China welcomes U.N. resolution on MH17, urges Ukraine ceasefire

Chinese President Xi Jinping gives a lecture at Seoul National University in Seoul July 4, 2014. Xi later departs South Korea from Seongnam after a two-day visit, his first trip to the Asian neighbour since he took office last year. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji (SOUTH KOREA - Tags: POLITICS EDUCATION) - RTR3X1BF

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Beijing welcomes a recent U.N. resolution on downed Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 demanding that those responsible be held to account, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, and called for a ceasefire in Ukraine. On its website, the foreign ministry said Wang made the comments in Caracas on Monday while accompanying Chinese President Xi Jinping on a Latin American tour. Wang called for the International Civil Aviation Organization to be allowed to play a key role in the investigation and said international investigators should be given full access to the crash site. "We urged all Ukrainian parties concerned to cease fire as soon as possible and conduct dialogue and consultation so as to seek a comprehensive, lasting and balanced political solution," the statement quoted Wang as saying. In a statement, China's permanent mission to the United Nations said an impartial and fair investigation of the incident must be carried out to quickly determine the truth. The parties involved must not rush to conclusions, make subjective extrapolations, or find fault with each other, it added. (Reporting by Pete Sweeney and the Shanghai Newsroom; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)