Small arms

A new report by Amnesty International, published on Thursday, says weapons from various countries - including Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania - have ended up in Iraq with mainly Shiite militia groups, which have used the arms to commit serious crimes.

Western Balkan countries exported weapons and military equipment worth around 1.6 billion US dollars between 2007 and 2013, so control of arms exports is crucial for the maintance of regional peace and stability, a conference in Belgrade heard on Friday.

China, Turkey and the Czech Republic have joined the list of the world's top exporters of small arms, which is led by the United States, according to the latest UN figures.

The UN statistics for 2011 from the United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics Database released Monday show that Italy joined the list of the top importers of small arms, which is also topped by the United States.

The latest U.N. figures show Turkey, China and the Czech Republic joining the list of the world's top exporters of small arms, which is led by the United States.