Organization in pipeline to end disputes

China plays crucial role in setting up intl mediation body for resolving conflicts

Fariz Mehdawi, Palestinian ambassador to China, is one of many foreign diplomats impressed by the proposed International Organization for Mediation — the world's first intergovernmental legal organization dedicated to peacefully resolving international disputes through mediation.

China is one of the founding countries of the organization. A joint statement was signed last year for its future establishment and an office was opened in Hong Kong this month to help conduct preparatory work.

The world "needs a responsible country" such as China to initiate such an effort, the ambassador said.