U.S. SAYS LIFTING BOSNIA ARMS EMBARGO WOULD WORSEN SITUATION

WASHINGTON, Jan 26 (Hina) - US Secretary of State Warren Christopher today said the unilateral lifting of the arms embargo against Bosnia would worsen the situation in that country. Speaking at a session of the House of Representatives International Relations Committee, Christopher said the United States had always believed this arms embargo was unfair and for this reason it had been working on its multilateral lifting. But a one-sided move would lead to UNPROFOR's withdrawal and the spread the violence, he stressed. Sarajevo and other enclaves would be extremely vulnerable to Bosnian Serb army offensives, Christopher said. He added that such a one-sided move would "Americanize" the conflict and lead others to lift sanctions against Serbia. This would further lead to the undermining of UN resolutions, including those on sanctions against Iraq and Libya. Christopher said the United States and its Contact Group partners were seeking a negotiated settlement based on the Contact Group peace plan with the preservation of Bosnia's territorial integrity. (hina) jn rv vm 262233 MET jan 95