BEIJING, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Although explosions and other chaotic incidents have continued to rattle Syria, the international community seems not to lose heart and still holds to a peaceful settlement to the country's 19-month crisis.
During a meeting with visiting UN-Arab League Joint Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi elaborated on China's new four-point proposal on a political resolution to the Syrian conflict, urging all parties in Syria to cease fire and begin political transition at an early date.
The situation in Syria is at a crucial stage, and is important to the fundamental interests of the Syrian people as well as peace and stability in the Middle East, Yang said.
"A political settlement is the only viable solution in Syria," he said, adding that the country's future should be determined by the Syrian people themselves and that its sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity should be respected and preserved.
According to Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei, China's new proposal aims at building consensus of the international community and supporting the mediation efforts of Brahimi so as to protect and promote the momentum and process of the political settlement of the issue.
Also on Wednesday, Kofi Annan, Brahimi's predecessor and a former UN secretary general, said negotiation is the only possible way to find a solution to the Syrian crisis.
The only way out is to move the fighters from the military front to the negotiating table, and the differences within the UN Security Council need to be bridged, Annan said at a dialogue session at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy of the National University of Singapore.
He also said Iran should have a role in the solution, given its influence in Syria.
"I know some countries have difficulties with Iran, but you don't make peace with your friends, you make peace and reach out to the countries that can make a difference," he said.
In Tehran, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili said the Islamic republic will back Syria against any "foreign plots."
Jalili made the remarks during a meeting with visiting Syrian Oil and Mineral Resources Minister Said Hneidi.
A national dialogue held by different groups of people is the best and most effective solution to the Syrian crisis as foreign intervention will only fuel the flames of war in the Arab nation, he said.
"The Syrian nation has shown over the past years that it does not allow foreigners to control the affairs in this country and determine its destiny," Jalili said.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned of continued bloodshed in Syria if some countries insist that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad be ousted.
"If the position of our partners remains the departure of this leader who they do not like, the bloodshed will continue," Lavrov said after talks with his French counterpart Laurent Fabius in Paris.
"The Syrian people will decide the departure of Bashar al-Assad," he added.
In another development, Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Amr said his country is planning to hold a meeting among the Syrian opposition groups in Cairo to reach a coordinated and united vision for the Syrian crisis.
"There are constant communications with the Syrian opposition groups either in Cairo, or via our missions abroad, but the date of the meeting hasn't been scheduled yet," official news agency MENA quoted Amr as saying during a press conference.
He added that the meeting will be organized by the Egyptian side in collaboration with the Arab League.
The Syrian dilemma has become the focus of the international community, given the geopolitical importance of Syria and the immense danger of a spillover of Syria's crisis to neighboring countries.
More than 20,000 people, mostly civilians, have reportedly died in Syria since the country's crisis began in March 2011. A further 2.5 million Syrians urgently need humanitarian aid, and over 340,000 have crossed the border to neighboring countries like Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq, according to UN estimates.
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