EU President Van Rumpoy says no military solution to conflict in Syria

BEIJING – EU President Herman Van Rumpoy says there is no military solution to the ongoing conflict in Syria.

Van Rumpoy spoke Thursday following an EU-China summit in Beijing at which Syria and other international issues were discussed. He said that China, a U.N. Security Council member, has a role to play in formulating actions to mitigate the conflict such as the destruction of chemical weapons.

China has been criticized for blocking harsher action by the U.N. that could lead to the ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Van Rumpoy said China was already working closely with the EU on the Iranian nuclear issue. He said the sides also discussed the need to restore stability in North Africa, Mali and the Sahel to fight organized crime and terrorism.