AP

Posted: 2007-10-16 06:49:02

BEIJING (AP) – China urged continued calm in Myanmar  and said Tuesday it was willing to play a “constructive role” in resolving the crisis.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said the recent calm in the troubled region was “the result of hard work and cooperation from all sides.”

“We hope that Myanmar can continue to maintain the calm and to improve the people’s lives and promote democracy and development,” Yang told reporters along the sidelines of the 17th congress of the ruling communist party.

“We support the U.N. secretary general and his envoy’s mediation,” Yang said. “China is willing to play a constructive role.” He did not elaborate.

At least 10 people were killed when troops fired into crowds of peaceful protesters during a Sept. 26-27 crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations. Several thousand people are believed to have been arrested, and there have been many reports of brutal treatment in custody.

U.N. envoy Ibrahim Gambari was in Malaysia on Tuesday as part of a six-nation Asian tour to drum up support for his efforts to coax Myanmar’s military government to reconcile with the pro-democracy opposition.

He was scheduled to travel next to Indonesia and Japan, followed by India and China, which are two of the Myanmar junta’s biggest allies.

China is a veto-wielding member of the U.N. Security Council, which issued its first-ever statement on Myanmar last week, condemning the brutal clampdown and calling for the release of all political prisoners.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said Tuesday that China welcomed Gambari’s visit “at an early date” but said both sides were still discussing details.