China 'regrets' Syria envoy Annan's resignation

CHINA: China expressed regret Friday over former UN chief Kofi Annan's resignation as international envoy for Syria and said it would continue to "work for a political resolution" to the conflict.

Beijing, which along with Moscow has vetoed three UN Security Council resolutions on Syria, also said it wanted the United Nations to play an important role in trying to solve the deadly 17-month conflict.

"China expresses regret at Annan's resignation. We understand the difficulty of Annan's mediation work, and respect his decision," said foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei in a statement.

"China supports the UN playing an important role in the appropriate resolution of the Syrian issue." Annan announced on Thursday that he was quitting his role as the UN and Arab League envoy for Syria, complaining that his April peace plan had not received the support it deserved from major powers.

He also hit out at "continuous finger-pointing and name-calling" at the UN Security Council, which he said had prevented coordinated action to end the bloodshed.

His resignation sparked a new round of recriminations among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, with Washington blaming Beijing and Moscow's vetoing of three separate resolutions on the Syrian conflict. AFP