Chinese representative to the United Nations Wang Guangya met in Sharm el-Sheikh Monday with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit over the Iraq issue.

Wang, who is here as special envoy of the Chinese government to attend an international conference on Iraq on Tuesday, said that the meeting was very important, because Egypt, as the host of the conference, has played an important role in arranging the gathering.

He said that the conference came at a crucial moment as violence in the war-torn country poses a serious challenge to both the interim Iraqi government and the international community. If the situation in Iraq deteriorates, it would not only bring more sufferings to the Iraqi people, but also have an adverse impact on regional issues, including the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and Iran's nuclear issue, he said.

He stressed that China, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and a friend of the Arab world, would continue to play a constructive role in the Iraq issue.

For his part, Abul Gheit praised China's role in dealing with regional and international issues.

He said that Egypt hopes China would make further contributions to helping seek a solution to the Iraq problem and render the international conference a success.

(Xinhua News Agency November 23, 2004)