KIEV, Dec. 5 ??“ President Viktor Yushchenko, angry over apparent lapses by the authorities that had allowed bird flu virus spread in Crimea, on Monday ordered dismissal of the country??™s top veterinary officer.

Petro Verbytskiy, who supervised the country??™s anti-bird flu measures as the head of the State Department for Veterinarian Medicine, had apparently failed to react quickly enough to the suspected bird flu outbreak.