(May 4, 2011) 

Mr. President,

I, too, would like to thank Mr. Moreno-Ocampo for his briefing.

The Chinese position on the International Criminal Court remains unchanged. We attach great importance to combating impunity and achieving justice. China has always believed that the pursuit of justice should be premised on the core values of safeguarding peace and security and maintaining international peace and harmony.

At present, the crisis in Libya shows no signs of abating, and efforts to end it have reached a stalemate. At the same time, the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate and the civilian population continues to suffer grave consequences. China expresses its serious concern in this regard.

China calls for the complete and strict implementation of the relevant resolutions of the Security Council. The international community must respect the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Libya. The internal affairs and fate of Libya must be left up to the Libyan people to decide. We are not in favour of any arbitrary interpretation of the Council’s resolutions or of any actions going beyond those mandated by the Council. China believes that the priority for the time being must be to achieve a complete and unconditional ceasefire, as called for by the Council, and to establish a ceasefire monitoring system under the auspices of the United Nations.

Peaceful dialogue and negotiations are the best way forward towards a political solution to this crisis. We endorse the efforts made by all interested parties, especially the African Union. We endorse the fivepoint road map proposed by the African Union. The United Nations and the Security Council must play a leading role in properly resolving the Libyan crisis. We would like to see the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General, Mr. Al-Khatib, playing a stronger role on the political track.

At the same time, we would like to ensure that the International Criminal Court properly assesses the requirements to resolve in crisis in Libya appropriately in its efforts to implement resolution 1970 (2011) and to play a positive and constructive role in promptly restoring peace, security and order in Libya.