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Remarks by Ambassador Geng Shuang at Security Council Briefing on UNITAD

2020-12-10 23:13

Mr. President,

I thank Special Advisor Mr. Karim Khan for his briefing.

Since the new government was sworn in this May, Iraq has made positive progress in moving forward its domestic political processes, tackling economic and social challenges, and developing peaceful and friendly foreign relations, among others. At the same time, terrorism remains a threat to peace and stability in Iraq. The international community should continue to support Iraq to combat terrorism, bring the terrorists to justice, and consolidate the hard-won achievements in countering terrorism. The work of UNITAD should be conducive to achieving this goal.

China takes note of the fifth report submitted by UNITAD and appreciates UNITAD’s active implementation of its mandate, despite challenges posed by COVID-19. The support of the Iraqi Government and the trust of the Iraqi people are essential to the work of UNITAD. We hope that UNITAD will maintain its independence and impartiality, and fulfill its duties in strict accordance with its mandate. According to Security Council resolution 2379, Iraq is the main recipient of the collected evidence, therefore UNITAD should hand over the evidence to Iraq in a timely and complete manner. Prior consent of Iraq should be obtained before information can be shared with other member states, and the principles of transparency and non-discrimination should be followed.

The international community should genuinely respect Iraq's sovereignty and jurisdiction over crimes committed on Iraqi territory and support Iraq in bringing the terrorists to justice in accordance with domestic laws. We welcome Iraq's legislative efforts aiming at promoting accountability of former ISIL terrorists, and hope that these efforts will produce results as early as possible. The parties concerned and UN should also support Iraq in addressing the issue of foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs), and the UN Secretariat should closely monitor the developments and effectively gather information, while the member states concerned need to shoulder their respective responsibilities.

Mr. President,

Terrorism is the common enemy of mankind and knows no borders. All countries must uphold multilateralism, strengthen international cooperation, fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, resolutely crackdown on all terrorist groups designated by the Security Council and without practicing double standards. China will continue working closely with Council members to promote international cooperation on counter-terrorism.

Thank you, Mr. President.

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