China criticises foreign pressure on Syria

China criticises foreign pressure on Syria

China's foreign ministry on Tuesday decried foreign pressure on Syria following calls from US and Europe for President, Bashar al-Assad to step down.

The ministry advised that the country's future should be decided internally.

“All sides in Syria should exercise maximum restraint and abandon violence,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement on the ministry's website (www.mfa.gov.cn).

"The international community's relevant actions ought to be conducive towards pushing the Syrian government's promises of reform, and encourage all sides to constructively participate in the political process, to help an early return to stability," Ma said.

Earlier, the United Nations Human Rights Council had launched an international commission of inquiry on Tuesday into Syria's crackdown on anti-government protesters, including possible crimes against humanity, despite objections by Russia, China and Cuba.

Syrian president issues local administration law

Meanwhile, Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad issued on Tuesday, issued the law of the local administration. 

It was reported that the law provided for the decentralization of authority and concentrating power and responsibilities in the hands of the public.
  
Multi-party committee

The law was said to be the second in 24 hours as the president has issued a decree providing for the formation of a multi-party committee.

The committee will be entrusted with the authority to give the final say on applications to form parties or amend their internal systems.

Report had it that Al-Assad proposed the controversial multi-party law earlier this month as part of reform measures aimed at meeting the protesters' demands for broader freedom and democracy in the country.

Syria unrest

Syria has been in unrest since mid-March when anti-government protests broke out in the southern province of Daraa and spread to other cities. 

The Syrian authorities blamed the unrest on "armed groups and foreign conspiracy," and stressed that it would track down gunmen who have intimidated people and damaged public and private properties. 

Earlier on weekend, the president had pledged to hold the parliamentary elections in February and voiced confidence in his government in dealing with the unrest.

To quell the unprecedented anti-government crisis in the country, al-Assad recently introduced a package of new measures to ease up the government's restraints on politics and economy.

It includes lifting the controversial state of emergency imposed on the county for around 50 years and granting general amnesty.

Xinhua/Shakira