Peace Update: What China holds on the South China Sea issue?

Let calm, peace return to South China Sea - People's Daily Online: (pls visit site for complete article)

"South China Sea dispute should be laid aside

China firmly holds the stance that the dispute in the South China Sea should be solved through peaceful negotiation. Signed in November 2002 by China and ASEAN countries, the declaration aims to maintain stability, enhance mutual trust and boost cooperation in the South China Sea and create a sound condition and environment for the countries concerned in solving the disputes. However, the regional situation has never been peaceful over the past nine years.

Shen Jiru, research fellow with the Institute of World Economics and Politics under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that countries in surrounding areas, particularly Vietnam and the Philippines, misunderstood China's sincerity of peace and took China's forbearance and patience as a sign of weakness. They invaded and occupied the islands and reefs that belonged to China on both historical and legal bases."

Teng Jianqun, research fellow with the China Institute of International Studies, said that the Declaration had played a crucial role in maintaining peace and stability in South China Sea. Neighboring countries have never launched a military occupation since the declaration was signed. Because the declaration is legally binding, Vietnam and the Philippines changed their mode of invasion from military occupation to seizure of oil, gas and other resources and continuously expanded the scope and intensity.

Resources exploration complicates the issue. Teng said that China had put forward the principle of "maintaining sovereignty, shelving disputes and co-developing resources." Now some countries agree to shelve the dispute but explore the resources individually.

Shen said that the aforementioned principles were in accordance with both the historical fact and theory of law. But countries like Vietnam and the Philippines took measures of nibbling at China's islands and reefs, taking exclusive possession of natural resources and making the issue international and more complicated by introducing a third party to discriminate against China. But ASEAN did not lose its mind.

China and ASEAN member nations adopted the guideline to implement the "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" at the recently concluded ASEAN-China (10+1) Foreign Ministers' meeting. The principle embodies China's stance of "shelving disputes and co-developing resources."

According to the sixth clause, pending a comprehensive and durable settlement of the disputes, the parties concerned may explore or undertake cooperative activities. It is said that, with the guideline, all the countries concerned will enhance mutual trust, narrow disputes and pave the way for solving the conflict.

Peace Update: Jazz Great Herbie Hancock a UN Culture Ambassador - ABC News

Jazz Great Herbie Hancock a UN Culture Ambassador - ABC News: "Jazz great Herbie Hancock wants his music to build bridges between cultures, a mission that fits perfectly with his new role as a U.N. cultural ambassador promoting peace through culture and education.

The 71-year-old — imbued with boundless energy, curiosity and cool-cat poise — is a natural for the job. His 'The Imagine Project' album is a multicultural potpourri featuring collaborations with musicians from 11 countries and seven languages. He founded The International Committee of Artists for Peace, too.

'It feels like an answer to some of my biggest dreams,' the pianist and composer told The Associated Press about his Friday appointment as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.

UNESCO 'really cares about working toward the globalized peaceful world that people actually want to live in.'"

Peace Update: UN council turns around on climate change

UN council turns around on climate change: "UNITED NATIONS — The UN Security Council expressed concern Wednesday that climate change may aggravate threats to international peace and security after what diplomats described as intense negotiations between Germany and Russia, which initially opposed any council action.
Germany, which holds the council presidency this month and initiated the daylong debate, pressed for the first-ever council statement linking climate change to global peace and security."

Diplomats said after Russia blocked consensus on Germany’s proposed statement Wednesday morning, Germany initiated high-level contacts with Moscow that produced agreement on a weaker version. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because negotiations were private.

“This is a good day today for climate security,” German Ambassador Peter Wittig said, characterizing climate change as “one of the most important challenges to international peace and security of this century.”

“We had quite extensive discussions,” Wittig said. “We wanted to get everyone on board. And we did.”

The turnaround came after a day of speeches by representatives of more than 60 countries, including small islands such as the Pacific state of Nauru endangered by rising seas that scientists blame on climate change. U.S. Ambassador Susan E. Rice had called failed attempts to reach consensus in the morning “pathetic” and “shortsighted.”

“The Security Council expresses its concern that possible security implications of loss of territory of some states caused by sea-level-rise may arise, in particular in small low-lying island states,” read the statement approved in the late afternoon.

The statement also asked the Secretary-General to include the security implications of climate change in his reports.

“I would like to thank all members of the council for their cooperation and flexibility shown in those intensive negotiations over the last days,” Wittig said after reading the statement. “It led to an outcome of our debate, which is good news.”

During an open debate earlier in the day, Russia and several other council members argued that climate change shouldn’t be discussed in the UN body responsible for world peace, but rather by other UN bodies such as its General Assembly, Economic and Social Council, Environment Program, and Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Britain joined the U.S. in arguing that it was appropriate for the council to address the climate change’s security implications, saying that dramatically changing weather patterns are leading to flooding, drought, dwindling food stocks and other crises that threaten global security and peace.

The latest such crisis is the famine that the UN declared Wednesday in two regions of southern Somalia.

In the morning, Nauru President Marcus Stephen expressed disappointment the council was initially failing to reach consensus. “The Security Council must reflect current geopolitical realities if it is to remain relevant,” Stephen told council members.

Germany brought the issue before the body to shine a spotlight on the potentially devastating consequences caused by rising sea levels and temperatures and disruptions in weather patterns.

The council had failed to agree on whether climate change was an issue of world peace in 2007, when Britain brought up the issue.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that as the effects of climate change grow, so do threats to global peace and security.

“Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, more intense and affecting ever more people,” Ban said. “The consequences include massive loss of life, human suffering and economic loss.

“Megacrises are becoming the new normal,” said Ban.

Russian Ambassador Alexander Pankin, his country’s deputy permanent representative to the U.N., said in the morning that involving the Security Council in the debate could lead to “increased politicization” of the issue.

World Peace Update: Arab League convenes to discuss UN bid, peace process

Maan News Agency: Arab League convenes to discuss UN bid, peace process: "Arab League officials will convene in Doha, Qatar on Thursday to discuss the next steps before September, the Palestinian president's spokesman said.

Nabil Abu Rdeina said Wednesday that the body's peace process follow-up committee would discuss supporting the Palestinian bid for recognition of an independent state at the UN General Assembly.

Future challenges in light of the impasse the peace process has reached and the Middle East Quartet’s failure to relaunch negotiations will also be on the meeting’s agenda, Abu Rdeina said in a statement.

The Arab League announced Tuesday that its ministerial committee on the Arab Peace Initiative would hold a meeting Thursday at the request Sheikh Hamad Ben Jasim, prime minister and foreign minister of Qatar, who chairs the committee.

Deputy secretary-general of the Arab League Ahmad Ben Hilli told reporters that President Mahmoud Abbas would attend the meeting."

World Peace Movement Update: Darfur Peace Deal in Doha - Region - World - Ahram Online

Darfur Peace Deal in Doha - Region - World - Ahram Online: "'Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir arrived in Doha this evening to attend the signing ceremony for a Darfur peace agreement ... between the Sudanese government and the Liberation and Justice Movement,' Qatar's official QNA told AFP. The signing is due to take place at 1300 GMT on Thursday, but the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), the main armed faction of Darfur, will be absent.

At least 300,000 people have been killed in Darfur and 1.8 million forced to flee their homes since the conflict broke out in 2003 between non-Arab rebels and the Arab-dominated Khartoum regime, according to the United Nations. The government puts the death toll at 10,000."

Peace Movement Update: Mexico

June 2011 Colombia Peace Update | Fellowship of Reconciliation: "June was a remarkable month for Mexico’s emergent Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity, from the caravan that June 4-9 traversed cities in central and northern Mexico that have been devastated by the invasions, battles and abuses of soldiers, police, and organized crime, to the three-hour dialogue between government critics and victims of Mexico’s drug war with President Calderón and members of his cabinet.

The caravan concluded its journey in the border city of Ciudad Juárez, “the epicenter of pain,” poet Javier Sicilia called it, where hundreds of people lined the highway to greet these pilgrims of compassion in an emotional moment. Sicilia has become the central figure in the movement, after his son was murdered in Cuernavaca in late March and he called for public mobilizations against the government’s war.

Some 600 people gathered at the university in Juárez on June 10 to develop a citizens pact, which was organized through nine different sessions that lasted about four hours each. Versions of the sessions’ conclusions were read out under the scorching sun that afternoon, then edited by a smaller group. That evening in the Juárez plaza, hundreds of people lined up to sign the pact even before it was read aloud – the confidence level was that high"