¡¡¡¡BEIJING, March 29 (Xinhuanet) -- China is deeply concerned and very worried about the sudden escalation of the Israel-Palestine conflict, said Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan in a phone conversation with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabir Al-thani Friday. The two ministers exchanged views on the latest situation in Middle East.

¡¡¡¡Qatar is the current chair-country of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

¡¡¡¡Hamad reported the latest developments in the Middle East situation to Tang. He spoke highly of China's consistent stance onthe issue, and expressed his hope that China would continue to play a more active role in resolving the region's troubles.

¡¡¡¡China was deeply concerned and very worried about the sudden intensification of the Israel-Palestine conflict, said Tang.

¡¡¡¡China opposed and condemned Israel's barbarous invasion of the Palestinian territory, and called on Israel to stop military actions immediately and to withdraw from the Palestinian territory,Tang said, adding that violence against violence, which has been proved futile, would only lead to a worsening of the situation.

¡¡¡¡Tang stressed that Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader, should be respected by all sides.

¡¡¡¡In a bid to realize a lasting peace of Middle East, relevant sides should implement the agreements and consensus already reached and resume peace talks as soon as possible on the basis ofthe United Nations resolutions and the principle of "land for peace", he said.

¡¡¡¡Under such severe circumstances, the international community, especially the United Nations, should play a more active and effective role, so as to avoid worsening of the conflict to all-round confrontation, he said.

¡¡¡¡As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China would consistently support the just demand of Arabic countries, and was willing to make joint efforts with the international community foran early ceasefire and the resumption of peace talks, Tang said. Enditem