Strategic Partnership Alliance has a $420,000 deal to promote U.S. trade and investment with Serbia.

The Chicago-based firm headed by lobbyist Milan Petrovic also will pitch Congress and the White House to foster closer diplomatic ties.

SPA's work is under a subcontract with Washington's Roberti & White. Tony Podesta's Podesta Group "assigned" its $100K a-month pact with Serbia to R&W in September.

R&W promises to further the strategic goals of Serbia and develop "beneficial and efficient political and economic relations between it and the U.S.," according to the assigned pact.

R&W is headed by Democratic politico Vincent Roberti, an advisor to Sen. Chuck Schumer, and Rich White, an aide to the late Sen. John Chafee (R-RI).

On Oct. 29, Serbian police arrested and then released 17 people who were thought to have ties to the Oct. 28 gun attack on the U.S. embassy in neighboring Bosnia's capital of Sarajevo.