RUSSIA DISPATCHES JUMBO LORRIES TO IRAQ

NIZHNI NOVGOROD, June 18 (RIA Novosti) - The Gorky Autoworks has dispatched 283 Sadko (GAZ 33081) lorries to Iraq. An initial batch of 140 reached the point of destination at the month's start. The other 143 were scheduled to reach Syria's Tartous seaport today. The private corporate client's representative meets the vehicles in the port to supervise their delivery on to Iraq.

The Russian lorries are intended for the more peaceable Iraqi south.

Another 360 Sadkos will be delivered to private Iraqi-based companies before September's end, says Oleg Gamov, GAZ Co. chief of PR.

Sadko lorries are among dual-purpose commodities, so mediating all contracts is the Rosoboronexport, Russia's chief corporate arms dealer, he pointed out to Novosti.

Negotiations are underway to sell to Iraq 600 to 700 water tank lorries, fuelling and wrecking trucks, and other special purpose vehicles based on the full-gear Zemlyak (GAZ 3307). The company recently delivered to Iraq 5,000 Volga cars and 3,000 Gazelle small lorries.

GAZ is a brand famous in and well-known outside Russia, so the Gorky Autoworks, on the Volga, has kept its name even after the city regained its original name of Nizhni Novgorod.