A visiting senior Chinese diplomat said in London on Thursday that pressure and sanctions would not be helpful for the resolution of the Darfur issue.

"One of the policies of Chinese government is that we have always stood for equal dialogue, patient consultation and negotiations in order to solve the political issues ... No pressure or sanctions can solve the wars or turmoil in essence," Liu Guijin, special representative of the Chinese government to Darfur issue, said at a news conference held at Chinese Embassy in London.

Liu stressed that solving Darfur issue required a "holistic approach" and required the efforts of five aspects.

"The first and foremost is the efforts of Sudanese efforts", said Liu.

Secondly, the efforts of the resistance movement were also needed, and without the progress of the political process and the consensus between the Sudanese government and resistance movement, it was very difficult to make progress in the deployment of the hybrid operation, to end the turmoil and improve the security in Darfur, said Liu.

It also required the efforts of the resistance movement, international community, neighboring countries, the African Union and the United Nations, added Liu.

Liu, 61, a veteran diplomat, is a former ambassador to Zimbabwe and South Africa, and has been engaged in African affairs for more than 25 years.

(Xinhua News Agency February 22, 2008)