Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier have held telephonic talks on the Lhasa riots and other issues of common concern, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

In the talks held Tuesday, Yang briefed Steinmeier on the facts regarding the March 14 riots in Lhasa, capital of China's Tibet Autonomous Region, saying the essence of the violence lay in the Dalai Lama clique's secessionist endeavors, the ministry said in a statement.

Yang said more than 100 countries have voiced support for the legal steps taken by China to safeguard social stability, dignity of law and the fundamental interests of all people in Tibet.

This has fully demonstrated that the international community listens to facts and upholds justice, he added.

Yang also told Steinmeier that the authorities concerned were making arrangements for an international media delegation to visit Tibet and that the trip will help generate objective news coverage of the incident, he said.

The international media delegation left Beijing Wednesday morning on a three-day trip arranged by the Information Office of China's State Council. The team is composed of 26 journalists from 19 media organizations, such as The Associated Press of the United States and Britain's Financial Times.

The Lhasa riots led to the deaths of at least 18 civilians and one police officer. It also left 382 civilians and 241 police officers injured.

(Xinhua News Agency March 27, 2008)