China's principles on peacekeeping operations
Qin Huasun, former Chinese ambassador to the United Nations,
expressed China's support for the UN peacekeeping operations at a seminar held
in France on the improvement of UN peacekeeping operations in African
countries.
Qin said that the United Nations peacekeeping operations had
experienced unprecedented development, as was evidenced by the enlargements of
the UN missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone. UN
peacekeepers have contributed a lot to easing and resolving regional tensions,
and have thus won acclaims from the intentional community.
He pointed out that China had always attached importance to the
UN peacekeeping operations, supported the UN's work in the area in accordance
with the UN Charter.
In recent years, China had actively participated in the UN
peacekeeping operations and dispatched over 1,500 person/times to the UN
missions in such areas as the Middle East, Iraq-Kuwait border, Western Sahara,
Ethiopia-Eritrea border, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone,
Mozambique, Liberia, Cambodia, East Timor, Bosnia Herzegovina.
He stressed that it had become clear that adherence to the
purposes and principles of the UN Charter and norms governing intentional
relations, especially the principles of respect for sovereignty and
non-interference in member states' internal affairs, is the important basis for
successful peacekeeping operations.
Qin said that no matter in what way was the UN involved in
conflicts, all its actions should help maintain the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of the country concerned. The actions should reflect the collective
will of the people of the country concerned and abide by the principles of
impartiality. The peacekeepers should use force only in self-defense or with the
prior consent of all parties concerned, he said.
China, he said, appreciated the contributions by the
Organization of African Unity (OAU), Southern African Development Community
(SADC) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to the course of
peacekeeping in Africa.
China had all along attached importance to African issues and
supported the relevant organizations and countries in their efforts to
independently resolve conflicts in the region, he said.
Qin promised that as a permanent member of the Security
Council, China would continue to urge the council to devote more time to
discussing African issues and maintaining the region's peace and stability. He
said the intrinsic link between peace and development, the two main themes of
today's world, had been widely recognized by the international community, and if
the root cause was not eliminated, sooner or later the conflicts would
resurface.
He pointed out that the UN should work to eliminate the root
cause of the conflicts and help developing countries, especially the African
countries, to get rid of poverty and backwardness. This, and only this, would
guarantee genuine lasting peace in the world.
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