Wen, British PM discuss Darfur, bilateral relations

BEIJING—Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao spoke with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on the phone Tuesday to discuss bilateral relations, the issue of Sudan’s Darfur region and other international issues.
Both leaders hailed the good momentum in the growth of China-Britain relations and pledged to work together for stronger bilateral ties by deepening cooperation in economy, trade, environmental protection, energy conservation, culture and the Olympic Games. Regarding Darfur, Wen said China hopes for a quick realization of peace, stability and development for the Sudanese region and has worked constructively to this end.
China has put forward and pushed for a tripartite mechanism involving the Sudanese government, the African Union and the United Nations and a dual-track strategy in resolving the issue, Wen said. China was the first nation outside Africa to send peacekeepers to Darfur and the first and biggest development aid provider to the region, the Chinese premier said.
China would again send its special envoy for Darfur, Liu Guijin,to Sudan soon, he said. Wen also expressed China’s readiness to continue working with Britain for the resolution of the Darfur issue. Brown, for his part, praised China’s efforts in resolving the issue and voiced Britain’s opposition to boycotting the Olympic Games in Beijing. He expected the games in Beijing to become the most successful sports meet of the century.
The Chinese government has made unremitting efforts to help resolve the crisis in Sudan’s western region of Darfur, said Chinese Ambassador to Sudan Li Chengwen in an interview with Xinhua reporter based here on Saturday. Li’s statement came as a response to Hollywood movie director Steven Spielberg’s action of withdrawal from 2008 Beijing Olympics, linking the Games to the nation’s involvement in Sudan.
Spielberg on Wednesday announced his decision of withdrawal from 2008 Beijing Olympics as an artistic advisor, citing concerns over the crisis in Darfur and saying that China wasn’t doing enough to pressure Sudan over the conflict in the region. China is very concerned about the crisis in Darfur, and we have been making unremitting efforts to help resolve the crisis, Li said.
Firstly, China has been working closely with the United Nations to resolve the Darfur crisis through political means, said the ambassador. On July 31 last year, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1769, authorizing the deployment a hybrid UN and African Union (AU) force in Darfur, which marks a great achievement in the settlement of the crisis there.
China helped push forward the Sudanese government, the AU and the UN reaching consensus on the resolution on the hybrid force to Darfur, which did not come easily and our efforts have been applauded by the international community, Li said. China also made proposals on the peaceful settlement of the Darfur issue, which were approved by various parties concerned.
What’s more, last year when Sudan and the UN differed over the deployment of hybrid peacekeeping forces, China appointed Liu Guijin, a veteran diplomat as a special envoy on the issue, who traveled to Khartoum three times to persuade the Sudanese government to accept the UN resolution. Liu also attended two peace talks on Darfur, and shuttled between the United States, major African countries, the UN, the AU, the Arab Union and the European Union, to facilitate the communication and coordination between various parties on the issue.
The Chinese government has also maintained sound communication with the Sudanese government, held discussions with it on the basis of respect for its sovereignty and territorial integrity. China sees to it that the concerns of the Sudanese government are heard, while conveying to the government the international community’s concern over Darfur.—Xinhua