China Says U.N. Resolution on Syria Unhelpful as Homs Crackdown Continues
China voiced support on Tuesday for Syria's stability and said a U.N. Security Council resolution on the nation was unlikely to ease tensions there.
Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mekdad is currently in Beijing and is slated to hold talks with Chinese Foreign Ministry Yang Jiechi, ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told journalists.
"The Chinese government supports the efforts made by Syria to safeguard its national sovereignty and stability and also hopes to see the early restoration of stability and normalcy in Syria," Jiang said.
"Under the current circumstances, we believe that the adoption of U.N. Security Council resolutions will do no good toward the relaxation of tensions in Syria."
The United Nations on Monday condemned the "shocking" brutality of President Bashar al-Assad's regime, as activists said at least 15 people were killed in the latest crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.
For a second straight day, dozens of tanks circled towns and villages in the Homs area, north of Damascus.
At least 15 people were shot dead on Sunday and Monday in Rastan and Talbisa, towns in the flashpoint central region of Homs, an activist told Agence France Presse, declining to be identified for security reasons.
A draft resolution distributed to the 15 Security Council members condemns violence used by the Syrian regime and calls for the lifting of a weeks-long siege against the southern flashpoint city of Daraa.
Britain, France, Germany and Portugal believe they could get nine votes to pass a resolution but still fear a veto by China or Russia, two of the five permanent members who can block any resolution, diplomats said.
Meanwhile, machine-gun fire reverberated around the Syrian town of Rastan near the central city of Homs on Tuesday as military operations continued for a third straight day, a human rights activist said.
"Machine-gun fire was heard in Rastan. Search and cordon operations are continuing in the town," the activist said on condition of anonymity, adding that explosions were also heard and there were reports of wounded.
He said Rastan residents had attacked a police station and seized weapons near where a girl, identified as Hajar al-Khatib, and 10 other civilians were killed on Sunday.
"Rastan is completely isolated and a large number of people have been wounded there," said the activist. "Tanks have surrounded Rastan, and armored personnel carriers are deployed throughout the town."
In Homs, protesters on Monday night set fire to a vehicle belonging to the security services, expressing outrage at the crackdown in nearby Rastan and Talbisa, the activist added.
"Dozens of wounded are in the fields north of Talbisa, but medical teams can't get to them because of military activity in the area," he said.
Since dawn on Sunday, dozens of tanks have surrounded the two towns and the village of Teir Maaleh to quell the protests around Homs, Syria's third largest city, 160 kilometers north of Damascus.
The activist said that south of the capital during Monday night "security forces conducted search operations in Hiraki" near the city of Daraa, another focal point for the protests against Assad's rule.
More than 1,100 civilians have been killed and at least 10,000 arrested since the protests against Assad's autocratic government erupted in mid-March, human rights organizations say.
Foreign journalists are barred from traveling around Syria, making it difficult to report on the unrest and verify witness accounts.
The government insists the unrest is the work of "armed terrorist gangs" backed by Islamists and foreign agitators.
It initially responded to the revolt by offering some concessions, including lifting the state of emergency in place for nearly five decades, but coupled this with a fierce crackdown.
The opposition has dismissed calls for dialogue, saying talks can take place once only the violence ends, political prisoners are freed and reforms adopted.