U.N. cannot ignore charges made against China, Russia

It's not enough for China and Russia to reject Amnesty International's accusation that they have violated a U.N. arms embargo by supplying war-torn Sudan with weapons and equipment.
Because China and Russia are two of the five permanent Security Council members, Amnesty International's report demands close scrutiny by the world organization.
"The irresponsible transfer of arms to Sudan and its neighbors are a significant factor in the massive human rights catastrophe in Darfur and its spread into eastern Chad," the credible London-based human rights organization wrote.
Since 2003, when ethnic African rebels rose up against the Arab-dominated central government, more than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million chased from their homes in the Darfur region. The rebels accused the government of President Omar al-Bashir of neglect. In response, al-Bashir either overtly or covertly gave permission to Muslim militias known as the janjaweed to unleash a campaign of death and destruction against the Africans.
At first, the international community, including the press, simply ignored what was taking place in the eastern African nation. But then the mounting death toll and the overflowing refugee camps became impossible to ignore. And when the United States and other nations took a hard look at the human cost of the ethnic cleansing, they were unable to walk away. Thus, the arms embargo and the push by the U.S. and Britain for new sanctions against Sudan if it continues to refuse to deploy peacekeepers in Darfur.
China and Russia have been accused by Amnesty International of providing "the bulk" of the arms used in Darfur and Chad. It says Sudan imported 83 million in arms from Beijing and 34.7 million in military equipment from Moscow in 2005.
'Indiscriminate attacks'
The report notes that the two permanent members of the Security Council should have been aware that their military equipment was "deployed by the Sudanese armed forces and the militia for direct attacks on civilians and indiscriminate attacks in Darfur."
Those are serious charges that cannot be ignored by the United Nations. A special investigative panel should be convened to not only test the credibility of the report, but to hear from China, Russia and Sudan. All three have dismissed the allegations as baseless.
With the Bush administration preoccupied with the war in Iraq, the U.N. must take the lead in ending the death and destruction in Darfur and neighboring Chad.
China and Russia have close ties with Sudan -- China buys two-thirds of the country's oil -- and have been opposed to any deployment of U.N. forces. That alone is justification for a hearing on Amnesty International's accusations.
U.N. sanctions are effective tools to force behavior modification by errant nations -- but only if they are adhered to by all member states.
If China and Russia are able to get away without at least having to answer to the charges in the United Nations, the credibility of the world organization will be seriously damaged.