PARIVODIC: THERE WILL BE NO COMPENSATION FOR THE LOSSES OF ZASTAVA ORUZJE

EASTBUSINESS.ORG
December 28, 2006 Thursday 4:38 PM (Central European Time)

The Serbian Minister of International Economic Relations, Milan
Parivodic, said Wednesday that it would be better for the employees
of Zastava Oruzje, the Serbian weapons manufacturer, if they were
working rather than protesting.

Commenting on the protest of the company s workers because of the
ban on exports to Armenia, he said that the company went ahead at its
own risk and made a business deal which cannot be conducted without
proper state-issued permits.

He added that all business deals involving the export of weapons
require the approval of the Ministries of Defence, Foreign Affairs and
Internal Affairs, on the basis of which the Ministry of International
Economic Relations issues a permit. He added that in addition to
this a licence for transport is also required and that, in the case
of Zastava, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not give its approval.

The Minister also said that the efforts to change the regulations
and simplify the procedure for exporting weapons are under way,
so that in the future only one permit will be needed instead of two.

A group of employees of Zastava Oruzje has been protesting for three
days in the Kragujevac Town Hall, because of the ban on the export
of arms to Armenia and Wednesday they invited the other workers to
join them.