China calls for ASEAN forces in quake relief

Beijing's proposal of Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) among 10+3 nations (ASEAN plus China, Japan and South Korea) came at a workshop held at Shijiazhuang in north China which drew interest from other countries but differences on the understanding of some issues remained, state media reported.     

"The making of SOP was of great significance to strengthening the 10+3 disaster relief cooperation in the way of giving full play to the role of the armed forces in regional disaster relief," Chen Shengwu, a colonel with the Field Army Commanding Academy of Chinese People's Liberation Army, was quoted as saying by state-run Xinhua agency.    

 Cui Yafeng, deputy head of the Shijiazhuang Academy who chaired the workshop, said the foreign participants showed great interest in the Chinese proposal but differences existed on the concept of mission units and some other aspects, with consensus yet to be reached.     

In the disaster zone, anguished parents grieved for the loss of their children and gathered at some places, seeking answers for the collapse of school buildings and burning incense sticks and paper money as traditional offerings to the dead to mark one month since the deadliest disaster in three decades came in all its fury.     

Nearly 7,000 class rooms were reduced to rubble in the quake and many angry parents have raised questions about quality of the buildings, prompting government to order a probe into their complaints.