Implement UNSC ceasefire resolution, China urges Syrian parties

China on Thursday called on all parties in Syria to implement the ceasefire resolution reached by the UN Security Council on the last day of 2016 in order to restart peace talks at an early date.

"We hope all relevant parties, including the Syrian government and opposition groups, can cherish the hard-won results to work together to transform the resolution's text into concrete actions," Xinhua news agency quoted Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang as saying.

The 15-member council on December 31 unanimously adopted a resolution supporting the Syria ceasefire arrangement brokered by Russia and Turkey.

New peace talks among the conflicting parties are set to be held in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan.

However, several opposition groups announced on Monday that they were freezing talks on planned negotiations with the Syrian government in response to what they called "major violations" by the government forces in a four-day ceasefire.

Geng said setbacks and difficulties in implementation are unavoidable, "yet the key is to have sincerity and goodwill" and exercising more self-restraint rather than accusing one another.

--IANS

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