The chief U.N. investigator into human rights cases in North Korea said on Wednesday he has appealed to China to support calls to refer Pyongyang's actions to The Hague on suspicion of crimes against humanity.
While Western diplomats estimate China will likely use its veto power against any attempt to refer North Korea to the International Criminal Court, Michael Kirby told reporters at U.N. headquarters that it was not certain China would block an ICC referral.
"I don't think a veto should be assumed," Kirby said. "China is a very great power with great responsibilities as a permanent member. Veto is not the way China does international diplomacy. China tends to find another way."
"We continue to (work) in hopes that China, as a great power, will act as a great power should," he added.
But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China did not believe taking the issue to the ICC would help.
"We have always supported dealing with human rights differences through dialogue and cooperation," Hua told a daily news briefing in Beijing.
"We believe that for the issue of human rights, referring a case to the ICC is not helpful to improving a country's human rights situation."
Kirby emphasized that China has only 10 vetoes, the lowest number of any of the five permanent members. That is a fraction of the dozens of times Russia and the United States have vetoed resolutions in the 15-nation council.
SOURCE:REUTERS
