China, along with Russia, France and Malaysia, abstained Thursday from voting on a draft resolution on Iraq, expressing doubt that such an approach would really help solve the long-standing problems.

Ambassador Qin Huasun, China's permanent representative to the U.N., said in a statement released before the voting that to put to vote on the draft resolution at a time of no consensus will not possibly settle the Iraqi issue and nor really help maintain the authority and the role of the Security Council.

The 15-member Security Council has been locked for months over how to resume the weapons inspections suspended a year ago and trigger the lifting of sanctions imposed on that country nine years ago. The United States and Britain pushed hard for an early vote but Russia, China, France and Malaysia were in favor of more consultations.

"China has also reiterated on many occasions that because the positions of the various sides on how to break the impasse and move the process are still vastly different and consensus could

only be reached after patient consultations, to set a time-frame or even impose a deadline to the consultation process just won't help," Ambassador Qin said.

"Unfortunately, some members have declined to accept our argument and request and have rushed for a Council action. We can not but express our utmost regret over this," he added.

"The Chinese side does not favor such an approach, nor can it support such a draft resolution. Therefore, we have no choice but to abstain from the vote," Qin said.

China, one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, believes that in formulating new comprehensive Council policies towards Iraq, at least three core issues will have to be addressed.

The three core issues include a new inspection commission to be established to replace the infamous UNSCOM and the new institution must be "objective, impartial, transparent and accountable."

The UNSCOM, established in line with the Security Council Resolution 687 on April 3, 1991, halted functioning after the United States and Britain launched air strikes at Iraq last December. Russia and China have been critical of it for acting presumptuously without authorization by the Security Council.

"You may further recall that on such a crucially important issue as its withdrawal from Iraq, UNSCOM bypassed the Council and made the decision all on its own. It is our demand as well as firm belief that the new inspection commission must not repeat the path of UNSCOM. Its activities must be objective and accountable and the Council must exercise absolute control and supervision over it," said the Chinese ambassador.

He believed that the yet-to-be-established new inspection commission should be sent to Iraq on a true fact-finding mission and the list of key remaining tasks should be reviewed and approved by the Security Council.

The Chinese ambassador also called on Iraq to undertake to address these tasks in accordance with approved list and to accomplish its disarmament obligations as soon as possible so that the Security Council will lift all sanctions accordingly and in a timely manner.

Ambassador Qin also drew worldwide attention to the plight of the Iraqi people, calling for prompt actions to ease their humanitarian sufferings.

"The nine-year-long sanctions have inflicted untold physical and psychological sufferings on Iraqi civilians, especially women and children...the Council, therefore, has every justification to remove, rather than prolong, the humanitarian sufferings of the Iraqi people," he said.

China maintains that the draft resolution, reinstatement of disarmament inspections and suspension of sanctions against Iraq should be linked together. While Iraq is gradually honoring its disarmament commitment and achieving progress, the Council should move, timely, to suspend the sanctions.

"If the new commission reports positively to the Council on Iraq's cooperation in addressing the key remaining tasks, the suspension of sanctions can and should be extended automatically,"

Ambassador Qin said. (Xinhua)