Top diplomats from Arab, Islamic countries meet with Chinese foreign minister, vice president

AMMAN — A delegation of top diplomats from Arab and Islamic countries met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Monday, the first of a series of similar meetings they will hold with  foreign policy officials from the Security Council permanent members.

The delegation, which will also visit the US, Russia, the UK and France, was mandated by the Joint Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit in Riyadh on November 11 and is headed by Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal Bin Farhan bin Abdullah.

The delegation comprises Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Ayman Safadi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt Sameh Shoukry, Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs Riyad Al Maliki, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia Retno Marsudi, and Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Hussein Ibrahim Taha.

During the meeting, the Chinese foreign minister called on the international community to take action to end the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

He also voiced China's support for the outcomes of the Riyadh summit, including the call for the two-state solution as the only formula to end the long-running Mideast conflict. 

The delegation members reiterated the urgent need to halt the military escalation in Gaza and prevent the forced displacement of Palestinians, calling for "immediate" delivery of essential humanitarian aid into the besieged strip. 

They also voiced concern over the heavy civilian toll, urging the international community to take "decisive" action to address the crisis and "effectively" address the violations committed by the Israeli occupation forces, according to Petra. 

The top diplomats also condemned the "war crimes" committed by the Israeli occupation in Gaza, stressing the need for a "swift" action from the UN Security Council's permanent members to end the Israeli violations.

Also on Monday, the delegation met with China's Vice-president Han Zheng, who voiced China's keenness to work with Arab and Islamic countries to bring an end to the war on Gaza and ensure delivery of humanitarian assistance into the strip. 

The meeting with the vice president went over the Israeli attacks on the Indonesian and Jordanian field hospitals in Gaza and the need to open humanitarian corridors to deliver urgent medical and humanitarian aid into the besieged strip, according to Petra.