国内英语新闻:China welcomes Russia-Turkey agreement on ceasefire in Idlib: envoy

UNITED NATIONS, March 6 (Xinhua) -- China's UN envoy on Friday said China welcomes the Russia-Turkey agreement on a ceasefire for Syria's northwestern province of Idlib.

In a press encounter after a close-door Security Council meeting on Syria, China's Permanent Representative to the UN Zhang Jun said "for China, we welcome the agreement signed by the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey, and we welcome the diplomatic efforts along this direction."

He said the signing of the agreement is conducive to finding "what we have always longed ... a comprehensive solution to the issue in Syria."

It's a step forward in promoting a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process, facilitated by the UN, he said, expressing the hope that the agreement will be fully implemented.

Zhang stressed that in the process of implementation, Syria's sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence should be fully respected.

He said China hopes the international community will continue to commit to the fight against terrorism in the process. "We do hope that we will see more encouraging progress."

The Chinese envoy voiced support for the humanitarian effort made by the UN, pledging that China will do whatever it can to provide humanitarian aid. "We also hope that the comprehensive humanitarian situation in Syria will be taken care of by the international community."

He also urged parties concerned to avoid any attack on the civilians in Idlib and in Syria as a whole.

Russia and Turkey agreed Thursday on a ceasefire in the de-escalation zone in Idlib, a development that could ease escalating conflicts and facilitate a peace process in the war-torn country.

The ceasefire became effective from 00:01 a.m. on Friday local time. Russia and Turkey also agreed to create a safety corridor 6 km to the north and 6 km to the south from the strategic M4 highway, which connects Aleppo in northern Syria with Latakia in the northwest.

Also in the press encounter, Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said the ceasefire does not "exempt" operations targeting terrorists in the area, and that he hopes the sporadic fighting after the ceasefire took effect will be put out.

Britain and Germany's UN ambassadors also expressed hope that the fresh ceasefire will last.

In 2018, the two countries agreed on a deal in the southern Russian city of Sochi, which created a "de-escalation" zone in Idlib and allowed for the deployment of 12 Turkish observation posts. However, the "de-escalation" zone has been repeatedly violated.

More than 30 Turkish soldiers were killed last month around the area during an operation of the Syrian government, which Russia backs. The operation was attempting to regain control of the final rebel stronghold in the country after nearly nine years of war.

In response, Turkey targeted Syrian positions with aircraft, drones and artillery, raising fears of a direct military confrontation between Russia and Turkey.

Since March 2011, Syria has been in the throes of a conflict that has forced more than half of all Syrians to leave their homes.

According to The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, an estimated 5 million Syrians have fled the country, 6 million others are internally displaced, over 13 million people need assistance and an untold number of men, women and children are suffering greatly.