Sun Bigan, China's special envoy on the Middle East issue called
on Friday for dialogues between rival Palestinian factions to solve
the current crisis in the territories.
Sun, who arrived in the West Bank city of Ramallah earlier in
the day for a visit, made the call while meeting with Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas, during which the two exchanged views on
the latest developments in the Palestinian territories.
Conveying the cordial greetings from Chinese President Hu
Jintao, Sun emphasized the traditional friendship between the two
peoples.
The Chinese people always support the just cause of the
Palestinians and respect President Abbas and the Palestinian
National Authority's legitimate status, Sun said.
Abbas, for his part, thanked China for its long-term support to
the Palestinians and expressed hope to promote friendship and
bilateral relations between the two sides.
Meanwhile, Abbas promised that the Palestinians would keep
dialogues with Israelis to push forward the peace process.
(Xinhua News Agency July 21, 2007)