A delegation of diplomatic envoys wrapped up a four-day visit to the northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and departed for Beijing on Friday.

The delegation included diplomats from Indonesia, Togo, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Syria, Turkey, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Sweden, Australia and the United States; as well as representatives of various regions in China.

Before they left, the diplomats expressed sympathy to victims of the July 5 riot in the region's capital city Urumqi, and their appreciation of Xinjiang' s development.

"We are regretful for the riot which sabotaged ethnic unity andsocial stability, and express our sympathy," said Togo's ambassador to China Nolana Ta Ama, also head of the diplomatic delegation. "We appreciate the government's efforts to restore order," he said.

"As diplomatic envoys, we are on missions to develop our countries' friendly ties with China, as well as responsible for reporting what we see here to our governments," he said.

During their stay in Xinjiang, the envoys attended exhibitions relating the riot, in which 197 were kiled; and the fight against terrorism.

During the tour the diplomats visited the centuries-old Karez Wells In Turpan Prefecture. The Wells are subterranean canals regarded as one of China's three greatest construction projects alongside the Great Wall and the Grand Canal. The ambassadors alsowent to the Imin Minaret, an Islamic pagoda built in 1777, and theJiaohe Ruins, an ancient city on the Silk Road.

Uygur cultural heritage and ethnic identity had been well preserved, said Sudrajat, ambassador to China from the predominantly Muslim state of Indonesia.

"The heritage sites are historical evidence Xinjiang people have a long civilization, and that Xinjiang is not neglected," he said. "I very much enjoyed seeing the people in the area living stable, prosperous and harmonious lives."

On Thursday, the delegation visited Shihezi, a city designed and built in the Gobi Desert by the People's Liberation Army during the 1950s. The city, has been dubbed "a pearl in the Gobi Desert."

The delegation had arrived in Urumqi Monday.

(Xinhua News Agency August 14, 2009)