Visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao on Friday put
forward a four-point principle for the concerned parties to observe in the
pursuit of a solution to the Darfur issue.
Chinese President Hu Jintao,
right, reviews the honor guard in company with his Sudanese counterpart
Omar Hassan Ahmed Al-Bashir during a welcome ceremony in Khartoum, capital
of Sudan, Friday, February 2, 2007. Sudan is the third station in an
eight-nation tour of the continent. [AP]
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During the talks with his
Sudanese counterpart Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir in Khartoum, Hu said that China
appreciates efforts by the Sudanese government, the African Union, the Arab
League, the United Nations and countries concerned to solve the Darfur issue,
and hopes that the issue could be solved as soon as possible.
He said
China believes that it is imperative to observe the following four principles in
the pursuit of a solution to the Darfur issue:
The first principle is to respect Sudan's sovereignty and territorial
integrity, he said, adding that the settlement of the issue should be helpful
for Sudan's reconciliation process, its national unity and regional peace and
stability.
The second principle is to solve the issue by peaceful means and by sticking
to dialogue and coordination based on equality.
It is imperative for the parties concerned to take into consideration the
overall situation and from a long-term perspective, respect and address each
other's reasonable concerns, and seek shared interests through dialogue in order
to find out a just solution, he said.
Hu went on to say that the African Union and the United Nations should play
constructive roles in a peacekeeping mission in Darfur, adding that wisdom and
creativity should be employed in order to improve the efficiency of the
peacekeeping mission to create favorable conditions for achieving peace in the
region.
"China supports the process of seeking a political solution to the issue," Hu
said.
The fourth principle is that it is imperative to improve the situation in
Darfur and living conditions of local people, he said.
What is important right now is to achieve a comprehensive ceasefire in Darfur
and speed up the process of political negotiations and let those who have not
signed the Darfur Peace Accord join the peace process as soon as possible, he
said.
Meanwhile, it is important to ensure the delivery of humanitarian relief to
improve living conditions of local people, he added.
For this purpose, China has decided to once again offer assistance valued at
40 million RMB (about 5.2 million U.S. dollars) to the Darfur region, he said.
After the talks, the two leaders attended the signing ceremony of seven
cooperation documents covering economy and technology.
On Friday afternoon, the Chinese president also visited an oil refinery in
Khartoum.
Hu arrived here earlier in the day for a two-day state visit to Sudan, the
third leg of his eight-nation African tour, which has taken him to Cameroon,
Liberia and will take him to Zambia, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique and
Seychelles.
Hu's African trip came only three months after the Beijing Summit of the
Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, at which Chinese and African leaders agreed
to establish and develop a new type of strategic partnership, featuring
political equality and mutual trust, economic win-win cooperation and cultural
exchange.
Earlier, the Chinese president described his African trip as "a journey of
friendship and cooperation."
He said that his current visit to the eight African countries aims to
consolidate the traditional friendship between China and Africa, implement the
agreements reached at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa
Cooperation last November, increase substantial cooperation and promote common
development.