BEIJING, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- The holiday ceasefire proposed by international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has turned out to be a failure, but the disappointing outcome should not be allowed to derail the political efforts to settle the Syria crisis.
The four-day truce for Eid al-Adha was torn apart by deadly airstrikes and car bomb attacks, with the government of President Bashar al-Assad and the opposition pointing an accusing finger at each other.
The failure has demonstrated the scant willingness from both sides to hold their fire, and heightened the lack of trust between them.
It also reflects the difficulty in uniting the various opposition forces as the 19-month-old crisis has grown increasingly sectarian and -- given the infiltration of foreign elements -- complicated.
Most importantly, the collapse of the truce suggests that the international community should play a stronger role in putting an early end to the bloodshed in Syria and bringing the two sides to the negotiating table.
Brahimi, the UN-Arab League joint special envoy on Syria, who travels to Beijing on Monday after visiting many other heavyweight players, is reportedly mulling a fresh proposal on initiating a political dialogue between Syria's two warring sides.
In view of the daunting difficulty manifested by the ceasefire failure, peace-loving members of the international community should exert more genuine efforts in support of Brahimi's mediation.
China has been consistently and unswervingly supportive of the political efforts by Brahimi and his predecessor, Kofi Annan, and has been urging other parties to also play a constructive role in seeking a peaceful solution to the Syria crisis.
China does not take sides in the Syria conflict. Its vetoing flawed draft resolutions is an embodiment of its commitments both to international norms and to the only working, albeit strenuous, path to a permanent solution to the crisis: the political course.
Such counterproductive approaches as forcing a quick "regime change," launching a military intervention and arming the rebels will only push the already tangled and protracted crisis down the wrong direction.
DAMASCUS, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- Bombings and clashes marked the last day of the tattered cease-fire in Syria on Monday, further challenging the international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, the godfather of the truce deal in the unrest-ravaged country.
At least 11 people were killed and scores of others wounded on Monday, when a car bomb blasted in the Jaramana suburb of the capital Damascus, the state-media said. Full story
DAMASCUS, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- A total of 11 people were killed Monday when "terrorists" blasted a car in Jaramana suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus, Sham FM radio reported.Full Story
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