Russia accused France on Thursday of committing a "crude violation" of a UN weapons embargo by arming Libyan rebels, a stance which could also cause unease within the Western alliance bombing to remove Muammar Qadhafi. France confirmed on Wednesday that it had air-dropped arms to rebels in Libya's Western Mountains, becoming the first Nato country to openly acknowledge arming the insurgency against Qadhafi's 41-year rule.
France, Britain and the United States are leading a three-month-old air campaign which they say they will not end until Qadhafi falls. The war has become the bloodiest of the "Arab Spring" uprisings sweeping North Africa and the Middle East. Rebel advances have been slow, although the insurgents claimed successes this week in the Western Mountains region where they received the French arms, pushing on Sunday to within 80 km (50 miles) of Tripoli, Qadhafi's main stronghold.
"We asked our French colleagues today whether reports that weapons from France were delivered to Libyan rebels correspond with reality," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"If this is confirmed, it is a very crude violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1970," he said. That resolution, adopted in February, imposed a comprehensive arms embargo on Libya. Paris said on Wednesday it believed it had not violated the UN embargo because the weapons it gave the rebels were needed to protect civilians from an imminent attack, which it says is allowed under a later Security Council resolution.
Although Russia is not involved in the bombing campaign, its stance could add to reservations among some Nato countries wary over an air war that has lasted longer and cost more than expected. Moscow could also challenge Paris at the UN Security Council, where both are veto-wielding permanent members.
France's weapons airlift, while possibly increasing the insurgent threat to Qadhafi, highlights a dilemma for Nato. More than 90 days into its bombing campaign, Qadhafi is still in power and no breakthrough is in sight, making some Nato members feel they should help the rebels more pro-actively, something the poorly armed insurgents have encouraged.
Even before news of the French arms supply emerged, fissures were emerging in the coalition with some members voicing frustration about the high cost, civilian casualties, and the elusiveness of a military victory.
Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen made clear on Thursday the weapons airlift was a unilateral French initiative. Asked by reporters on a visit to Vienna if Nato had been involved, he answered: "No." The rebels are pushing towards Tripoli from the mountains to the south-west and from the coast to the east, where they have made scant progress advancing from their stronghold of Misrata. In Misrata, about 200 km (130 miles) east of Tripoli, which has been bombarded for months by Qadhafi's security forces, six rockets landed early on Thursday near the oil refinery and port. A Reuters journalist in Misrata reported no casualties. Britain's military said its Apache helicopters had attacked a government checkpoint and two military vehicles near Khoms, on the Mediterranean coast between Misrata and Tripoli.
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