Mr. President,

China abstained on the vote on this resolution, and wishes to elaborate on our position as follows very briefly. 

China has always insisted that the Security Council should take a prudent and responsible approach on issue of sanctions. We emphasize that sanctions are only a means to an end, not an end itself, and must be reviewed in a timely fashion and be adjusted or terminated as appropriate. We regret to see that the draft resolution which was voted on is not working in this direction. Council Resolution 2676 clearly provides that the sanctions on Darfur are to expire in September this year. The current resolution renewing the mandate of the Sudan panel of experts to March next year is apparently and utterly unjustified and contradictory.

Thank you, Mr. President.