China on Monday called on UN members to be flexible, so that a draft resolution on creating the new Human Rights Council could be adopted this week.

"The resolution is not perfect, but it is a compromise that can be accepted by all UN members, so China hopes it can be adopted," said Sha Zukang, top Chinese diplomat to the UN office in Geneva.

Sha was speaking to Xinhua after the suspension of the 62nd annual session of the UN Human Rights Commission, which has been widely criticized and is supposed to be replaced by the proposed Human Rights Council.

The one-week suspension was announced by Manuel Rodriguez Cuadros, the Commission's Peruvian president, only a few minutes after its opening on Monday, citing the "extraordinary situation" brought about by ongoing talks in New York over the new Human Rights Council.

A final decision on the new body is expected to be made by the General Assembly within this week, as General Assembly President Jan Eliasson, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and others are trying their best to convince Washington into supporting the new body.

"Currently only the Unites States is against the new resolution, which is actually the best possible compromise among UN members and reflects a fragile balance of all members' concerns, " Sha Zukang said.

He said the 62nd session of the Human Rights Commission might be the last annual session of the 53-member body, which was created in 1946.

But he hoped that the last session would be a successful and harmonious session conducive to progress of the world's human rights cause.

He also hoped the last session would foster a cooperative atmosphere and lay good ground for its successor, the proposed Human Rights Council, which is expected to convene in June.

Source: Xinhua