SERBIA DELAYING ARMS SALES TO ARMENIA

AssA-Irada
Published: Mar 06, 2007

Armenias planned arms purchases from Serbia a deal that Azeri officials
labeled as the neighboring countrys illegitimate armament defying
international law – have been delayed since mid-January but the first
consignment of weaponry is to be delivered by Friday, reports say. The
deliveries have been put off due to the complex licensing procedures
for the exports of arms, eastbusiness.org website reported. Under
a deal signed with Yerevan last year, Serbias Zastava plant was
to supply the first consignment of ammunition worth $1.7 million
to Armenia by January 10, but the order was not fulfilled due to
problems with documentation. But after all the arrangements were
completed, Serbs pledged to deliver the arms by February 15. After
the consignment is delivered, Serbian gun-makers and Armenia plan
to continue cooperation. Reports say they plan to ink another arms
supply contract worth $900,000. However, certain issues concerning the
deal are yet to agreed, as none of Serbias ministries in charge have
endorsed the needed papers so far. According to unofficial sources,
the problem concerns Serbias national interests, in particular,
the future status of the Kosovo and Metohia regions, as Serbs beware
that selling weapons to the conflict zone could turn out costly. The
issue remains open, as Serbian ministries of foreign affairs, defense
and interior are in no rush to authorize the second arms deal. The
agreement on Serbian arms deliveries was reached last summer, causing
a wave of uproar due to the Serbian governments position on the
issue. Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic criticized the move,
and warned that the arms sales would violate the OSCEs embargo and
a UN Security Council resolution, which bans the sales of weapons
to Azerbaijan and Armenia due to the lingering conflict over Upper
(Nagorno) Garabagh. Russia, which has long been Serbias ally, also
came out against the deal, on apparent concerns that it was losing
a share of its weaponry sales market. Moscow stated that the weapons
could be used against Russians or Russia as a whole.

But the developments took a different turn late in December when
Serbian President Boris Tadic said he agrees to Russian arms sales
to Armenia. Azerbaijani officials earlier announced plans to raise
the issue of Armenias illegitimate armament at the spring session of
the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and the OSCE.