"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia-Herzegovina approved the export of weapons and ammunition to Rwanda three months ago, but the agreement has now been suspended due to deterioration in the political and security situation in that part of Africa," spokeswoman Lepa Babic told Hina in Sarajevo.
Dnevni Avaz newspaper said that the first shipment of weapons and military equipment to Rwanda was ready for transport from Tuzla airport on Thursday, but was stopped following the intervention of representatives of the international community who warned that the shipment would be in violation of decisions by the UN Security Council and the Council of the European Union banning weapons exports to crisis areas.
The shipment reportedly consisted of smalls arms, ammunition, hand grenades, and missiles for hand-held missile launchers.
Babic said that Foreign Minister Mladen Ivanic had talked to representatives of the international community in Bosnia-Herzegovina, who recommended that the shipment should be suspended for the time being.
Authority for trade in weapons and military equipment was delegated to the state after it was found that the Air Force repair and maintenance factory in the northeastern town of Bijeljina, with the approval of Bosnian Serb authorities, secretly delivered spare parts and equipment to the Iraqi Air Force in violation of the UN sanctions against the Saddam Hussein regime.