China Thursday strongly urged the Somali faction leaders,
who remain outside the peace process, to join the others in
the peace efforts to end conflict and restore stability in
the Horn of Africa country.
The statement
came as Wang Yingfan, Chinese permanent representative to
the United Nations, took the floor at an open Security Council
debate on Somalia, first of its kind at the 15- nation Council
in recent years.
China
"strongly urge those leaders of the main factions of Somalia
who have stayed away from the National Peace Conference to
demonstrate necessary political courage and political wisdom
and take part in the peace process," Wang said.
"Any
action detrimental to the attainment of peace in Somalia will
be rejected by the Somali people," he said.
Of those
who remain outside the peace process, by far the most serious
obstacles are presented by the two "building blocks," the
self-styled "Somaliland" and "Puntland," Kieran Prendergast,
U.N. under-secretary-general for political affairs, told the
Security Council Thursday.
The faction
leaders refused to join the peace efforts initiated by the
Djibouti president.
The Somalia
National Peace Conference had moved into its second phase
by the peace meeting which started on May 2 in Djibouti. China
spoke highly of the Djibouti president and government in its
painstaking efforts to bring peace into Somalia, he said.
"The
entire people of Djibouti support the process of Somalia and
has made very valuable contribution to this process.""We
appeal to the international community to provide all necessary
assistance to Djibouti so as to successfully implement the
initiative of Djibouti President (Ismail Omar) Guelleh," he
said.
On the
sanctions against Somalia, Wang said, "The effective implementation
of the arms embargo will doubtlessly promote the peace process
in Somalia. However, for too long, the relevant sanctions
have not been implemented." "We hope this situation will be
rectified as soon as possible, " he said.
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