Czech government is keen into arm deal with Iraq

Czech Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek with a delegation including businesspeople and Deputy Defense Minister Tomáš Kuchta will visit Iraq this week to boost business deals, mainly in the defense sector.
Michaela Langronová, Foreign Ministry spokesperson for Czech, said, “I can confirm the trip. The minister [Zaorálek] will meet both Iraqi and Kurdish representatives.” Zaorálek (Social Democrats, ČSSD) and the Czech delegation should debate arms deals on several levels in Iraq, LN writes.
“Negotiations about the supplies of aviation technology, the pilots' training and the armoring of helicopters are underway there,” Kuchta told.
It has been also reported that the Czech Republic has long been trying to sell its redundant L-159 fighter planes to Iraq. Information emerged in August saying the contract might be signed eventually.
The Defense Ministry agreed with aircraft maker Aero Vodochody on a supply of 15 L-159s for 750 million Kč.
The problem is that a new Iraqi government assumed office of late and the contract's conditions will be renegotiated. Kuchta also said the state firm Czech LOM secures the training of over 30 Iraqi pilots at the airport in Pardubice, east Bohemia.
In the month of September, Zaorálek said, “We are seeking other opportunities to help the Iraqi armed forces improve their skills and support the democratic process.”
The Czech Republic is also interested in the sale and repairs of aviation technology, mainly former Soviet-made planes that are still used in Iraq quite a lot. LOM commercial director Pavel Beran told that the company would be able to provide any aviation upgrading, including armoring and arms systems installation, but he refused to comment on any particular issues concerning Iraq.
According to a trustworthy source, during a meeting with Zaorálek, Iraqi representatives will also touch upon the suspicious circumstances of an ammunition supply from the Czech Republic to Iraq in early November.
Local media reported about a detained plane from Ostrava, north Moravia, with 40 tons of arms and ammunition abroad, instead of the declared cigarettes. It was heading for Kurdistan, but was redirected to Baghdad.
However, Czech Ambassador to Iraq Alexandr Langer said he did not think that the incident would be discussed with the Czech delegation. The arms made in the Czech Republic had a signed certificate about the final user and the shipment was paid for. However, it is not clear whether the businessman, who comes from Iraq, acted in harmony with the local regulations, Langer said.
The arms and ammunition were bought by the Iraqi commissioner for the Kurdish militia who was in Prague when the plane was detained, Langer said previously. The cargo was seized and the plane's crew eventually left, he added.