Chinese President Jiang Zemin Thursday sent messages to Israeli President Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat urging the two sides to immediately put an end to hostilities in the Middle East, state press reported. (AFP)
"As the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks are in a critical stage, China urges all related parties to take measures immediately to prevent the situation from deteriorating," Xinhua news agency quoted Jiang as telling the two leaders in separate messages.
Jiang called for the immediate resumption of peace talks, it said.
"Peace is a long-cherished common aspiration of the peoples in the region and is in the interests of Palestine, Israel and all other countries in the region," he stressed.
China supports the peace-making efforts of the international community and is willing to work with the international community to push forward the Middle East peace process, he added -- (AFP)
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