The next UN secretary-general should come from Asia, the Chinese
Foreign Ministry said yesterday.
"China firmly believes that the next UN secretary-general should
come from Asia and Asian countries will maintain their solidarity
and coordinate efforts to select a competent, prestigious, and
widely accepted secretary-general," the ministry's spokeswoman
Jiang Yu told a regular press conference.
French ambassador to the UN, Jean-Marc de La Sabliere, said
Wednesday that the first "straw polls" for a new secretary-general
were due to be held by the UN Security Council by the middle of
July.
Sabliere, who is the Security Council president for July, told
reporters at the UN headquarters in New York that the organization
hoped to submit the final candidate to the General Assembly in late
September or early October. This will allow the new
secretary-general several months to prepare before taking up the
post at the beginning of next year.
Jiang said the straw polls were unofficial consultations and
aimed at testing Security Council members' general reactions to
different candidates.
Kofi Annan's second five-year term ends on December 31.
The UN Charter allows the Security Council to nominate a
candidate who must then be approved by the UN General Assembly.
Turning to the Middle East, Jiang said China was deeply
concerned over the worsening state of Palestine's humanitarian
situation, and urged Israel to lift its Palestine blockade and
cease military actions immediately.
She also called on the Palestinians to release the hostage
quickly to help create favorable conditions for the settlement of
the ongoing military conflict. Jiang said the international
community should attempt to ease the tensions and persuade the two
sides to get back round the negotiating table to resolve the issues
through dialogue and negotiation.
Palestinian militants kidnapped the 19-year-old Corporal Gilad
Shalit on June 25 during an attack on an Israeli army post near the
Gaza border. This sparked the latest crisis between the two
sides.
Israel launched the operation "Summer Rain" on June 28 after two
days of fruitless international mediation over the release of
Corporal Shalit.
In the wake of the raid Israeli troops entered the Gaza Strip in
the largest incursion into the coastal area since Israel pulled out
forces and settlers last summer following a 38-year occupation.
Israel had closed Gaza's borders and sent tanks, troops,
gunboats and aircraft to raid the Gaza Strip over the past few days
in a bid to press Palestinian militants to free the captured
Israeli soldier.
The Palestinian militants have demanded that Israel release
Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the soldier and set Tuesday
as the deadline.
However, Israel has rejected the ultimatum saying it would not
give in to blackmail.
Turning to North Korea's recent missile tests Jiang said: "We
think the UN Security Council should make a necessary response that
will help maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and
in the Northeast Asian region."
North Korea reportedly launched seven missiles on Wednesday
morning. That very day the Security Council met for an emergency
meeting to discuss the issue. "China participated in the
consultations in a responsible way," said Jiang.
China's ambassador to the UN, Wang Guangya, told reporters
before the meeting that any action the Security Council might take
depends on the consultations with all council members.
Jiang reiterated China's deep concern over the tensions caused
by the missile tests, hoping all the parties concerned will remain
calm and exercise restraint and avoid action that can further
intensify and complicate the situation. "China is in close contact
and consultations with the parties concerned," she said.
China has been playing a constructive role in easing the
situation on the Korean Peninsula and maintaining peace and
stability in the region, she said. China will continue to push
forward the negotiation process of the six-party talks.
"Facts prove that dialogue and consultation are effective ways
to solve problems," she said, noting that China will strive to ease
tensions through diplomatic efforts.
US assistant secretary of state, Christopher Hill, arrived in
Beijing this morning to discuss the missile issue. China's Vice
Foreign Minister Wu Dawei and Hill will exchange views on how to
promote the six-party talks in light of the current climate, Jiang
said.
China is willing to negotiate with the US on maintaining peace
and stability in Northeast Asia, she said.
Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing on Wednesday discussed the
situation by phone with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
"The two sides have exchanged views on the missile test-firing by
North Korea," Jiang said. They have agreed to keep in contact on
the issue, she added.
Li also talked by phone with Japanese Foreign Minister Aso Taro,
South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon and Australian Foreign
Minister Alexander Downer.
The official Korean Central News Agency reported yesterday that
a spokesman for the North Korean Foreign Ministry confirmed they
had test-fired the missiles.
On state visits, Jiang said Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala
Samaraweera will visit China from July 12-16 and Mauritian Foreign
Minister Madan Murlidhar Dulloo from July 9- 15.
(Xinhua News Agency July 7, 2006)