China, Russia, Sudan Reject Amnesty International Charges on Darfur As Fraudulent

May 8 (EIRNS)--Britain-based human rights watchdog Amnesty International has accused China and Russia of violating a United Nations arms embargo by continuing to supply weapons to the Sudanese government for use in Darfur.

In a report published on May 8, Amnesty International, a non-governmental organization which has long been suspected of being a cat's paw of the British intelligence MI5, said that Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Belarus have also been supplying weapons to the authorities in Khartoum. Amnesty's claim comes just over a week after widely leaked UN report said that the Sudanese government had painted its military planes in UN colors in an attempt to disguise the transport of weapons to Darfur.

Amnesty 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. But both China and Russia denied the claims that they are supplying arms to Sudan for use in Darfur, in breach of a UN arms embargo. 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.

Simultaneously, Sudan has rejected Amnesty's accusations. Its UN ambassador, Mahmoud Abdel-Haleem, dismissed Amnesty's photographic evidence of the use of military aircraft in Darfur." Our reaction to Amnesty International's allegations is very easy," he was quoted as saying in a ABC report. "It is total rejection as it is baseless and unfounded," he said.

"These photos may be of a plane in the Central African Republic or maybe for one in south Sudan, but it is not in Darfur at all," he said. 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."