Serbian experts "ready to return to Iraq"

Serbian experts are set to participate in the modernization of Iraq's military equipment, Jugoimport SDPR Director Stevan Nikcevic says. Nikcevic revealed that this was agreed and determined through a contract his company has clinched, and said the experts would travel to Iraq in early 2010. Serbian experts "ready to return to Iraq" He told Belgrade daily Blic that this will provide for "a better quality position of the Serb defense industry and provide a signal that the Serb military industry is ready to return to the position conquered in the 1970s by the former Yugoslavia". "We hope to very soon bring good news to the government, which is the founder of all state-owned factories, with an engineering and military industry transfer program. All available data shows that it was precisely this program that amounted to over 50 percent of Yugoslavia's exports," said Nikcevic. He noted that "almost all" arms and military equipment previously ordered by Iraq had been delivered, that the buyer was satisfied, and that what remained was the last, but technically the most complex product sold by Serbia – the Lasta training aircraft, manufactured by Pancevo's Utva factory. "We have started deliveries of these planes and that job will be finished during next year," Nikcevic was quoted as saying. According to the SDPR director, Serbia is now southeastern Europe's leader when it comes to arms and military equipment exports.

Serbian experts "ready to return to Iraq"

He told Belgrade daily Blic that this will provide for "a better quality position of the Serb defense industry and provide a signal that the Serb military industry is ready to return to the position conquered in the 1970s by the former Yugoslavia".

"We hope to very soon bring good news to the government, which is the founder of all state-owned factories, with an engineering and military industry transfer program. All available data shows that it was precisely this program that amounted to over 50 percent of Yugoslavia's exports," said Nikčević.

He noted that "almost all" arms and military equipment previously ordered by Iraq had been delivered, that the buyer was satisfied, and that what remained was the last, but technically the most complex product sold by Serbia – the Lasta training aircraft, manufactured by Pančevo's Utva factory.

"We have started deliveries of these planes and that job will be finished during next year," Nikčević was quoted as saying.

According to the SDPR director, Serbia is now southeastern Europe's leader when it comes to arms and military equipment exports.