ICC work should be conducive to long-term stability, security in Sudan's Darfur: Chinese envoy

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Monday expressed the hope that the action of the International Criminal Court (ICC) should be conducive to achieving long-term stability and security in Sudan's Darfur region.

"The ICC should strictly abide by the principle of complementarity and effectively respect the judicial sovereignty of Sudan. China hopes that the ICC's action on the basis of the Security Council's resolution will be conducive to achieving long-term stability and security in Darfur," said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

China has been watching closely as the ICC addresses the Sudan-related situation, and has taken note of the work done by ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan since he took office, he told the Security Council.

With the signing of the Juba Peace Agreement, Darfur has entered a new stage of peacebuilding. China encourages all signatories to continue the implementation of the peace agreement and calls on Dafurian factions that have yet to sign the agreement to join the peace process as soon as possible, said Geng.

The recent intercommunal violence in Darfur underscores the fact that the security situation in Darfur remains daunting. The international community should support Sudan in security capacity-building to enable it to shoulder the primary responsibility for the protection of civilians in Darfur, he said.

However, long-term stability and security in Darfur can only be achieved by way of reconciliation. The Juba Peace Agreement has made clear provisions for this, which include achieving judicial justice, fighting impunity, and establishing a truth and reconciliation commission, he said.

"As the country is facing multiple challenges at this moment, it should come as no surprise that the implementation of the agreement is encountering difficulties. Therefore, the international community should remain adequately patient while providing constructive assistance to Sudan to implement the agreement," he said.