China, in a strong reaction to the start of the U.S.-led war against Iraq, called on Thursday for an immediate halt to military action and a return to efforts to resolve the crisis peacefully.
"We strongly urge relevant countries to immediately stop military action," Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan told a news conference.
"They ignored the opposition of most countries and peoples of the world and went around the U.N. Security Council to begin military action against Iraq," he said.
"This constitutes a violation of the U.N. charter and the basic norms of international law," he said. "We hope to see an immediate halt to military action and a return to the path of a political settlement," Kong said.
Asked if Vice President Dick Cheney, scheduled to visit China in April, was still welcome, Kong said merely that President Hu Jintao had issued that invitation when he visited the United States last year as vice president. (Albawaba.com)
