The Chinese government has all along supported the efforts made
by the United Nations and the African Union (AU) to resolve the
Darfur issue, China's special representative for Darfur said on
Tuesday.
China also agrees with some of the basic advocations of UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the settlement of the Darfur
issue, Liu Guijin told reporters at the UN Headquarters.
Liu said China believes that the recent effort by the
secretary-general to help fix a time and venue for negotiations
between the Sudanese government and the opposition groups is
"indeed helpful for the resolution of the Darfur issue."
"We support the resumption of negotiations for the peace of
Darfur between the Sudanese government and the opposition groups,"
and the effort made by the UN and the AU, especially the mediation
made by UN envoy Jan Eliasson and his AU counterpart, Salim Ahmed
Salim, Liu said.
"If there is an invitation, China will actively engage" and
serve as a bridge or contact party so as to make its contribution
with regard to peace and development in Darfur, he said.
The Chinese government is ready to make joint efforts with the
international community to promote the settlement of the Darfur
issue, he said.
China has in a very concrete way made its contributions to the
resolution of the Darfur issue on various aspects, he said.
At present, a total of 1,400 Chinese troops are taking part in
separate UN peacekeeping operations in seven African countries,
including Sudan, where 415 Chinese peacekeepers are deployed in the
south.
A 315-men multi-functional engineering unit from China, expected
to be deployed in Darfur in early October, would be the first batch
of UN-AU peacekeepers in place, Liu said.
China has been supporting the political process from the very
outset and believes that the political process and peacekeeping are
equally important, he said.
China has utilized all kinds of channels and talked to the
Sudanese government and persuade them as an equal partner to accept
the three-phase plan put forward by former UN secretary-general
Kofi Annan, especially the hybrid peacekeeping operation, he
said.
China has provided humanitarian and development assistance to
the Darfur region and will continue to provide even more, he
said.
For example, one Chinese company has completed a water supply
project in southern Darfur which will also be utilized by the UN
hybrid mission while another Chinese company is doing the same
thing to supply water to northern Darfur. China is also preparing
to build a hospital in Darfur and is also considering to send
medical teams there.
Therefore, China have played "a very constructive and unique
role" in the resolution of the Darfur issue, he stressed, adding
that China's constructive role has won recognition by the United
Nations, the African Union and many governments in the world
including those of developed countries.
A former Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe and South Africa, Liu
was appointed as the Chinese government's special representative
for Darfur in May.
Liu, who arrived in the UN Headquarters on Monday following a
visit to Washington, has met senior UN officials and ambassadors
from some African countries and exchanged views with them on the
Darfur issue.
(Xinhua News Agency September 12, 2007)
