African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Alpha Oumar Konare on
Thursday hailed Africa-China cooperation, saying that such
cooperation is "sincere and friendly."
During his talks with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang
Jiechi, Konare said Africans believe that China will continue to
stand firmly side by side with Africa in the course of its peace
and development.
He said Africa and China enjoy mutual respect, mutual support
and profound traditional friendship, treating each other as
equals.
In the past, China firmly supported Africa's struggle for
independence and national liberation, Konare said. Under the new
situation, China urges the international community to value Africa'
s just stance and reasonable demand, commits itself to helping
Africa eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable development,
supports and takes part in United Nations' peacekeeping action in
Africa, he added.
As a whole, African countries firmly stick to the one-China
policy, objecting to "Taiwan independence" and supporting China's
reunification, Konare said.
He also said the AU conference center, to be built on the
Chinese aid, will become a new symbol of the friendship between
Africa and China.
For his part, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said that
during his current African tour, he was very impressed with
Africans' desire to pursue peace and development and their profound
friendship with Chinese people.
China has always attached importance to Africa, he said, adding
that strengthening the unity and cooperation with Africa is an
important part of China's foreign policy.
Yang said China firmly support Africa's efforts to achieve
lasting peace and sustainable development.
He said that during his Africa tour, he had reached new
consensus with concerned African countries on strengthening
traditional and friendly cooperation with mutual benefit, and fully
implementing the outcome of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on
China-Africa Cooperation, held in November 2006.
Describing African nations as "good friends, good partners and
good brothers" of China, Yang said China will continue to work with
Africa to push forward the new type of strategic partnership
between China and Africa.
On the Darfur issue, Yang said China welcomes the positive
progress of UN-AU hybrid peacekeeping action in Sudan's Darfur.
The international community should continue to stick to the
central leading role to be played by tripartite mechanism by
involving the government of Sudan, the African Union and the United
Nations, and push forward political negotiation and peacekeeping
deployment in a balanced manner, said Yang.
China would continue to play a constructive role in resolving
the Darfur issue properly, he said.
During the talks, Konare hailed China's efforts to send an
engineering unit to Darfur, saying that the AU appreciated China's
active and important role in the Darfur issue.
Konare added the AU would like to maintain cooperation with
China in the Darfur issue.
During the talks, the two sides agreed to strengthen dialogue
and cooperation in international and regional issues. Konare and
Yang signed an agreement on economic and technological cooperation
after the talks.
Yang and his entourage arrived in Addis Ababa on Thursday on the
last leg of his four-nation African tour.
(Xinhua News Agency January 11, 2008)
