China Tuesday urged the parties concerned in the Middle East to exercise ultimate restraints and create the necessary conditions for resuming and accelerating the peace negotiations.

Addressing the open debate of the United Nations Security Council on the violence in the Middle East, Chinese Permanent Representative to the United Nations Wang Yingfan said that in the past few days, Jerusalem and other occupied Arab territories witnessed and sustained violence.

"It is appalling that Israeli military police used helicopters, rockets and tanks against Palestinian civilians, causing great casualty and death among civilians, in particular children," Wang said.

"Conflicts over the last few days must be completely stopped," he said, "otherwise more innocent civilians, in particularly children and women, would continue to suffer from death and casualty."

"The Security Council shoulders the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. It has unshakable responsibility for protecting civilians in Palestine. The Security Council should send out the strongest possible signal to put an end to the bloody incidents in which the innocent civilians are subject to the violence," the ambassador said.

At present, the Israelis and Palestinians are carrying out negotiations on sensitive issues such as the final status of Jerusalem and the whole peace process is at a very crucial stage, he noted.

"But the Israeli opposition leader made a sudden visit to Al-Haram al-Sharif and made a controversial statement. This is a very irresponsible and provocative act which should be condemned by the council," he said.

"At this very crucial juncture, it is China's strong hope that parties concerned exercise ultimate restraints and stop all talks and acts that detriment the peace process and create necessary conditions for resuming and accelerating peace negotiations," he added.

The Security Council held the debate after it failed Monday night and Tuesday morning to reach an agreement among the council members on a statement on the violence.

According to reports, the six-day long violence between the Palestinians and Israelis, which began after Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon visited Al-Haram al-Sharif last Thursday, has so far claimed 55 lives and injured more than 1,000.

(Xinhua 10/03/2000)