"The Joint Communique of July 30 provides the best frame-work for addressing all aspects of the issue--humanitarian security and political," Pakistan's Acting Permanent Representative, Ambassador Masood Khalid said.
Khalid was speaking at the plenary session of the UN Security Council which met in New York on Friday, July 30, for a resolution on the Darfur Crisis .
The UN Security Council adopted 'Resolution 1556' on the situation in Darfur.
Pakistan, along with China, abstained from voting on the resolution.
Thirteen Council members, including seven co-sponsors--US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Romania and Chile--voted in favour of the Resolution.
Khalid said that the people and government of Pakistan were as concerned about the humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan as other members of the international community. "All the people suffering as a result of this crisis are part of the Islamic Ummah. Pakistan fully shares the humanitarian objectives of the resolution," he added.
He said that Pakistan has also welcomed the involvement of the Secretary-General in facilitating a solution to the crisis.
Supporting the 'Communique', he said that it clearly delineated the commitments of the Sudanese government and the United Nations. "It provides for an independent and objective mechanism to evaluate the progress in implementation," he added.
Khalid said that co-operation of the government of Sudan was critical in realising the shared objectives of saving lives, addressing the humanitarian crisis, and stabilising peace in the Darfur region. "Our collective endeavours must encourage that co-operation, not complicate it," he said, adding that the Secretary-General has consistently emphasised the need for a 'coldly realistic' approach, and Pakistan agreed with his advice.
The Ambassador said that Pakistan had consistently counselled a calibrated response.
He said that while Pakistan appreciated the improvements in the draft made in response to Pakistan's specific proposals, the final text still lacked the delicate balance which this complex situation required. "We regret that despite efforts, no compromise was possible. We were, therefore, not able to support the resolution," he added.
Khalid said that Pakistan did not believe that the threat or imposition of sanctions against the government of Sudan was advisable under this resolution.