China, Russia faulted for Sudan arms sales

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said China did not sell to any regions under U.N. embargo.

The Amnesty report says China and Russia, permanent members of the U.N. Security Council who abstained from voting on the embargo, should know that the weapons can be used to violate human rights. It called for an all-out arms ban for Sudan. "We are not saying that Russia and China broke the embargo, but they are sending arms knowing that the Sudanese government is breaking the embargo," Wood said. "As permanent members of the Security Council, they should be doing more to stop the violence."

The United States prohibits weapons sales to Sudan, as does the European Union. The U.S. and Britain are preparing a resolution to expand the international embargo and impose sanctions on officials and militia leaders who undermine a Darfur peace agreement.

But Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has asked for more time to persuade Khartoum to allow peacekeepers into the region.

Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir has rejected a proposed joint U.N.-African Union force of up to 20,000 soldiers to stabilize Darfur, saying it would be tantamount to "foreign occupation."

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maggie.farley@latimes.com