China defends blocking US move labelling JeM chief as terrorist

China on Wednesday said it blocked the US' move at the UN to have Pakistani militant Masood Azhar declared as international terrorist as conditions were yet to be fulfilled for Beijing to support the proposal.

Beijing vetoed the US proposal "to allow enough time for discussion among relevant parties to reach a tenable decision widely accepted by the international community".

"The 1267 Committee of the Security Council discussed the listing issue last year with no consensus reached, as members of the Security Council held different views on this issue. As for the renewed application filed by the relevant country, conditions are not yet met for the committee to reach an agreement and make a decision," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said.

Lu said the decision was in line with the Security Council resolution and the committee's rules of procedure.

Asked if China's move would impact Sino-India ties, Lu said: "The Security Council and its subsidiary organs have their own rules of procedure. I hope and believe that all members of the committee will act in accordance with these rules in handling applications, whoever the applicant is. China and India have also exchanged views on this issue. I do not want to see it impact China-India relations."

On the question of China blocking the proposal at the behest of its all-weather ally Pakistan, Lu said: "We have, more than once, exchanged views with relevant parties, including India, on this issue."

"The purpose for China to place the technical hold is to allow enough time for discussion among relevant parties to reach a tenable decision widely accepted by the international community."

"What matters is not how long it takes, but whether consensus can be reached based on thorough consultation," Lu said.

Last year, China rejected thrice India's resolution to add Azhar Masood to the UN list of international terrorists.

Azhar, the chief of Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad, is said to be the mastermind of the Pathankot airbase attack and Indian Army camp in Jammu and Kashmir last year.

--IANS

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