China urges UN Security Council to listen to Arab, African concerns over Libya

BEIJING, March 17 (Xinhua) -- China said Thursday the UN Security Council must take into consideration the views of Arab and African countries when deciding what action to take toward Libya.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu made the remarks at a regular press briefing when explaining China's stance on a draft resolution presented by Lebanon, a non-permanent member of the council, which called for the authorization of a no-fly zone over Libya.

"The Security Council actions should stabilize the situation in Libya and deter the violence against civilians as soon as possible," Jiang added.

She reaffirmed that China respected Libya's sovereignty and territorial integrity and said the country wanted to see the crisis solved through peaceful means.

"China, who holds the rotating presidency of the council in March, always fulfills its duties in a fair and responsible attitude. We immediately drummed up an urgent consultation according to the demands of Arab countries in the council and played a constructive role for the discussion," the spokesperson said.

The council members went over the draft resolution on Wednesday and the 15 members decided to meet again on the issue on Thursday morning.

Jiang said Wednesday that no agreement was reached during the initial consultation and the Security Council would continue to discuss the issue.