Chinese Permanent Representative to the United Nations Wang Guangya urged Tuesday the United Nations to play a bigger role to help Israelis and Palestinians to break the vicious circle of "using violence against violence" at an early date and realize peace in the region.

Speaking at an open debate of the Security Council on the Middle East situation, Wang expressed his deep worries over the present Middle East situation, saying the peace process was again at a crossroad.

"The urgent task at present is to break the vicious circle of 'using violence against violence' at an early date, and for this end Israel and Palestine should all make efforts," he said.

Wang expressed the hope that Israel and Palestine would face the reality and take bold steps to create conditions for the restoration of peace talks and continued implementation of the peace plan known as the "roadmap," proposed by the international Quartet, which embraces the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations.

Wang said the international Quartet should shoulder its responsibility so as to break the vicious circle of using violence against violence and the international community as a whole should also make creative efforts.

Wang said suggestions made by some countries during the general debate of the current UN General Assembly session on the Middle East question, such as the deployment of an international protection force between Israelis and Palestinians, the dispatch of a fact-finding mission by the Security Council to the region and the holding of an international conference on the Middle East deserved serious consideration.

"The United Nations can and must play a bigger role to help Israel and Palestine to realize peace," he said.

In his speech, Wang strongly deplored the fact that the Israeli government had decided to continue to build a separation wall and expand settlements, saying such action by Israel was not acceptable.

He said the root cause of the Middle East question was the occupation by Israel of Arab lands, and the building of the separation wall in violation of international law would not bring genuine security and would only lead to more violence and impair efforts to realize peace between Israel and Palestine.

He urged Israel to halt the building of the separation wall and expansion of settlements, halt its policy of target killings, and stop the blockade of Palestine, among other things.

He also urged the Palestinian side to take effective measures to stop suicide bombings against civilians.

"The history of the Middle East question demonstrates that using violence against violence is not a way out, and hope lies in dialogues and negotiations," Wang said.

(Xinhua News Agency October 15, 2003)