MANILA -- A senior official of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday praised China for its "proactive" effort to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.
"WHO acknowledges the proactive role that China has played right from the beginning of this outbreak, transparently sharing information as it becomes available, sharing knowledge," WHO Representative in the Philippines Rabindra Abeyasinghe said at a press conference.
"The identification of the pathogen per se, defining its whole genome sequence, and sharing diagnostics, also sharing information about the clinical presentations, the manifestations and how the patients are managed, all of that has been valuable in helping WHO better understand this disease," he added.
"We are very appreciative of those efforts of the Chinese government," Abeyasinghe said.
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BEIJING -- Dignitaries across the world have voiced confidence that China is fully capable of prevailing over the novel coronavirus outbreak.
"If there is any country in the world that has got the capacity to deal with this kind of crisis, it is China," Raphael Tuju, a cabinet secretary in the Kenyan government, said in a recent interview with Xinhua.
China has the discipline, technology, organizational skills and spirit to fight the epidemic, said Tuju, who is also secretary general of the ruling Jubilee party. "We believe that they will win the battle."
Chilean Health Minister Jaime Manalich, in a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Chile Xu Bu, said he appreciates Beijing's commitment to information sharing and transparency, as well as China's swift and strong responses.
"The Chinese scientists are working very hard to fight the disease," the minister noted, adding that his country stands ready to work closely with China against the epidemic and believes China will win the battle.
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KABUL -- The war-weary Afghans are supportive of the ongoing U.S.-Taliban talks to end the war in Afghanistan but described the process as a "boring practice" that has yet to deliver.
"It is almost two years that the U.S. special envoy for peace in Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad initiated direct talks with the Taliban to end the war in Afghanistan and also conclude America's longest war in its history but the outcome has yet to be announced," Abdul Bashir, 55, told Xinhua on Monday.
Bashir made the pessimism remarks after Khalilzad's meeting with President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah here in Kabul on Sunday.
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TEHRAN -- The Iranian foreign ministry said on Monday that U.S. president's recent Middle East peace plan, also known as the Deal of the Century, pays no heed to the Palestinians' rights.
"The Deal of the Century is one of the shameful proposals and initiatives by the United States," Abbas Mousavi, the ministry spokesman, said at his weekly press conference.
The U.S. plan is "an imposed peace and sale of the Palestinian territory," Mousavi added.
"Iran will side with the Palestinians in liberating al-Quds (Jerusalem)," he noted. Enditem
