Posted on 08/22/2006 5:02:05 AM PDT by Aussie Dasher
CHINA has never exported arms to Hezbollah, a senior Chinese diplomat said today, although he did not rule out the possibility that weapons may have been transferred to the Lebanese group by a third party.
Sun Bigan, China's special envoy to the Middle East, was asked to respond to media reports which alleged Hezbollah used weapons from Iran, whose technology originally came from China.
“I think the information or the news is not accurate about the use of Chinese weapons in the Lebanon-Israel battlefield,” Mr Sun said in a briefing about his recent trip to the Middle East.
“I have taken note of these reports. The information itself is groundless.
“China does have some normal arms trade with some countries, however, the arms trade is with sovereign states. China does not provide weapons to any organizations, groups or (political) parties.”
Hezbollah fired a missile at an Israeli warship on July 14 and killed four sailors. The Israeli army said at the time it was a radar-guided C-802 anti-ship missile, developed by Iran using Chinese technology.
Mr Sun said he had not seen the missiles and was not a military expert but could offer a response based on China's policy.
“According to China's policy, it's impossible for us to sell missiles to Hezbollah,” he said.
But Mr Sun, could not rule out that the weapons may have been transferred by a third party.
He said that if weapons were transferred to another country, China would be “very concerned,” but as far as he knew, Beijing had not launched an investigation.
A ceasefire in the Hezbollah-Israel conflict took effect on August 14, bringing to an end 34 days of warfare that cost more than 1400 lives and devastated much of Lebanon.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the US and Israel had launched a diplomatic effort to prevent other countries from helping rearm Hezbollah.
Officials have been pressing world arms suppliers, notably Russia and China, not to allow their weaponry to find its way to the Lebanese group, the report said.
Iran, which has good relations with China, is considered a main backer of Hezbollah, though it had denied supplying the group with weapons. The United States is Israel's biggest military supplier.
Ofcourse they haven't sold it to Hezbollah, they have just 'innocently' sold'em to Iran which passed it on within the 'muslim brotherhood'.
Oh meanwhile China has been begging Israel for defense technology..
Leave China alone. What they said was true, They never exported arms to Hezbollah. They exported arms to Iran and what Iran did with thise arms is of no concern to China.
BTTT
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