China urges intl community to “constructively” help Myanmar
PTI / October 11, 2007

Relieved over the situation returning to normal in Myanmar, China today said the international community should act in a "constructive" way to help Yangon achieve stability, reconciliation, democracy and development.

The Myanmar situation was returning to calm and moving in a positive direction, Chinese Foreign Ministry Liu Jianchao said during a ministry briefing.

Under current circumstances, the international community should act in a constructive way which is the common wish and objective of the majority of countries in the world, he said.

"We hope relevant efforts to this issue should be conducive to UN secretary-general's mediation and helpful for Myanmar to achieve reconciliation, stability and democracy," he said.

His comments came amid reports from New York that China, one of the veto-wielding Permanent Members of the UN Security Council, is insisting on toning down a Western-sponsored statement on the military crackdown in Myanmar amid broad agreement on the need for ending the violence and freeing political prisoners.

On Tuesday, China, a close ally of the military junta in Yangon, had strongly defended its soft stance toward the crisis in Myanmar, insisting that imposing sanctions and putting pressure wouldn't resolve the problems in the energy-rich southern neighbour.

"Sanctions or pressure will not help to resolve the issues in Myanmar," Liu had said, adding that "any move taken by the UN Security Council should be prudent and responsible and also conducive to the mediation efforts by the UN Secretary General."