In the afternoon of July 31st New York time, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1769, authorizing deployment of AU-UN Hybrid Operation in the Darfur region of Sudan. After voting, Permanent Representative of China to the UN H. E. Ambassador Wang Guangya made an explanation of vote as follows:

The Security Council just adopted unanimously Resolution 1769 to authorize deployment of AU-UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur. This is a consensus product reached through dialogue and consultation by parties concerned and a long-awaited result for all parties.

The Chinese side always stands for political settlement on the Darfur issue, committing to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sudan, and engaging each other through dialogue and consultation on an equal footing. In this process, the AU and the UN both have a constructive role to play. Meanwhile, the Darfur issue should be addressed in a comprehensive manner. Maintaining security and stability, promoting the political process, increasing humanitarian assistance and focusing on long-term economic and social development are related aspects. All of them should be treated in an equal light. In our view, a positive momentum has been generated in the past several months on the Darfur issue, providing a rare opportunity that the international community should not miss in order to push for gradual, appropriate and comprehensive settlement of the issue.

Today's Resolution marks a major step forward for addressing the issue. The Darfur issue cannot be resolved without the efforts of the Sudanese Government and the cooperation of the Sudanese Government is even more important for deployment as well as discharge of the Hybrid Operation. The Sudanese side has shown flexibility and taken vigorous measures in resolving the issue, which should receive full recognition and encouragement from the international community. The consensus reached by the UN-AU-Sudan tripartite dialogue mechanism on the Hybrid Operation is the political prerequisite on which this Resolution is adopted. It is necessary to continue to attach importance and give full play to the positive role of this tripartite mechanism.

Today's Resolution is more a result of the endeavors of the Security Council members to seek common ground while shelving differences and render mutual understanding and accommodation. The Security Council's speaking with one voice on authorizing the Hybrid Operation provides an important guarantee for the Darfur peacekeeping process. It should be particularly emphasized that the purpose of this Resolution is to authorize the launch of the Hybrid Operation, rather than exert pressure or impose sanctions. Throughout the consultations, China has consistently stated that the Resolution should be simple and clear-cut, focus on the core of authorizing deployment of the Hybrid Operation by the Security Council. Obviously, the text of the Resolution still has room for further improvement, but the Chinese side believes that the final version by and large reflects the above spirit. It is on this ground that the Chinese side joined the consensus and voted in favor of the Resolution.

Today's Resolution is only the first step toward full settlement of the Darfur issue. The next key step is to faithfully implement it. In deploying the Hybrid Operation, all parties should abide strictly by the tripartite consensus and avoid wanton misinterpretation of the Resolution. The current positive momentum is the result of hard work, so parties concerned should all dearly cherish their mutual political trust. While launching the Hybrid Operation, it is still essential to speed up the implementation of the three-phased plan. As the only international peacekeeping force in Darfur, African Mission in the Sudan (AMIS) is shouldering daunting tasks and faced with huge difficulties. In the near future, the Security Council should first focus on urging the international community to provide financial support to AMIS, and fully implement the United Nations Light and Heavy Support packages aimed at building the capacity of AMIS so as to lay a solid foundation for deployment of the Hybrid Operation.

Peacekeeping deployment is only one aspect of the settlement of the Darfur issue. The "two-track strategy" should continue to be implemented by accelerating the political process. The fundamental prerequisite for achieving lasting peace and stability in Darfur is to encourage all factions in the region to conclude and implement a comprehensive peace agreement. China welcomes the success of the second Tripoli Conference and appreciates and supports the great efforts made by the two special envoys of the AU and the UN. As a next step, the international community should take effective measures to persuade and press the non-signatories to participate in the political process. Furthermore, it is broadly shared that a root cause for the Darfur crisis is poor development in the region. We need to attach high importance to rehabilitation, reconstruction and development in Darfur. The international community should take a long-term perspective, work out at an early date a development strategy for Darfur in consultation with the Government of Sudan, and provide more input to economic and social development in Darfur, so as to fundamentally improve the livelihood of the people and uproot the source of conflicts.

The Darfur issue has attracted world attention. The AU, the UN and other parties concerned are all helping to solve this issue. China sincerely hopes to see an early settlement of the issue in a fair, equitable and proper manner. We hope the Resolution adopted today will serve as a new starting point for enhanced cooperation between the international community and the Government of Sudan, and greatly promote the political process of comprehensive settlement of the Darfur issue. The Chinese side will continue to take a constructive and active part in the process.

Thank you for your attention.