China said Monday that the United Nations should "play an important role" in the world efforts to "prevent and combat all forms of terrorist activities."
The statement came as Wang Yingfan, the Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations, was speaking at the 56th General Assembly session on "the Report of the UN Secretary-General on the Work of the Organization."
The September 11 attacks on New York and Washington "have once again demonstrated that at present terrorism is a salient problem and has become a major threat to international peace and security and that all countries in the world should strengthen cooperation and make joint efforts, for the sake of their common interests, to prevent and combat all forms of terrorist activities," he said.
"The United Nations should play an important role in this regard," he said. "The Chinese Delegation is going to participate actively in relevant discussions and make its own contribution to strengthening international cooperation against terrorism."
Under the United Nations Charter, the 189-nation world body has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. China, France and Russia, the three permanent members of the UN Security Council, and many other countries have called upon the United Nations to play an important role in the global efforts to prevent and fight terrorism after the terrorist attacks on the United States, in which more than 6,000 people are missing or killed.
The senior Chinese diplomat said that U.N. peacekeeping efforts have achieved positive results in some regions of the globe, particularly in Africa, but the world is still far from tranquillity.
Wang Yingfan, the Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations, told a plenary General Assembly session that the UN peacekeeping efforts have paid off thanks to the UN reform campaigns to strengthen UN peacekeeping capabilities.
Progresses are being made in promoting peace process in Sierra Leone, Ethiopia and Eritrea. "However, the world is still far from tranquillity," Wang said.
"People in many countries are still living in miseries caused by war and disturbances," he said, citing the continuing conflict between Israel and Palestine, which "has seriously undermined regional peace and stability."
"At the same time, issues such as drug trafficking and abuse, the deterioration of the environment, the spread of diseases and refugee problem have done more notable harms to security than before," he said.
"Rampant and unchecked activities by terrorists, separatists and the extremists have caused more and more damage and posed a new challenge to world peace and security," he said.
It is an indisputable fact that the overwhelming majority of today's conflicts occur in the economically underdeveloped countries and regions, he said. "Extreme poverty has put a strong grip on economic development and social progress of those countries and regions, causing regional disturbances and even armed conflicts."
"The international community, therefore, must strive to remove the root causes of these problems and make earnest efforts to help developing countries to solve the more fundamental issue of economic backwardness -- a primary catalyst for conflicts," he said.
"Past experience in conflict resolution in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe has demonstrated that the most effective way of conflict prevention and resolution and realizing lasting peace and security and common security is to resolve differences and disputes through dialogue, negotiation and consultation in strict accordance with the purpose and principles of the U.N. Charter," he said.
"This is the principle that must be always strictly followed in the process of preventing and resolving conflicts," he stressed.
(People’s Daily 09/25/2001)
