MOSCOW, February 19 (RIA Novosti) - Russia has imposed temporary restrictions on wheat exports to Belarus and Kazakhstan due to attempts to re-export its grain produce through these countries, the agriculture minister said on Tuesday.

In late January, the Russian government imposed a 40% export duty on grain exports to stabilize retail bread and flour prices. However, the duty did not apply to the member states of the Customs Union, prompting the Russian government to impose a direct ban on exports to the two ex-Soviet republics.

"The ban is a forced measure aimed at preventing attempts to re-export Russian wheat through these countries," Alexey Gordeyev said.

A resolution on banning wheat exports, which was signed on Monday by Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov, will become effective in a month's time and will remain in force until April 30.

Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan signed a number of documents on January 25 outlining the legal basis for a Customs Union in the framework of the Eurasian Economic Community (Eurasec) at a meeting of the Eurasec Interstate Council under a plan to establish the Customs Union by 2010.

Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, the other members of Eurasec, an international economic organization, will be able to join the union at a later date if they so desire.

According to Russia's Federal Customs Service, Russia exported in 2007 about 1.4 million metric tons of wheat to the Commonwealth of Independent States, a loose association of former Soviet republics.