings and abuses that have fatallyundermined his peace blueprint, which was supposed to begin with aceasefire from April 12 that has never taken hold. "I appealed to him (Assad) for bold steps now -- not tomorrow, now-- to create momentum for the implementation of the plan. "This means that the government, and all government-backedmilitias, could stop all military operations and show maximumrestraint." The Syrian authorities have repeatedly insisted that the lion'sshare of the blame for the deaths lies with armed rebels, aposition Assad restated in his talks with Annan. "The success of the Annan plan depends on the end of terrorist actsand those who support them and the smuggling of weapons," Assad wasquoted as saying. But UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous pointed the finger towardsa militia loyal to Assad. "There is strong suspicion that the Shabiha were involved in thistragedy in Houla," Ladsous told reporters at the UN headquarters. More than 13,000 people have been killed, most of them civilians,since the uprising against Assad's regime erupted in March lastyear, according to the Britain-based Observatory. burs/sma/bpz. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Rechargeable Bluetooth Speakers Manufacturer , China USB Rechargeable Cigarette Lighter for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Bluetooth Stereo Speakers.
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