Unclear Athens attack rocket was China-made--Beijing

BEIJING, Jan 14 (Reuters) China has received ''no official information'' that a rocket used to attack the US embassy in Athens on Friday was Chinese-made, the Foreign Ministry said today.

Greek police said the weapon used for the attack, which they suspect was the work of a leftist guerrilla group, was a Chinese-made RPG 7. The blast caused minor damage but no one was hurt.

''We have noticed the media reports,'' a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement on the ministry's Web site (www.fmprc.gov.cn), responding to what it said was a reporter's inquiry.

''As for the question, the detailed situation is still not clear, and the Chinese side has received no official information,'' spokesman Liu Jianchao added.

The official Xinhua news agency referred to reports that a Chinese-made rocket had been used as a ''rumour''.

Liu said that China was a responsible arms exporter.

''What I must point out is that China has always had a serious and responsible attitude towards the arms trade, and has strictly followed the principles of trading arms only with sovereign states and maintaining a country's sovereignty and regional peace and stability,'' Liu added.

REUTERS AD HS0846