Austrian Defense Chief Quits over Illegal Arms Deal with Syria

Austrian Defense Minister Karl Luetgendorf was forced to resign yesterday because of an illegal arms deal with Syria. Luetgendorf, 62, announced his resignation after more than five months of resistance against mounting criticism.

Chancellor Bruno Kreisky, who included the non-party member into his Socialist cabinet, said the resignation was necessary because Luetgendorf was guilty of misinforming Parliament. The affair started last December, when customs officials at Vienna airport stopped a consignment of 600 Marksman rifles and half a million rounds of ammunition destined for Syria. The consignment had been dispatched by an Austrian arms dealer, who later turned out to be a close personal friend of the Minister. When the arms dealer failed to get the consignment out of the country because of Austria’s neutral status, the Ministry of Defense claimed ownership, but customs officials remained adamant.

When the affair became public, Luetgendorf first claimed the ammunition was destined for Tunisia and that he knew nothing of any shipment to Syria. But a Parliamentary investigation disclosed that Luetgendorf was informed about all the details of the deal from the very beginning. He was found guilty of misinforming Parliament. Luetgendorf said he did not feel guilty in all points but admitted that he may have made some mistakes. Austria, because of its neutral status, refrains from exporting arms to any zones of conflict, especially to the Middle East. Austrian units are stationed on the Golan Heights as part of the United Nations peace force. Kreisky visited Syria last month.