BELGRADE (Reuters) - A Serbian government minister Thursday blamed NATO's 11-week air bombardment of Yugoslavia for unseasonal spring and summer weather in the Balkan region.

Ecology Minister Branislav Blazic was quoted by Beta news agency as saying an unprecedented amount of rain had fallen in the region, adding that the logical conclusion was that it was the result of NATO ``aggression.''

Among data he used to back up his claim, he said the amount of airplane fuel burned by NATO jets had affected the upper atmosphere.

The head of a U.N. expert team said earlier this week there was no evidence that NATO bombing had caused any major ecological catastrophe in Yugoslavia, as some local officials had alleged.