GERMAN Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder offered China an ``unconditional apology'' on behalf of his country and Nato for the bombing of the embassy in Belgrade and said alliance explanations had been ``far from enough''.
Mr Schroeder also said in a meeting with Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan that China ``has every reason to demand a comprehensive, thorough and in-depth investigation into the incident and affix the responsibility for it'', Xinhua News Agency reported.
Mr Schroeder arrived in China on Wednesday after four days of sometimes violent protests in Beijing and just hours before the remains of three journalists killed in Friday's attack were returned to Beijing. Mr Schroeder had sent a personal message of regret to Chinese President Jiang Zemin before leaving Germany.
China has rejected Nato's explanation that the bombing was a mistake and demanded a full explanation and punishment of those responsible.
German officials said the bombing and an outpouring of rage across China would dominate Mr Schroeder's visit, his first to China since becoming chancellor last year. The visit had been intended to focus on trade.
As chairman of the Group of Eight _ a forum of Western powers and Russia that agreed on the outline of a peace plan for Kosovo last week in Bonn _ Mr Schroeder plays a key role in forming a consensus on a peace plan. China's support is needed to endorse any plan for Kosovo in the UN Security Council.
``Just the fact that we are talking shows that both sides remain interested in a dialogue,'' Mr Schroeder had said before leaving Germany. He added that differences over Kosovo should not be allowed to affect ties. ``I think we will make it clear that a close economic and political relationship between Germany and China, between Europe and China, will also be needed in the future,'' he said.
Earlier, the chancellor told his cabinet that his main goal was to ensure ``that no doors are slammed shut and that China is tied into efforts for a political solution'' for the southern Yugoslav province.
Following the bombing, China downgraded the long-planned trip from a state visit to a simple working visit, and it was cut from four days to just 24 hours. A German business delegation that was to accompany Mr Schroeder cancelled, and Mr Schroeder cancelled a visit to Shanghai.
Mr Schroeder was briefed by Nato Secretary-General Javier Solana on the latest in the investigation into the errors that led to the attack on the embassy. The Nato claim was that it mistakenly believed the embassy to be a Yugoslav command centre. - AP 5/13/99 Via HK Standard