Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdul Ilah al-Khatib and visiting Chinese special envoy on Middle East issues Sun Bigan held talks on Wednesday on the latest developments in the Middle East.

 

During the meeting, Sun expressed concern over the heightened Palestinian-Israeli tension, saying that the conflict between the Palestinians and Israel should be solved through dialogue and political negotiations on the basis of relevant UN resolutions and the "land for peace" principle.

 

China hopes the both sides would maintain restraint and keep calm to avoid a further escalation in the region, the envoy added.

 

Al-Khatib, for his part, voiced appreciation of China's stance on the Middle East issues, noting that Jordan would like to enhance cooperation with China on the issues.

 

Sun arrived in Amman on Tuesday, the second leg of his week-long tour in the region, which has already taken him to Egypt and will also take him to Israel and the Palestinian territories.

 

(Xinhua News Agency June 29, 2006)