Russia has accused France of committing a 'crude violation' of a UN weapons embargo by arming Libyan rebels.
France became the first NATO country to openly acknowledge arming rebels seeking to topple Muammar Gaddafi, who has so far resisted a three-month-old bombing campaign that has strained alliance and rebel firepower.
Washington has sided with France and said it was acting legally, creating a new diplomatic dispute over the Western air war.
France claims it has given the arms to rebels as part of the UN Security Council resolution authorising force to protect civilians.
Britain, France and the United States have been bombing the country as part of this and say they will not stop until Gaddafi falls.
A French military spokesman yesterday confirmed delivery of arms, prompting some UN diplomats to argue that such transfers without consent of the UN Security Council's Libya sanctions committee could violate the embargo.
‘We decided to provide self-defensive weapons to the civilian populations because we consider that these populations were under threat,’ French Ambassador to the United Nations Gerard Araud told reporters.
‘In exceptional circumstances, we cannot implement paragraph 9 when it's for protecting civilians,’ Mr Araud said of a section of the UN Security Council resolution 1970 from February imposed a comprehensive arms embargo on Libya.
Resolution 1973 subsequently authorised UN member states ‘to take all necessary measures’ to protect civilians in Libya.
It also adds ‘notwithstanding paragraph 9 of resolution 1970’ on the embargo, opening up what some US and European officials say is a loophole allowing them to arm rebels.
A military spokesman said the airdrop also included medicine and food.
In Libya's Western Mountains, a rebel spokesman said he had no information about the arms. NATO said it was not involved in any transfers and France's allies reacted cautiously.
Britain has given the rebels items such as body armour while stressing such aid was ‘non-lethal’.
At an Africa Union summit in Equatorial Guinea, AU Commission chief Jean Ping said arms going into Libya could end up in the hands of al-Qaeda allies in the region.
The Union said the move was dangerous and could destabilise the region.
