BEIJING, March 23 (Xinhua) -- The Middle East countries are deeply concerned about the impact of the war, and they call for an immediate ceasefire, a Chinese special envoy said on Monday after concluding his visit to the region.
Zhai Jun, special envoy of the Chinese government on the Middle East issue, told a news briefing that he recently visited several regional countries including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Egypt, and had in-depth exchanges of views with their foreign ministers and the secretaries general of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the League of Arab States on the regional situation.
Zhai said he also had a thorough discussion with the Iranian side.
Noting that his visit took place as the war was escalating and spilling over, he said the regional countries stress that nonmilitary targets, especially livelihood and energy infrastructure, must not come under unwarranted attacks, and that the life and safety of ordinary people must be protected.
"All sides oppose the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. All sides believe that the strait is vital to global energy security and supply chain stability. Its continued closure will bring unbearable consequences to all," he said.
The regional countries recognize that Iran is a neighbor that cannot be moved away. They welcome the statement Iran once made that it would not attack neighboring countries, and call for resolving differences through dialogue and negotiation, he said.
The regional countries highly commend China's just position on the current situation and its sustained diplomatic mediation since the conflict broke out, Zhai said, adding that they expect China to play a bigger role in bringing about de-escalation. ■
