UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- China is in favor of the early lifting of sanctions against the Central African Republic (CAR), said a Chinese envoy on Thursday.
China's position on the issue has been consistent. China supports, on the basis of the actual situation on the ground and the wishes of the CAR government, the early lifting of the arms embargo and other measures against the CAR, said Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.
The overall situation in the CAR is trending for the better. The CAR government is committed to implementing the peace and reconciliation agreement. Positive progress has been made in meeting the key benchmarks for the Security Council's review of the arms embargo, he told the council after the adoption of a resolution on the easing of the arms embargo.
The resolution will help strengthen peace and security capacity building in the CAR, as well as promote peace and stability in the country, said Wu.
As the resolution provides that the Security Council will review the current sanction measures by January 2020, the council should listen to the CAR side and respect the wishes of the CAR government, said the Chinese envoy.
The CAR government has been asking for the removal of the arms embargo for years. But the Security Council was reluctant to do so as it had no confidence in the government's ability to properly manage weapon stockpiles and a significant influx of new arms.
In January, the council agreed to review the arms embargo measures on the condition of progress in the key benchmarks regarding the reform of the country's security sector, the disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and repatriation process for members of armed groups, and the management of weapons and ammunition.
The CAR has been mired in a civil war since 2012. The presence of armed groups has prevented the government from establishing state authority in most parts of the country. In February, the African Union brokered an agreement between the government and 14 armed groups.
