SERBS ABDUCT BOSNIAN TV REPORTER FROM U.N. VEHICLE

SARAJEVO, Jan 27 (Hina) - Bosnian Serbs yesterday stopped an UNPROFOR armoured carrier and kidnapped a Bosnian TV reporter, Namik Berberovic, who happened to be travelling in the vehicle. The incident happened on Kasindolska Road linking Sarajevo airport to the city. UNPROFOR headquarters in Sarajevo today released a statement saying that the Russian carrier should not have opened the driver's door and allowed Serbs to search the vehicle and its passengers. The Serbs have refused the UN any contact with the journalist, who is being held in a Serb police station in Sarajevo's Ilidza district, UNPROFOR spokesman Aleksandar Ivanko said. He added that the newly-appointed UNPROFOR commander in Bosnia-Herzegovina, General Rupert Smith, was to meet Serb officials in their stronghold of Pale today to demand that the imprisoned journalist be released. UNPROFOR has tolerated for two years Serb-manned check points on Kasindolska Road despite an agreement banning any check points other than the UN's on access roads to Sarajevo. UNPROFOR has so far failed to prevent Bosnian nationals from being kidnapped along the nortorious road. Last year, a personnel carrier transporting Croatian Embassy staff was held up at the same spot. In the presence of Russian UN peacekeepers, Serbs harassed the passengers and attempted to seize their mail. (hina) mar sd vm 271531 MET jan 95