Russia on Thursday demanded an explanation from France over its reported arms drops to Libyan rebels, as Paris denied a newspaper report that they had included anti-tank missiles.

"We are awaiting a response," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, Russian news agencies reported.

"If this is confirmed, it would be a brazen violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1970," Lavrov said.

That resolution, passed in February, prohibited states from providing any kind of arms to Libya.

It was followed in March by Resolution 1973 that authorised nations "to take all necessary measures" to help protect civilians against Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's forces, which led to the current NATO-led operation.

France's ambassador to the United Nations said Wednesday the delivery of arms to rebels was not in breach of the February resolution on the arms embargo.

These were "self-defence weapons" for the civilian populations in rebel-held areas because they were "under threat", he said -- one of the exceptions provided for under Article 4 of Resolution 1973.

Lavrov is due to hold talks with his French counterpart Alain Juppe in Moscow on Friday.

China too urged nations involved in the Libyan conflict to stick to the UN mandate authorising military action, in comments Thursday.

Foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei, responding to a question on the French arms drops, told reporters countries involved in the Libya conflict should "avoid taking any action that goes beyond the mandate of the resolution."

Both China and Russia abstained from the UN vote on Resolution 1973 that authorised the current military operation against the Kadhafi regime.

France meanwhile denied the details of a report in the conservative daily Le Figaro regarding the arms drops.

The paper, citing someone it described as a senior source and referring to confidential intelligence documents, said France had air-dropped tonnes of arms including Milan anti-tank missiles and light armoured vehicles.

But France's top military spokesman Thierry Burkhard said: "No Milan anti-tank missiles have been parachuted into Jebel Nafusa," a region southeast of Tripoli.

France had only supplied "light arms" including machine guns and rocket launchers, he added.

NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Thursday said he knew nothing about France's operation.

"The NATO mission is very clear," he said.

"It is strict conformity with the UN mandate, and within this mandate we have successfully enforced a no-fly zone, an arms embargo and protected the civilian population."

Britain, which is also taking part in the NATO campaign, made it clear Wednesday that it would not be following France's lead.

Jean Ping, the chairman of the African Union Commission, its executive body, expressed concern late Wednesday at the flow of weapons into Libya.

Ping, speaking ahead of the two-day AU summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, did not criticise France directly.

"What worries us is not who is giving what," he said.

"It is simply that these weapons are being given by all parties to all the other parties."

They were already reaching Al-Qaeda, drug dealers and traffickers and thus would further destabilise the region.

earlier related report
China says obey UN after France admission on Libya
Beijing (AFP) June 30, 2011 - China on Thursday called on nations involved in the Libyan conflict to stick to the UN mandate authorising military action, after France acknowledged arming rebel fighters.

"China calls on the international community to strictly follow the spirit of the relevant resolution of the UN Security Council," foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters in response to a question on France's admission.

He also urged countries involved to "avoid taking any action that goes beyond the mandate of the resolution."

The French ambassador to the United Nations said Wednesday that his country's delivery of arms to rebels was not in breach of a resolution adopted in February that established an arms embargo to Libya.

He said France had decided to provide "self-defence weapons" to civilian populations in rebel-held areas because they were "under threat."

Article 4 of UN Security Council Resolution 1973 -- which was adopted in March -- specifies that allowances can be made to the embargo if they are in the interest of protecting civilians.

But Britain -- which along with France is spearheading the NATO-led air campaign targeting the forces of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi -- has declined to follow suit in arming the rebels over concerns about UN authorisation.

The African Union on Thursday condemned the flow of arms into Libya after France said it had been air-dropping weapons to Berber tribal fighters southwest of the capital.

China, a permanent Council member, abstained from the vote on Resolution 1973, and has insisted on maintaining a policy of non-interference and public neutrality on the Libyan conflict.

But it has recently shown willingness to engage in the crisis, holding talks with both government officials and rebel leaders.

Last week, Beijing recognised Libya's opposition as an "important dialogue partner" after talks in the Chinese capital between Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and senior rebel leader Mahmud Jibril.

Hong on Thursday reiterated calls for a "political resolution" to the conflict.

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