HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN BIHAC ON THE BRINK OF CATASTROPHE

ZAGREB, Feb 7 (Hina) - The humanitarian situation in Bihac would be on the brink of catastrophe if UNHCR could not deliver more food to the west Bosnian enclave, Zagreb UNHCR spokeswoman Alemka Lisinski, said today. 'The entire Bihac pocket in January received only around 300 tonnes of food but according to our estimates they should have received 1,936 tonnes,' Lisinksi said. Knin Serb authorities repeatedly refused UNHCR convoys clearance and recently there had also been problems from rebel forces loyal to Fikret Abdic demanding half the food aid, she said. UNHCR estimates that 180,000 people were currently living in the Bihac pocket, while some 30,000 lived in territory under Abdic's control. The worst situation was in the city of Bihac itself. UNHCR spokeswoman in Geneva, Rona Redmond, said a hundred people had protested Monday because their families had not eaten for several days. Lisinski said that even the 2000 patients at the Bihac hospital were only being fed one meal a day. She concluded by announcing that on Thursday, UNHCR officials would go to Knin to ask Serb authorities clearance for setting an alternative supply route to Bihac through southwestern entries to the enclave. (hina) jn sd mms 071948 MET feb 95