Beijing: China today (June 8, 2004) supported the amended draft resolution on Iraq by US and Britain, but stressed that the new Iraqi Interim Government should have a say in security issues after the handover of power scheduled for June 30.

"We have taken note that the draft resolution tabled by the United States and Britain has undergone several amendments. Compared with the first draft, the text of the new draft has many improvements," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told reporters in Beijing.

"The Chinese side welcomes it", Liu said a day after Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing held telephonic talks with Secretary of State Colin Powell and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Iraq issue.

"We maintain that to help promote the security situation in Iraq and restore sovereignty, it is necessary and conforms to the interests of all sides to adopt a new resolution on Iraq," he said.

While noting that the UN Security Council was currently having consultations on the new draft resolution, Liu hoped that the United States and Britain would continue to consult with other members of the UNSC.

"We hope that the United States and Britain will continue to coordinate with other countries and listen to their opinions and seek the widest consensus for the draft resolution," he said.

At the same time, the spokesman stressed that the new resolution on Iraq should clearly define the functions of the multinational force, its duration, its relation with the Interim Government in Iraq.