¡¡¡¡BEIJING, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan left Beijing Thursday morning for New York for the UN Security Council meeting on Iraq on Feb. 14, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said here Thursday.

¡¡¡¡Zhang said at the regular news conference that Tang's attendance will highlight China's support for the work of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) and that of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

¡¡¡¡Foreign Minister Tang will also reiterate once again China's stance that the Iraq issue should be resolved through political and diplomatic means within the framework of the United Nations, which also reflects the common aspiration and desire of the international community, she said.

¡¡¡¡Regarding the meeting, Zhang said that the Council will mainly listen to reports from the UNMOVIC and the IAEA on their weapons inspections and on their recent visit to Iraq.

¡¡¡¡China maintains close contacts and consultations on the issue with the United States and other countries, Zhang said, citing a recent telephone conversation between Chinese President Jiang Zemin and his US counterpart President George W. Bush.

¡¡¡¡Sino-US close contacts and continued exchange of views on major international issues are very conducive to resolving problems and to strengthening bilateral cooperation in the sphere of international issues. Enditem