Spotlight: Sudan warns against impact of unjust South China Sea award

Sudanese political forces on Wednesday warned against impacts of the award by the Permanent Court of Arbitration concerning the South China Sea, regarding it as a political game that would not lead to stability of the region or contribute to resolving the standing issue.

The Sudanese political forces, interviewed by Xinhua Wednesday, reiterated their support for the China's stance for settling dispute through dialogue, urging the countries outside the South China Sea region to play a positive role and not to pour oil on the fire of the crisis.

"It is apparent that the ruling of the court reflects stance of some major countries which seek to spark a crisis at the South China Sea region, and directly target China," Abboud Jabir Saeed, Secretary General of Sudan's National Unity Government Parties, told Xinhua Wednesday.

"The award does not have any legal basis, because it was built on false data, where China did not ask for arbitration and did not participate in it, and therefore, it is natural for China to reject the result of the arbitration process," he noted.

He added that "what happened is a clear violation of the rules of arbitration and international laws."

Saeed went on saying "we support China's position as we believe it is compatible with the international law and the international commitments, and we condemn any attempt to politicize the issue of the South China Sea, because such a move would complicate the crisis and lead to instability in the area."

Saeed further commended the white paper, issued by the Chinese government on Wednesday, titled "China Adheres to the Position of Settling Through Negotiation the Relevant Disputes Between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea."

"I read a summary of the paper, and according to my opinion, it contains clear ideas for the solution as it stresses on dialogue and negotiation as proper means for settlement of the dispute. All countries must support this rational Chinese position."

In the meantime, Mohamed Mustafa Al-Daw, head of the external relations committee in the Sudanese parliament, declared the parliament's support for China's call to resolve the South China Sea dispute through dialogue, reiterating rejection of any action that may further complicate the crisis.

"Sudan's Parliament stands with justice and right, and we encourage dialogue as a means for resolving international issues," Mohamed Mustafa Al-Daw, head of the external relations committee in the Sudanese parliament, told Xinhua.

"We are advocates of peace and stability, and we oppose any tendency that does not not achieve these goals and regard it as irrational," he noted.

He went on saying that "we back China's call for resolving the South China Sea dispute through dialogue and negotiation as most appropriate means to safeguard the world peace and security."

Al-Daw, meanwhile, criticized what he termed as "endeavors" by some major countries to complicate the issue of the South China Sea via issuance of politically motivated decisions, saying "we condemn any form of instigation of sedition and conflicts which leads to instability."

It is to be mentioned that Chinese government on Tuesday refused to recognize the award by an arbitral tribunal on the South China Sea, insisting that bilateral negotiations should settle the dispute.

Also on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi described the arbitration as was "a political farce under the pretext of law."

The Philippine government initiated the arbitration in January 2013 and in February, the Chinese government declared that it would neither participate in nor accept any outcome of the process.

Additionally, the Chinese Foreign Ministry, in a statement Tuesday, said the award "is null and void and has no binding force."

"The conduct of the arbitral tribunal and its award are unjust and unlawful," the statement said. Endit