A military plane landed in Beijing this morning, carrying home the body of Chinese UN observer Du Zhaoyu, a lieutenant colonel who was killed last week during Israel's air raid on Lebanon.

 

Du's coffin, covered with the Chinese and UN flags, was carried off the plane by eight Chinese soldiers.

 

Zhang Qinsheng, assistant to the chief of general staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), and Assistant Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai were present along with other Chinese military and government officials.

 

Over 100 Chinese army officers stood at attention as Du's coffin was carried from the plane to a hearse.

 

Israel pledged yesterday "100 percent" cooperation with China to handle the aftermath of the incident.

 

Nadav Eshcar, political and press officer of the Israeli Embassy in China, described Du's death as a "tragedy," for which Israel expressed deep sorrow.

 

"As we have promised, we will be 100 percent cooperative to show our goodwill in this time of hardship," he told China Daily.

 

Eshcar said the Israeli government had cooperated fully with the Chinese team that was sent to Israel last Thursday to reclaim Du's body.

 

The seven-member team included Du's widow Li Lingling and officials from the Foreign Ministry and the Peacekeeping Affairs Office of the Ministry of National Defense.

 

Eshcar said the Israeli ambassador to China, Yehoyada Haim, will attend a memorial ceremony in Beijing.

 

Thirty-four-year-old Du, who also left behind a one-year-old son, died alongside three other UN observers last Wednesday, when Israeli planes bombed their post in the town of Khiam near the eastern end of the Israel-Lebanon border.

 

(Xinhua News Agency, China Daily August 2, 2006)