West lacks will and viable military plan

BEIJING - Western countries still have neither the plan nor the willingness to intervene militarily in Syria, Chinese special envoy to the Middle East Wu Sike said on Sunday. Syria is not Libya, he added.

He warned that the chance of civil war in Syria is "very great" and called for political and peaceful means to prevent a disastrous outcome.

The crisis in Syria has already lasted for about one year.

Saying frankly that China still has "very large" differences with the West on how to resolve the Syria issue, Wu added: "They (Western countries) have expressed their willingness to resort to political and peaceful means."

Syria is a much more complicated problem than Libya, he said, speaking on the sidelines of the annual two sessions, noting: "There is no indication that Syria will become the next Libya."

He continued: "The loss and impact will be much bigger if a war starts. My feeling is that all parties involved are still very cautious. Political and peaceful means are still the major way out, and we can find consensus on this point."

He added that the West hopes to do it through sanctions, which China does not regard as peaceful means.

The Foreign Ministry on Sunday issued a six-point statement for a political settlement in Syria. The UN Security Council is contemplating a new resolution, following the veto by China and Russia of two previous ones.

In the past year, Wu has made three Middle East visits, two of which took him to Syria, since the crisis began.

Apart from meeting with the Syrian government, Wu also held talks with various opposition leaders, including the National Coordinating Committee, on these occasions.

Wu said that two opposition parties had told him that they realized the ultimate result of any foreign military intervention would be more civilian casualties.

"They fully understand China's stance. I think they are rational," he said.

But Wu also admitted that the situation is getting increasingly tough and the chance of civil war is "very great" if the issue is not resolved soon.

"China doesn't want to see a Syrian civil war that would lead to regional turbulence," he said. "China is keen on pushing forward talks, and we are a true promoter of peace."