China urges end to Libya violence

BEIJING: China on Tuesday called for an end to violence in Libya, where at least 1,000 people feared dead in the bloody suppression of antigovernment demonstrations.

Beijing, which usually opposes sanctions against individual states that voted for the UN Security Council action to slap a travel ban and assets freeze leader Muammar Gaddafi and his family and companions and the arms embargo on Libya.

"It is imperative to stop the violence and avoid further casualties," Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters.

"We hope that the international community will play a constructive role in restoring stability in Libya as soon as possible."

China has so far evacuated 32,000 citizens out of Libya in a huge operation, which includes charter and military aircraft and a warship.

According to state media, the majority of Chinese living in Libya in the oil, railroad and telecommunications industries.

Gaddafi's bloody fights rearguard action against the rebels and the shocks caused the mass exodus of more than 100.000 people from the oil-rich country.

Human rights groups say at least 1000 people were killed in the harsh suppression of the regime at the protesters. Gaddafi now controls only a few western areas around the capital, Tripoli, and several bastions in the south long ago. (AFP)