COLLABORATE TO END DARFUR CRISIS (FOREIGN PAGE)

By Kobby Asmah and Mary Mensah

Mr Yu Wenzhe, the Ambasador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to Ghana has called on all sides of the political divide in the Darfur crisis to collaborate and work for durable peace.
He said there was the need for all sides to muster the political and work together for an end to the crisis.
He was discussing the way forward in the Darfur crisis with the Daily Graphic after addressing a press conference on the anniversary of Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation (FOCAC) in Accra last Thursday.
He said that the Darfur crisis was a very complicated one which needed all sides to collabororate and work for peace.
He said Africa Union and the United Nations must continue with efforts they were already pursuing to bring a lasting end to the crisis.
He said that China supports AU’s leading role in resolving African issues and had provided assistance both in cash and in kind to AU peacekeeping operations in Sudan and Somalia.
The Chinese government, Ambassador Yu said appointed a special representative on African affairs for the first time last May and was working vigorously and effectively to help resolve the Darfur issue.
He said that China had provided humanitarian relief to Darfur and Somalia through the UNHCR and was currently taking part in seven UN peacekeeping operations in Africa contributing nearly 1,300 military personnel.
In addition, he said that, China-Africa co-operation in the fields of cultural exchanges, tourism, financial institutions, science and technology, human resources training, health, education, agriculture have been expanded.
Ambassador Yu described his working visit to Ghana as an honour because “I have come at a very good time where relationships has been at a very satisfactory stage”
“My main priority is to further this friendship and co-operation between the two countries” He said stressing that “We will work with our Ghanaian counterpart to follow up on all bilateral agreements reached over the past years by our two leaders especially the Beijing Summit last November.
He mentioned the Bui Dam, Afife Irrigation, Dangme East District Hospital, Police Apartments, Beijing Village (Barracks at Burma Camp) and the 17.4 km Ofankor-Nsawam stretch of the Accra-Kumasi Highway projects as well as two stadiums, which will serve the CAN 2008, contracted by China Shanghai Construction Group as some of the high points in China, Ghana relationship.