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China urged to increase UN role

By Zhang Haizhou and Daniel Chinoy (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-21 09:25

China pledged on Friday to continue its support of United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations, but a high-ranking army official said the missions will also need major reforms to meet new challenges.

General Chen Bingde, chief of the General Staff of Chinese Armed Forces, said UN peacekeeping operations face difficulties in policymaking, financial guarantees and planning and management when he met with Alain Le Roy, UN under-secretary-general for peacekeeping operations.

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Chen said during their meeting in Beijing reforms of peacekeeping operations must be not only "active and creative", but "stick to basic principles". He did not elaborate.

"Meanwhile, (reform) should also attach importance to cooperation with (local) regional organizations," he said. "The ultimate goal should be to improve management and efficiency of peacekeeping operations."

Chen stressed China would do as it "had always been doing" and actively participate in UN peacekeeping operations and "work with the international community to contribute to preserving world peace and security".

Le Roy encouraged China to increase its support for peacekeeping initiatives.

"The job of being a peacekeeper has evolved drastically in the last decade," Le Roy said. "We have to adapt the way we operate to the changing environment and complexity of our new task."

Le Roy was in Beijing to attend a symposium hosted by the Chinese Ministry of National Defense called to discuss ways to improve coordination and logistical support for global peacekeeping efforts.

The number of UN peacekeepers has grown from 20,000 in 2000 to 115,000 today. Some 26,000 are in Sudan's Darfur region.

As recently as 10 years ago, UN peacekeepers focused on enforcing ceasefires between standing armies. Today, they perform a wide range of tasks - including election monitoring, protecting civilians and building local institutions.

China has sent more than 14,000 peacekeepers, mostly military observers, engineers and medics, to UN-led operations in the past 20 years, according to the Defense Ministry.