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BBC: China sends senior envoy while UN General Assembly votes on Arab League plan
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17058192China says it is sending a senior envoy to Syria in a bid to find a peaceful resolution to the country's crisis. Deputy Foreign Minister Zhai Jun will go to the capital, Damascus, on Friday.
The UN General Assembly will vote later on an Arab-sponsored resolution condemning the Syrian government. Rights groups say some 7,000 civilians have been killed there since March.
The resolution also backs an Arab League plan calling for President Bashar al-Assad to hand power to his vice-president. The measure cannot be vetoed in the assembly, but the resolution would be non-binding.
Mr Zhai said on Thursday that China does not approve of armed intervention or forcing so-called "regime change" in Syria. In an interview posted on the Chinese foreign ministry website, he condemned violence against civilians and called for the government to respect the people's "legitimate" desire for reform.
Syrian army tanks at the entrance to the Baba Amr neighbourhood in Homs
