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China, Russia deny weapons breach
BBC
Tuesday May 08, 2007
China and Russia have denied claims by Amnesty International that
they are supplying arms to Sudan for use in Darfur, in breach of
a UN arms embargo.
A report by the rights group says the weapons end up in the hands
of the government-backed Janjaweed militia.
It also includes apparent photographic evidence of Sudan using
military aircraft camouflaged white in Darfur.
China said its exports to Sudan were legal, limited and on a small
scale. Russia also denied any embargo breach.
A Russian foreign ministry official said Moscow "unswervingly"
observes the UN restrictions.
The Sudanese ambassador to the UN, Abdel Mahmood Abdel Haleem,
said the Amnesty allegations were "baseless and unfounded".
He told the BBC the Amnesty pictures were not of a plane in Darfur,
adding: "We are not on combat missions in Darfur at all."
More than 200,000 people have died during a four-year conflict
in Darfur, and the Janjaweed militia are accused of displacing and
killing tens of thousands of people.
Photographs
In its report, Amnesty calls on the UN Security Council to strengthen
the arms embargo on Darfur, which was extended in March 2005 to
cover all parties.
Amnesty says it is "dismayed" that two permanent members
of the UN Security Council are "allowing ongoing flows of arms
to parties in Sudan".
The report provides photographs of what it says was an Mi-24 attack
helicopter at Nyala in Darfur and says its registration markings
show it was a replacement for another.
The images were reportedly taken between January and March, during
which time Amnesty says Chinese Fanfan jets were also seen at Nyala.
And Amnesty provides photos of an all-white, Russian-built Antonov
26 military plane, with the registration code ST-ZZZ.
It says it appears there are "three planes with this registration
number" and links them to "unconfirmed bombing raids"
in Darfur.
The Amnesty report backs a UN study, leaked to the New York Times
last month, which said Sudan was painting aircraft white to make
them look like UN planes.
"The use of all-white aircraft and helicopters... in Darfur
is in violation of applicable norms of international humanitarian
law," the new report says.
Sudan denies using any white aircraft for military purposes, but
says it has some white helicopters to transfer officials.
Amnesty says its report is based on eyewitness accounts from Darfur
and "confidential sources".
'Lies'
The Amnesty report backs the UN findings suggesting that Sudan
is flying weapons into Darfur in breach of UN Security Council resolutions,
a claim denied by Sudan.
But Amnesty says Sudan is "routinely failing to seek [UN] approval
to move weapons... into Darfur", it says, and is importing weapons
it knows will be used to target civilians.
The human rights group says Russia and China are aware of the eventual
uses of arms exported to Sudan.
It cites 2005 trade figures as showing China sold $24m and Russia
$21m of military material to Sudan.
Amnesty has also accused Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Belarus of supplying
arms.
China has a close relationship with Sudan, increasing its military
co-operation with Khartoum earlier this year.
The relationship is based around Khartoum's plentiful supply of
oil, which China needs to fuel its booming economy, says the BBC's
Daniel Griffiths in Beijing.
However, Amnesty now says it wants a list made of all items prohibited
for transfer and for UN personnel to be stationed at all ports of
entry in Sudan.
Amnesty also wants all UN states to suspend the transfer of any
arms and ammunitions likely to be used by the parties in Darfur.
But Mr Haleem said military assets were simply being moved around
the country.
Mr Haleem told the BBC: "We are moving these military assets
to their respective places. We are not using these aircraft for
any military function in Darfur."
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