Angola denies ship from unloading weapons

(CNN) -- Angola's government has denied permission for a Chinese ship to unload weapons destined for Zimbabwe at its port, the latest country to do so, the nation's state-run ANGOP news agency reported.

The ship was allowed to dock at the port of Luanda only so merchandise destined for Angola could be unloaded, according to the report. Angola is a longtime Zimbabwe ally.

The United States and other nations are concerned that, given tension in Zimbabwe surrounding presidential elections last month, the weapons contained on the ship could be used to further violence there.

Because Zimbabwe is land-locked, it must rely on other nations' ports to unload goods transported by ship.

On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said the ship will return to China without unloading its cargo.

"Zimbabwe side failed to receive the cargo as scheduled, so the Chinese company made (a) decision accordingly," Jiang said.

Ken O'Connell, who works for a non-governmental organization in Angola, told CNN he saw a ship that resembled the Chinese vessel leaving port in Luanda on Saturday. He did not immediately know what was unloaded from the ship, but "it looked like she was still very, very heavy," he said.

The ship left South African waters on Friday after that country's High Court ruled the weapons could not be transported over South African roads to Zimbabwe.

The United States had asked that other southern African countries not allow the ship to dock. Deputy U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey told CNN earlier this week the United States didn't think it was "appropriate for anyone to provide additional weapons in Zimbabwe as they are going through a political crisis."

The United States contacted Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Angola, as well as China, regarding the ship's movements, Casey said.

China, however, has chafed at the interference from Washington.

"There are some people in the United States who would like to pose as the world's policemen, but they are not welcomed in the world," Jiang said Thursday. "We have (a) friendly relationship with African countries."

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has said the weapons deal was finalized a year ago, before Zimbabwe's troubles began.

David Cockroft, general secretary of the International Transport Workers Federation, said last week that the shipment -- weighing more than a million pounds -- includes rifles, small arms, mortar shells and rocket-propelled grenades.

Mozambique also refused permission for the unloading of the weapons.

China is a major small arms supplier for several countries, but a U.S. administration official has told CNN "the timing of this arms shipment is important" given the instability in Zimbabwe.

Tensions are high in Zimbabwe as a result of the government's refusal to release the results of last month's presidential elections. The government of President Robert Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe since its independence in 1980, has refused to release the results of that vote before a recount.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change said its candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai, won the election. But Mugabe's ZANU-PF party claims the MDC engaged in election tampering.

In an interview with CNN, Tsvangirai said he was concerned about the Chinese ship and feared the weapons would be used to intimidate voters. E-mail to a friend

All About Zimbabwe • China • Robert Mugabe • Morgan Tsvangirai