HAMMAMET, Tunisia, (SANA)_ Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi underscored that the ''UN Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan is actively mediating the crisis and the UN observer mission has been fully deployed in Syria.''

Xinhua News Agency quoted Jiechi as saying at Hammamet, Tunisia, yesterday at the end of the Fifth Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum, that China is a genuine friend of the Arab people, and it is willing to work with Arab states for an early, just, peaceful and proper solution to the Syrian issue.

Jiechi added that China is concerned about the Syrian issue and the efforts for a political solution to the crisis are now at a critical stage, asserting that China was ''shocked and saddened'' by the recent killings of civilians in the town of Houla, demanding a ''fair and thorough investigation into the incident, and that those found responsible should be severely punished.''

The ad-hoc judicial committee investigating al-Houla massacre disclosed in its report yesterday that all the victims, shot dead at point blank range, belong to peaceful families who had never joined protests and stood against the armed terrorist groups.

The Chinese Foreign Minister underlined that his country ''has been making balanced, profound efforts to persuade the Syrian government and the opposition into holding peace dialogues'' taking a ''fair and pragmatic stance on the Syrian issue and has been paying close attention to the development of the situation in Syria.''

Al-Ibrahim