Qian: China for ME peace according to Madrid terms of reference

China's Foreign Minister Qian Qichen stressed his country's stand in support of the ME peace process according to Madrid terms of reference and relevant UN resolutions.

In a statement he made on Wednesday following his meeting with Egyptian counterpart Amr Moussa, the Chinese minister added, "Peace and security are inseparable and without peace there will be no security."

He went on to say that the Israelis speak about redeployment whereas China believes it is supposed to talk about an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Arab territories, rather than redeployment. The Chinese minister stressed, "China does not agree to impose sanctions on a certain country," referring to the need to lift UN Security Council sanctions against Iraq.

However, bilateral talks held between the two ministers earlier in the day dealt with the Middle East peace process and its stalemate. The two sides stressed the need to abide by peace process principles and honor agreements reached by the two sides on all tracks.