Speaking at the memorial meeting for Du Zhaoyu, the Chinese United Nations observer who died in an Israeli air raid on Lebanon, Defence Minister Cao Gangchuan offered condolences to his family and expressed deep sorrow on behalf of President Hu Jintao and the Central Military Commission.

Addressing the gathering at Jingxi Hotel in western Beijing yesterday, Cao said it was a grief to see a young life cut short and that Du's death was a loss for the country, the army and the cause of international peacekeeping.

Cao said Du, who he called a good son of the Chinese people, has demonstrated to the world with his actions that the Chinese army plays an important part in international peacekeeping missions.

Cao urged all the officers and soldiers to turn their grief into strength and make greater contributions to national security, unification and the world peace.

More than 1,000 people from the army, Foreign Ministry and Du's native Shandong Province in East China attended the meeting.

Du's remains were cremated at the Beijng Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery last Friday.

In another development, three Chinese peacekeepers are in stable condition after being lightly injured in an explosion that hit the headquarters of the Chinese Contingent of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon on Sunday.

The Foreign Ministry immediately issued a statement expressing its concern and dissatisfaction with the incident.

Chinese vice-ambassador to the United Nations Liu Zhenmin told reporters that the Chinese side has urged the UN to take necessary measures to ensure the safety of peacekeepers.

Liu said the essential solution to the current crisis is to bring the relevant parties in the conflict back to the negotiation table and solve the issue through diplomatic efforts.

He said the Chinese Government is firmly supporting the UN Security Council to pass a resolution that will call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and set a settlement for the conflict at an early date with the efforts of all parties.