BOSNIAN ARMY LIBERATES A NEW AREA NEAR BIHAC

SARAJEVO, Feb 14 (Hina) - The Bosnian Army's Fifth Corps has pushed Serbs back south of the UN-declared Bihac 'safe area' in the last three days of fighting. Bosnian soldiers now fully control the Debeljaca hill and the Zavalja and Sokolac villages, according to Bosnian Army reports. UN Spokesman, Gary Coward, said in Sarajevo that the 'blue helmets' could not confirm the reports, but he believed they were probably accurate. The newly-liberated area lies on about seven square kilometres, and the front line between the Bosnian Army and Serbs on this front coincided with boundaries of the 'safe haven' around Bihac. UN military observers counted 189 detonations in Bihac last night. Nine mortar shells fired from Serb positions pounded the very centre of the town. But Coward said the shelling caused no civilian casualties. "For the first time, people living in a UN-declared 'safe zone' face the threat of starving to death," said UNHCR spokesman, Kris Janowski, commenting on the humanitarian situation in the Bihac pocket. Janowski said the self-styled authorities in the Serb stronghold of Pale had not given clearance for the passage of Bihac-bound humanitarian convoys. Serbs offered a verbal promise that the convoys would be allowed to pass through Banja Luka, but UNHRC officials demanded written confirmation, because without it the trucks would not depart, he added. Bosnian Serbs yesterday transported a new batch of 300 soldiers through the occupied Croatian areas (UNPA South) to strengthen their forces in the Bihac pocket, UN military observers reported. UN peace keepers counted about 200 explosions on the fronts around Bosanska Krupa and Bosanska Otoka, but said no changes of the fronts lines had occurred there. (hina) jn sd mms 141409 MET feb 95