China urges peaceful settlement of disputes to reduce harm on civilians

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China urges peaceful settlement of disputes to reduce harm on civilians

(Xinhua) 10:00, August 20, 2013

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UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 19 -- Parties of armed conflicts should solve their disputes through dialogue and negotiations to minimize human casualties, a Chinese envoy to the United Nations (UN) said on Monday.

"Civilians are the primary victims of wars and armed conflicts, " Wang Min, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, said at a Security Council meeting on the protection of civilians in armed conflicts.

The international community has made enormous efforts to protect civilians in skirmishes, wars and armed conflicts, he said.

Noting that governments should shoulder the primary responsibility for protecting their own civilians, Wang said, "All the parties to the armed conflicts should effectively abide by the international humanitarian law and other relevant laws as well as resolutions of the Security Council to fulfill their obligations to protect civilians."

The operation of protecting civilians, he said, should be mandated by the Security Council and focused on pushing forward an early ceasefire and settling disputes through peaceful means such as dialogues and negotiation without any political conditions.

To strengthen the protection of civilians in armed conflicts, the key is to prevent conflicts, the envoy added.

"The council should actively conduct diplomacy by urging parties of conflicts to solve their difference through dialogue and negotiations and other peaceful means to minimize human casualties," he said.

The council should also focus efforts on helping those countries strengthen their security sectors and improve their ability to protect civilians, he added.

（Editor：ZhangQian、Yao Chun）