Berlin  - China's arms deliveries to Zimbabwe are "alarming in the extreme" the German government's human rights commissioner said Saturday.

Beijing was delivering arms to a regime that had effectively been voted out of office, Guenter Nooke told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa in an interview.

"This is alarming in the extreme," Nooke said, noting the potential for violence given the deadlocked situation between the regime of President Robert Mugabe and the opposition following the March 29 elections.

The arms, reported to be millions of rounds for AK-47 rifles, mortar bombs and rocket-propelled grenade launchers, were of a kind that could be used against the population, Nooke said.

"That is disgraceful," Nooke said.

There were no grounds for fresh elections in Zimbabwe, the commissioner said, describing Mugabe's moves in this direction as an attempt to prevaricate until he got the result he wanted.

He accused the Mugabe regime of attempting to intimidate the opposition and called for international pressure on Harare to be increased.

Nooke was sharply critical of the attitudes of neighbouring countries, in particular that of Zimbabwe's powerful southern neighbour, South Africa, mentioning President Thabo Mbeki by name.

The Chinese ship carrying 77 tons of munitions destined for landlocked Zimbabwe left the South African port of Durban Friday after a South African court ordered that its cargo could not be transported overland.

Dock workers had also refused to off-load the cargo, saying that to do so would be "grossly irresponsible." (dpa)