Minister sacked in arms-to-Iraq scandal

Minister sacked in arms-to-Iraq scandal

YUGOSLAVIA: Belgrade sacked a deputy defense minister on Tuesday after NATO accused a Bosnian Serb firm of exporting military hardware to Iraq via a Yugoslav company in violation of UN sanctions.

The director of Yugoslavia's import-export agency was also sacked, the official Tanjug news agency said.

U.S. and Bosnian officials said NATO peacekeepers amassed proof of the exports after inspecting the Bosnian Serb Orao company. The U.S. embassy accused it last month of selling Iraq spare parts and services for Soviet-era MiG-21 warplanes.

Tanjug published a statement saying the Yugoslav cabinet decided to sack Assistant Defense Minister Ivan Djokic and the director of state trade company Jugoimport, Jovan Cekovic. It ordered Jugoimport to close its office in Baghdad and set up a commission to probe whether criminal offenses took place. --Reuters