YUGOSLAVIA INVOLVED IN ARMS TRADE WITH BAGHDAD?

BELGRADE, Oct 22 (Hina) - The Stabilisation Force (SFOR) troops in Bosnia-Herzegovina have discovered documents at two factories in the north-eastern town of Bijeljina proving that the Belgrade- based military export company "Jugoimport" has exported considerable quantities of military equipment to Iraq, the Belgrade-based daily Blic of Tuesday quoted unnamed sources as saying. #L# Raids of the "Orao" factory and the "Obarska" sugar refinery in Bijeljina, carried out on October 12, turned up items which included computer discs with data on trade between the Yugoslav firm "Jugoimport" and Iraq, as well as a document on Yugoslav experts installing equipment in Iraq and training the Iraqi army, the daily said. Quoting reliable sources, Blic reports that Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica, Serbian Premier Zoran Djindjic, Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic, and Yugoslav Premier Dragisa Pesic knew about the documents, as well as that international inspectors, who have been investigating international arms trade and distribution recently talked to Serbian Interior Minister Dusan Mihajlovic, who chairs Jugoimport's management board. According to Blic, the SFOR has forwarded the discovered document to the US government, which has Iraq on its black list of countries involved in arms trade, which could cause Yugoslavia serious problems with the USA and the UN. The daily claims that there are indications that the money from the arms deals was used to finance the presidential campaign of Vojislav Seselj, the leader of the Serb Radical Party, whose delegation visited Baghdad two weeks ago. (hina) rml sb