Q: It is reported that Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan has recently written letters on the Iraqi question to the Foreign Ministers of the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom and France, four permanent members of the UN Security Council, and Secretary-General. Kofi Annan of the UN. Can you tell us the content of the letters?

A: Vice Premier Tareq Aziz of Iraq paid a visit to China from November 26 to 28 at the invitation. President Jaing Zemin, Vice Premier Qian Qichen and Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan met with him separetaly and exchanged views on the Iraqi situation. Recently Foreign Minster Tang Jiaxuan has written letters to the Foreign Ministers of the United States, Russia, France and the United Kingdom, four permanent members of the UN Security Council and UN Secretary-General to inform them of Mr. Aziz ?s visit to China, in which he has expressed concern with the present humanitarian situation in Iraq and supported the efforts made by UN Secretary- General to break the deadlock of the Iraqi question, and appealed to the parties concerned to show their political willingness so as to find a way out of the stalemate of Iraqi question.