Yugoslav minister commits suicide

Officials said Kovac (c) killed himself for "personal reasons"

Yugoslav Health and Labour Minister Miodrag Kovac has committed suicide by hanging himself in his hotel room in Madrid.

Mr Stojiljkovic is in a critical state after shooting himself

Police and Yugoslav Embassy officials said Mr Kovac's body was found in the bathroom at the Eurobuilding hotel with a suicide note nearby.

The embassy officials said Mr Kovac, aged 54, had killed himself for "personal reasons".

They ruled out any link to the attempted suicide of the former Serbian Interior Minister, Vlajko Stojikjkovic, who shot himself on Thursday outside the Yugoslav Parliament in protest at its decision to hand over war crimes suspects to the Hague tribunal.

Mr Kovac was attending a United Nations conference on ageing.

Correspondents say Mr Kovac's suicide follows allegations of financial irregularities involving medicine imports.