Finnish arms sales in conflict with policy, says think tank.

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HELSINKI (AFP) - Finnish small arms are being sold to warzones and conflict areas through deals that may contradict the government's foreign policy, a Finnish think-tank reported Friday.

The independent research organisation SaferGlobe Finland investigated state-approved weapons exports in 2008, and is calling on the government to re-examine arms exports to a "grey list" of buyer countries.

"The grey list is about exports which are or might be in conflict with the EU's common weapons export policy or with Finland's foreign and security policy," the report said.

In particular, SaferGlobe Finland called into question the sale of 720,000 rounds of ammunition to China for "civilian use", even though the EU declared a ban on weapons sales to China in 1989 -- a ban which report author Jarmo Pykaelae said is vague and non-binding.

"Each EU member state can interpret the term 'export ban' according to its own laws," the report said.

In 2008 Finland exported more than 93 million euros' (104 million dollars') worth of weaponry to 64 countries, of which 26 ended up on the grey list, including the United States, China, Israel, Turkey, Russia, and Afghanistan.

"We are questioning whether it is in line with Finland's foreign policy to send weapons to these kinds of countries," Pykaelae told AFP.

He said for example that one criteria used by the European Union to evaluate weapons deals is whether the sale of weapons to a particular destination will further destabilise the country.

"Our role is to point out the link between weapons exports and the damage it does to development and the wellbeing of some nations' citizens," said Pykaelae.

SaferGlobe Finland compiled its grey list by using international definitions of warzones, including an eight-point criteria list drawn up by the European Union, to categorise a country's stability based on armed conflicts, human rights, democracy, and development.