Liu Jieyi(C Front), China's permanent representative to the United Nations, speaks during an UN Security Council meeting on Sudan and South Sudan at the UN headquarters in New York, the United States, Aug. 12, 2016. The Chinese envoy on Friday called for full consultation with South Sudan on the deployment of a regional protection force, saying the deployment should obtain consent from the country's transitional government. Only by doing so will the regional protection force truly achieve the goal to promote peace and stability in South Sudan and to create favorable conditions for implementation of a peace agreement of all parties, China's Ambassador Liu Jieyi told the UN Security Council. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)
UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Friday called for full consultation with South Sudan on the deployment of a regional protection force, saying the deployment should obtain consent from the country's transitional government.
Only by doing so will the regional protection force truly achieve the goal to promote peace and stability in South Sudan and to create favorable conditions for implementation of a peace agreement of all parties, China's Ambassador Liu Jieyi told the UN Security Council.
Liu made the remarks after the Security Council voted for a resolution to authorize deployment of 4,000 strong troops to strengthen the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, known as UNMISS, after a renewed fighting in the country's capital of Juba.
The resolution decided to increase the force levels of UNMISS from its current 12,000 up to a ceiling of 17,000 troops, including 4,000 for the Regional Protection Force.
It also threatens to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan if the transitional government impedes the deployment of the regional protection force.
The U.S.-drafted resolution was adopted by the 15-nation council with 11 members voting in favor. China, Russia, Venezuela and Egypt abstained.
Ambassador of South Sudan Akuei Bona Malwal told the council that his government rejected this resolution "as it did not take into account or even consider the points of view of South Sudan."
"The adoption of this resolution goes against the basic principle of UN peacekeeping operations, which is the consent of the main parties to the conflict," he added.
In July, clashes between government and opposition forces took place in Juba, killing 272 people, including 33 civilians. Since then, the security situation in South Sudan has significantly deteriorated.
The idea to deploy a regional force was decided at a summit of Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an East African bloc and also a main actor in resolving South Sudan crisis.
An IGAD communique on Aug. 5 noted that the composition, mandate, armament, deployment and funding of the regional protection force shall be done in consultation with South Sudan's transitional government.
After the United States proposed the resolution, South Sudan accused it of plotting to put the country under UN trusteeship by revising the mandate of the protection force agreed upon by regional countries.
