Hu: Iraqi election is the way out of woes
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-11-23 21:39

A just and transparent election with Iraqis having a say on their own fate is the way out of the current difficult situation in Iraq, President Hu Jintao has said.

Chinese President Hu Jintao (L) shakes hands with US President George W. Bush in a bilateral meeting in Santiago, November 20, 2004. Hu, in his letter to Egyptian President Mubarak, said a just election in Iraq is the way out of the difficult situation in Iraq. [Reuters]

In a letter to his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak, Hu said China is concerned about the deteriorating situation in Iraq.

The letter was delivered by China's representative to the United Nations Wang Guangya, who was in Egypt on Monday for an international conference on Iraq.

The international community, especially the United Nations, has an important role to play in helping Iraq carry out the election, Hu wrote.

The concerns of Iraq's neighbours and Arab countries should be taken into consideration, he said.

The Chinese president also praised Egypt for its efforts to host the conference and seek a solution to the Iraq issue, saying China hopes that the participants would reach consensus, help stabilize the situation in Iraq and facilitate the political process in the country.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari gestures as he addresses a news conference during an international conference on the political future of Iraq in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, November 23, 2004.[Reuters]

Wang also met on Monday with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit over the Iraq issue.

Wang said the meeting was very important, because Egypt, as the host of the conference, has played an important role in arranging the gathering.

He said the conference came at a crucial moment as violence in the war-torn country poses a serious challenge to both the interim Iraqi government and the international community.

If the situation in Iraq deteriorates, it would not only bring more suffering to the Iraqi people, but also have an adverse impact on regional issues, including the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and Iran's nuclear issue, he said.

He stressed that China, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and a friend of the Arab world, would continue to play a constructive role in the Iraq issue.

A blindfolded detainee is guarded by a U.S. Marine following his arrest in the war-torn western city of Falluja, November 23, 2004. Iraq's U.N. representative, Samir Shakir Sumaidaie, said that attacks on insurgents in Falluja made it easier to hold the elections because it had destroyed the base and infrastructure of groups seeking to rule the country. [Reuters]

For his part, Abul Gheit praised China's role in dealing with regional and international issues.

He said that Egypt hopes China will make further contributions to help seek a solution to the Iraq problem and render the international conference a success.

As for Sino-Egyptian ties, Hu said China and Egypt have a long history of friendly relations and bilateral ties, based on mutual trust and benefit. Those relations have seen steady development.

China is willing to further strengthen its co-operation with Egypt on major regional and international issues to enrich the bilateral strategic relationship, he said.

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