¡¡¡¡CAIRO, March 29 (Xinhuanet) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher Egypt on Friday held an urgent meeting with Chinese Ambassador Liu Xiaoming on Israeli aggression against the Palestinians.

¡¡¡¡During the meeting, Maher said that China, as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, plays an important role in international affairs, adding that Egypt has attached great importance to China's function.

¡¡¡¡He also spoke highly of China's firm support for the right cause of the Arabs and Arab nations.

¡¡¡¡Maher told the Chinese envoy that Israel launched widespread incursions into the Palestinian self-rule areas early Friday morning and broke into Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's compound in the West Bank city of Ramallah, resulting in heavy casualties and property losses on the Palestinian side.

¡¡¡¡The attacks on Arafat's compound posed a direct threat to the safety of Arafat, Maher said, adding that Egypt is deeply worried about the grave situation.

¡¡¡¡On his part, Liu said that China has long supported the struggle of the Palestinians to restore their legitimate rights and interests.

¡¡¡¡The Chinese government is deeply concerned about the current escalation in the conflicts and the worsening situation in the region, he said.

¡¡¡¡"China strongly calls on the Palestinians and Israel, especially Israel, to immediately stop the cycle of violence between the two sides, so as to avoid full-scale confrontation," Liu stated.

¡¡¡¡He reaffirmed that China is ready to work with Egypt and other concerned parties to calm down the situation and bring the Palestinians and Israel back to the negotiating table. Enditem

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