China condemns Syrian killings

China’s foreign ministry on Monday condemned the killing of more than 100 civilians in the Syrian town of Houla, though it stopped short of blaming President Bashar al-Assad for the bloodshed, Reuters reported. “China feels deeply shocked by the large number of civilian casualties in Houla, and condemns in the strongest terms the cruel killings of ordinary citizens, especially women and children,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin. However, the ministry continued to insist that efforts by Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary-General, to broker a peace treaty remained the most viable option. Beijing and Moscow have both vetoed two Security Council resolutions calling for tougher action against Damascus, arguing that international intervention could worsen the violence or open the way to Western-led “regime change.” The UN believes at least 108 people were killed in Houla.