China calls on International community to respect Syria's sovereignty

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi called on the international community to respect Syria's sovereignty, independence and security, implicitly warning of any international act against Syria. AFP quoted Jiechi as saying in a speech at the UN General Assembly meeting on Monday that Beijing hopes the different sides in Syria avoid any form of violence and ease the situation as soon as possible. For his part, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov underlined the importance of supporting the Syrian government in carrying out reforms. Russia' Today Channel quoted Lavrov as calling, in a TV dialogue with an American Channel, on the Syrian opposition to conduct dialogue with the Syrian government, accept the announced reforms, underlining, at the same time, the necessity for stopping violence.