PERISIC OFFICIALLY DISMISSED FROM OFFICE

BELGRADE, March 28 ( Beta) - On March 27, the Serbian legislature
officially accepted Serbian vice-premier Momcilo Perisic's
resignation. The Legislature did not debate Perisic's resignation
but only acknowledged that he was no longer vice-premier.
Perisic resigned on March 18 after having been suspected of
espionage and passing secret military intelligence.

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U.S. diplomat in secrets scandal leaves Belgrade

WASHINGTON, March 28 (Reuters) - The United States has withdrawn from
Yugoslavia the diplomat arrested at a Belgrade restaurant this month
and accused of receiving military secrets from his dinner partner, a
Serbian deputy prime minister.

"He has left. It was deemed that he should come back here," State
Department spokesman Richard Boucher said on Thursday.

The United States has never identified the diplomat but a military
court said he was John David Neighbor, a first secretary. Washington
has declined to comment on reports he was the CIA station chief in
Belgrade.

Neighbor was arrested by Yugoslav military police on March 14 and held
for 17 hours of questioning despite his protestations of diplomatic
immunity.

The Yugoslav army said it had evidence that Neighbor's companion,
former army chief Momcilo Perisic, had passed military secrets to
Neighbor. The United States denied it. Perisic quit as deputy prime
minister last week but maintained he was innocent of the accusations
against him.

The State Department said on March 19 that the diplomat was still at
his post. Boucher said he left about a week ago.

15:38 03-28-02