Chinese envoy calls for de-escalation of conflicts in Lebanon

A Chinese envoy on Tuesday called on the international community to take immediate and urgent measures to prevent the conflict in Lebanon from further escalation and to promote the early restoration of peace and stability in the Middle East region.

The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Lebanon amid intensifying clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, as well as continued attacks on United Nations peacekeepers.

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN under-secretary-general for peace operations, Khaled Khiari, UN assistant secretary-general for the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, and Tom Fletcher, UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, briefed the meeting on the current situation in Lebanon, the deadly attack against the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the humanitarian conditions in the country.

Sun Lei, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, said that the situation in the Middle East remains highly tense, with spillover effects continuing to spread. The top priority now is to promote peace talks, seize the opportunity for peace, and push for an early end to the conflicts.

"Lebanon must not become another Gaza. The international community must not allow the tragedy of Gaza to repeat itself. China calls on all parties involved to immediately cease hostilities and to push for the de-escalation of the situation. Israel should immediately withdraw all its troops from Lebanon and respect Lebanon's sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity," said Sun.

According to UNIFIL on Monday, a UNIFIL peacekeeper was killed and another injured when a projectile exploded at a UNIFIL position near a southern Lebanese village.

Sun urged practical measures to ensure the safety and freedom of movement of the UNIFIL peacekeepers, and to conduct a thorough investigation of all attacks against the peacekeepers.

"China strongly condemns the attack against the UNIFIL. We express our deep condolences over the death of the Indonesian peacekeeper in the attack and our hearts go out to the injured. Any deliberate attack against UN peacekeeping personnel is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and UN Security Council Resolution 1701, and is absolutely unacceptable and must stop immediately," he said.

International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol warned on Thursday that the global oil market may enter a "red zone" in July and August this year, as fuel demand rise and stocks dwindle.

Birol noted that the supply crisis triggered by the situation in the Middle East was initially cushioned by spare capacity in the global oil market, but that oil stocks are now gradually decreasing.

The 32 members of the IEA on March 11 unanimously agreed to make 400 million barrels of oil from their emergency reserves available to the market in response to disruptions caused by the Middle East conflict.

The IEA stands ready to coordinate further reserve releases if necessary, Birol added.