Russia, China Call For Support Of Annan's Syria Plan

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Chinese President Hu Jintao during a welcoming ceremony for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Beijing on June 5.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, have jointly urged the international community to support the peace plan put forward by United Nations-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan to resolve the Syrian conflict.

Chinese state-run television said the two leaders, speaking after talks in Beijing on June 5, favored a political solution to the conflict.

Russia and China, both veto-holding permanent members of the UN Security Council, have opposed efforts by Western powers to impose tough measures on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime in response to its bloody crackdown on dissent.

Hu said China and Russia would consolidate their partnership within the United Nations and other international organizations to make decision-making "more fair and rational."

Moscow is a longtime ally and weapons supplier to the Syrian regime.

In Beijing, Hu and Putin also oversaw the signing of agreements in trade, investment, nuclear power, banking, and other sectors.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP