The Guardian
April 24, 2004
By agencies in Copenhagen

Denmark's defence minister, Svend Aage Jensby, yesterday became the first minister from a government in the US-led coalition to resign over the weapons of mass destruction furore.

Mr Jensby quit after breaking state secrecy laws by openly discussing details of an intelligence committee meeting on WMD.

The Danish government has come under pressure to explain its reasons for backing the war and keeping its 500 troops in Iraq.

Norway meanwhile rejected a US appeal to keep its 180 troops in Iraq after a planned pullout in June when it will focus its efforts instead on Afghanistan. Earlier, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said he hoped several countries including Norway would stay in Iraq beyond the June 30 deadline for transfer of sovereignty back to Iraqis.

On the ground in Iraq yesterday a Bulgarian soldier died in an ambush and a US soldier died in a convoy bombing.

Police arrested five Iraqis believed to be linked to al-Qaida and suspected of involvement in Wednesday's suicide bombings in Basra that killed 74 people. The suspects led police to a stash of 20 tonnes of explosives.

The standoff around Najaf showed no signs of easing, as the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr threatened to unleash suicide bombers if US troops move against him in Iraq's holiest Shiite city.

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

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