Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi expressed China's support for Syria's efforts to recover the Golan Heights during his Middle East visit, AFP reported yesterday.

The Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip at the end of 2008 brought heavy casualties and instability to the region, showing once again that if the Middle East issue is not fundamentally resolved, there will be no peace and security in the region, Yang told the Xinhua News Agency.

After his visits to Egypt, the Palestinian territories, Israel and Syria, Yang put out a five-point proposal to push forward peace and common development in the Middle East.

During Yang’s visit to Syria, a split appeared Sunday within the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on possible peace negotiations with Syria. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Israel is interested in holding talks with Damascus, in an apparent rebuke to comments made by Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

According to global monitoring service ISRIA, Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, also stressed China’s support for Syria’s right to regain the occupied Golan Heights, during his meeting with visiting President of the Syrian People’s Assembly Mahmoud Abrash on April 24 in Beijing.

(Agencies)