UNPROFOR'S CONFERENCE ON SITUATION AT ZAGREB-LIPOVAC HIGHWAY

PAKRAC, Jan 10 (hina) - The removal of containers bearing Serb insignia ('the Serb Republic of Krajina ) on the Zagreb-Lipovac highway in UNPA West commenced today. The removal came after a request from the Croatian Government chief negotiator with rebel Serbs, Hrvoje Sarinic, an UN spokeswoman for UNPA Sector West, Susan Manuel, today told a Pakrac press conference. Speaking of the current situation on the highway, Manuel said that no armed people should be between highway fences, i.e. on the very lane. She added that the ban was generally observed. Armed Serbs only appeared at the highway when they had a guard change- over at access roads. The presence of Serb militia at overpasses was not dealt with in the December 2 economic agreement, she added. In the event of traffic accidents on the highway, both Croatian police and Serb militia could be called to the scene, Manuel said. But all who turned up had to be unarmed. UNPROFOR would help a driver to call any firm for assistance outside the UNPA. In the event of a heavy traffic accident, UNPROFOR was to transport the injured to hospital. Manuel announced that a meeting of the mixed military commission for demining Zagreb-Slavonski Brod railway would be held tomorrow at noon in the Jordanian UN battalion's base near Novska. Superintendent of Bjelovar police Mato Sicaja said traffic along the highway was banned to vehicles from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and from Bosnia-Herzegovina, and UNPROFOR was obliged to enforce the ban. The highway in the UNPA Sector East was reopened for traffic up to the border with Serbia (i.e. up to Bajakovo), Sicaja said. He told journalists that from 5 to 9 January during the Serb Orthodox Christmas holidays there had been 90 cases of the armed provocation carried out by obstreperous Serbs in the Pakrac-Lipik area, and 14 in the Novska area. Pakrac Hospital, two flats and two cars in unoccupied Croatian territory were shot at, he added. 101821 MET jan 95