Serbia seals multimillion arms deal with Iraq

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Serbia has sealed a deal to sell US$235 million of aircraft, weapons and military equipment to Iraq, the Defense Ministry said Friday. It said the material will include 20 light training aircraft, pistols, assault rifles, mortars, ammunition, explosives and bulletproof vests. The piston-engined Lasta 95 is a new development by Utva aircraft factory just outside Belgrade, and will enter production thanks to the deal with Iraq. Serbia's Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac said this is "a deal of the century" for Serbian weapons' factories. "This is the biggest deal ever for our military industry," Sutanovac told Blic daily. He said the agreement was signed with Iraq's Defense Ministry, with the approval of the US-led military alliance there.