Syria talks continue in China

(Vatican Radio) The U.N.-Arab League envoy to Syria is urging China to be a part of a solution to Syria's 19-month-long crisis. Nathan Morley reports Listen:

Lakhdar Brahimi told Chinese Foreign Minister at a meeting Wednesday in Beijing that he hopes China "can play an active role" in resolving the conflict.

Brahimi is in China for a two-day trip, his latest in an effort to find a way to halt the fighting. He met earlier this week with Russian officials.

Both China and Russia have vetoed three U.N. Security Council resolutions that could have led to sanctions against the Syrian government.

Brahimi had called for a cease-fire during the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, but both Syrian rebels and government ignored the truce.

Fighting continued Wednesday, with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reporting government air strikes in areas east of the capital, Damascus.

Meanwhile, the Local Coordination Committees, another activist group, reported fierce fighting between government soldiers and members of the rebel Free Syrian Army southwest of Damascus.

The groups said fighting Tuesday killed more than 160 people across Syria.