China, Russia submit draft resolution on political settlement of Korean Peninsula issue

BEIJING, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- China and Russia have jointly put forward a draft resolution on the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue to the United Nations Security Council, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

Geng Shuang said at a news briefing that the draft resolution includes three main aspects. First, it reiterates that relevant parties should be committed to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Second, it urges the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to continue dialogue and calls for the resumption of the six-party talks. Third, it proposes lifting some of the sanctions on the DPRK in light of the country's compliance with relevant resolutions.

"We hope the UN Security Council can have one voice in supporting the political settlement of the issue," said Geng, adding that the UN Security Council should encourage the United States and the DPRK to respect each other's concerns, show flexibility and sincerity, meet each other halfway, make joint efforts to implement the consensus of the Singapore Joint Statement, follow the phased and synchronized principles to resume dialogue as soon as possible, and prevent the dialogue process from derailing or even regressing.

The Korean Peninsula issue is at an important and sensitive stage with an increasingly urgent need for a political settlement, said Geng, calling on the international community to uphold an objective and fair position, consolidate consensus, maintain the hard-won momentum from talks to prevent the peninsula from falling back into confrontation and avoid a serious reversal of the situation.

The UN Security Council must fulfill its responsibilities under the UN Charter and take practical measures in this regard, he added.

Geng also expounded China's position on the Korean Peninsula issue, saying China has always been committed to the denuclearization of the peninsula, maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula, resolving issues through dialogue and consultation, and simultaneously establishing a permanent peace regime while realizing the denuclearization of the peninsula.

China advocates a balanced solution to the concerns of all parties, especially the DPRK's legitimate and reasonable concerns on security and development, Geng said.

China hopes that members of the UN Security Council will remain united, shoulder their historic responsibilities, support the draft resolution by China and Russia, and jointly promote the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue, Geng said, adding that China stands ready to work with all parties concerned to continue to make contributions to realizing the denuclearization of the peninsula and safeguarding the lasting peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula.