China supported the idea of the UN playing an important role in the reconstruction of Iraq, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said Monday at a High-Level Meeting on Iraq.

 

Addressing the meeting, which was held on the sidelines of the 61st session of the UN General Assembly, Li said China supported the International Compact with Iraq and hoped that the relevant mechanisms would be widely representative and inclusive and would give full play to the leading role of the UN.

 

Hoping to see an Iraq of national reconciliation, he stressed that "the Iraqi people should put the overall interest of themselves above anything else, show respect and understanding for each other, and be tolerant with and trust each other."

 

"They should keep up the momentum of dialogue and consultation and move the process of national reconciliation forward," Li added.

 

He also made it clear that China supports the Arab states in their efforts to help achieve national reconciliation in Iraq.

 

"We call on all countries to respect the choices independently made by the Iraqi people and refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of Iraq," he said.

 

Li also emphasized that China hoped for a stable and peaceful Iraq, saying "military means alone will not solve the problems, and violence or terrorism will bring no security."

 

He thus called on all factions and organizations in Iraq to renounce the use of force and settle their differences through peaceful and democratic means.

 

"The international community should make constructive efforts to help Iraq adopt effective security measures and reform its security agencies so that they can promptly discharge the responsibility of maintaining security in Iraq," Li added.

 

He also addressed the importance of human rights in the war-torn country, saying that the promotion of human rights and the restoration of the rule of law should be a key priority for the new Iraqi government.

 

"It is China's consistent position that the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Iraq should be upheld and that the Iraqi issue should be resolved through political means so that Iraq will be governed by the Iraqi people," he concluded.

 

(Xinhua News Agency September 19, 2006)