CHINA: Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem visits Beijing to discuss the U.N. brokered ceasefire

Record ID: 276359

  • Title: CHINA: Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem visits Beijing to discuss the U.N. brokered ceasefire
  • Date: 18th April 2012
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (APRIL 17, 2012) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SHOTS) CAR STOPPING IN FRONT OF THE HOTEL ENTRANCE SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER WALID AL-MOUALEM WALKING OUT OF THE CAR AND ENTERING HOTEL AL-MOUALEM WALKING INTO THE LOBBY AL-MOUALEM WAVING WHEN JOURNALIST ASKED ABOUT HIS PLAN MOUALEM'S BACK AL-MOUALEM AND OFFICIALS WALKING TOWARDS HOTEL ELEVATOR
  • Embargoed: 3rd May 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China, China
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Conflict
  • Reuters ID: LVAEK1BXL9PU7V6DBJGX7Y2RVRI9
  • Story Text: Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem arrived in Beijing on Tuesday (April 17) as unrelenting bloodshed in Syria complicated preparations by a team of U.N. observers to monitor a truce that has brought only short-lived breaks in violence since President Bashar al-Assad pledged to enforce it last week.
    al-Moualem arrived late evening on Tuesday at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi to discuss with Beijing the cease-fire brokered by Kofi Annan, international envoy to Syria, said state news agency Xinhua.
    His visit came a day after a handful of soldiers in blue caps put a tentative United Nations presence at the heart of the Syrian crisis on Monday (April 16), predicting success for their mission to stabilise a shaky four-day-old ceasefire even as shells were still falling.
    The 15-nation United Nations Security Council voted unanimously on Saturday (April 14) to authorise an initial deployment of up to 30 unarmed observers.
    Since the uprising erupted in March 2011, Russia and China had blocked previous Western attempts to pass Security Council resolutions on Syria, notably two resolutions condemning the Assad government.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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