The dibaryon concept for the nuclear force is presented, assuming that the main attraction between the nucleons at medium distances is determined by the s-channel exchange of an intermediate six-quark (dibaryon) state. To construct the respective NN interaction model, a microscopic six-quark description of the NN system is used, in which symmetry aspects play a special role. It is shown that the NN interaction in all important partial waves can be described properly by a superposition of the long-range t-channel one-pion exchange and the s-channel exchange by an intermediate dibaryon. The developed model gives a good description of both elastic phase shifts and inelasticities of NN scattering in all S, P, D and F partial waves at energies from zero to 600–800 MeV and even higher. The parameters of the intermediate six-quark states corresponding to the best fit of NN scattering data are found to be consistent with the parameters of the known dibaryon resonances in those NN partial configurations where their existence has been experimentally confirmed. Predictions for new dibaryon states are given as well.