You are either a friend or an enemy. This is the gauge some
countries have resorted to for dividing the world.
It is easy for them to single out their enemies, isolating or
exerting sanctions against them.
Those who do not follow are criticized and excluded.
China has approached the Darfur issue from a different
perspective.
After a fact-finding visit to the region, Chinese Special Envoy
to Darfur Liu Guijin said the core of the crisis is not genocide
but development.
Darfur is a region afflicted with adverse natural conditions.
Different ethnic groups fight for the limited resources to
survive.
Sanctions have been imposed on Sudan. Now new pressure and
sanctions on the country are expected to mount.
Will this approach work?
Those who have carried out the design need to think hard.
Ignoring the roots of the crisis while wielding a big stick is
not a feasible approach.
The way out for people in the Darfur region is to help them
toward development.
More political efforts are needed to work out a peaceful
solution. The positive signs from the region, as the Chinese envoy
has found, are encouraging.
Increasing pressure or sanctions will only fuel the crisis. This
is detrimental to the implementation of the second phase of the
United Nations support plan.
Given the complexity of the Darfur situation, it is unrealistic
to hope for an overnight solution. Wisdom and patience are needed
from the international community.
Dialogue and negotiation are the most effective approaches to
handling the issue. The international community needs to promote
both peacekeeping missions and the political process to implement
the "Annan proposal". This three-phase support plan aims at
deploying a combination of African Union and UN peacekeeping forces
in the Darfur region.
China knows well what peace means to the region. It has decided
to dispatch a 275-member multi-functional engineering squad to help
implement the second phase of the proposal.
China has dealings with Sudan for humanitarian support,
peacekeeping missions and business. It is unfair to find fault with
China's business with Sudan.
(China Daily May 31, 2007)
