Chinese envoy to meet Syrian leader after U.N. condemnation
Last edited Sat Feb 18, 2012, 02:18 AM - Edit history (1)
http://news.yahoo.com/chinese-envoy-meet-syrian-leader-u-n-condemnation-011432194.htmlChinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun arrived in Damascus after the U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution telling the increasingly isolated president to halt the crackdown and surrender power.
China, along with Russia, had voted against the motion and says Syria must be allowed to resolve its problems without being dictated terms by foreign powers. China has also repeatedly said it opposes sanctions or the use of force in Syria.
China's embassy in Damascus said Zhai would meet his Syrian counterpart on Friday night, hold talks with Assad on Saturday and also meet opposition figures in Damascus.
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Renew Deal
(81,841 posts)Liora24
(34 posts)Since you need a title to post the thread I just typed one in.
I don't see how this title is necessarily any worse than the other one. Isn't China officially a Communist state (or call themselves one, even if they don't act like it). Isn't Assad a dictator?
Renew Deal
(81,841 posts)And I think the revised title gives away your purpose for being here.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)BuroshKozorg
(21 posts)The OP claims that the title change was an innocent mistake, however the rules say "Use the published title of the story as the title of the discussion thread." The title should revert to what it is in the original article, "Chinese envoy to meet Syrian leader after U.N. condemnation" to avoid misunderstanding.
Codeine
(25,586 posts)
Rhiannon12866
(204,494 posts)BuroshKozorg
(21 posts)He added that China affirmed its principal stance regarding the Syrian issue in that the sovereignty, integrity, independence and safety of the Syrian territories must be respected by all sides and by the international community, adding that China supports the Syrian people's independent choice, national dialogue and future reforms, voicing hope for achieving progress in this field.
leveymg
(36,418 posts)a propaganda forum. Respect the community rules.
sofa king
(10,857 posts)The real key, of course, is the Russians, and their unfortunate geographical situation.
Russia does not have an unconstricted year-round port of its own. Vladivostok, Murmansk, Archangel, and the Baltic ports are all subject to being frozen shut in the winters. Its few remaining Black Sea ports are all potentially contained by the narrow straight that connects the Black Sea with the Mediterranean.
Russian leasing rights to the small naval facility at Tartus, Syria, is the one port on the Med which allows the Russians to protect the flow of commerce and warships through the Dardanelles from both sides. Tartus may be the very most important offshore base they have, just as the Falklands and Gibraltar are crucial to the British, and Okinawa and Puerto Rico are crucial to the United States.
Until the Russians are guaranteed that no change of regime will threaten the Russian naval facility at Tartus, they will continue to oppose any intervention there.
The Chinese may be the ones who are able to recognize that and make its importance known to all other parties. Syrian opposition now also has the chance to guarantee Russian basing rights via the Chinese diplomat and perhaps win Russia's... indifference, which I think is the best one can expect.
At the moment Russia is profiting marginally from every artillery shell and bullet that is fired in that conflict, but that line of income is totally insignificant compared to the naval and geopolitical interests Russia stands to lose if they lose Tartus.
