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Darfur's political process 'should not be disrupted'

By Jiao Xiaoyang (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-19 09:10

China is worried about the International Criminal Court's (ICC) indictment of Sudan's leader and hopes the move will not disrupt a political settlement of the Darfur issue, China's envoy for the region said on Friday.

Related readings:  China warns against complication of Darfur issue  Sudan warns ICC indictment could ruin Darfur peace  China calls for efforts to solve Darfur issue

Liu Guijin made the remark after ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said he wanted Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir tried for "genocide and war crimes".

The situation in Darfur is at a "delicate" stage, he said, as the UN is deploying hybrid peacekeeping forces there.

The Sudanese government is also trying to resume talks with the rebels, and a new coordinator appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has started work.

"Under such circumstances, the international community should help facilitate the political process and refrain from sending wrong signals."

He called on the international community to tackle the issue in a "sensible and constructive" manner.

Despite the worsening security situation in Darfur, the envoy said China would honor its pledge to work with the international community to push forward the peace process.

China this week sent a further 172 military engineers to Darfur, meaning that all of its 315 peacekeepers are now in place.