U.N. RECONSIDERS NOTION OF 'SAFE HAVENS' IN BOSNIA

SARAJEVO, March 28 (Hina) - The UN commander for Bosnia, British General Rupert Smith, today met the UN chief commander for the former Yugoslavia, Bernard Janvier, to discuss the concept of UN- declared 'safe havens' and future calls for NATO air support in the implementation of the UN forces' mandate in Bosnia. A UN Protection Force spokesman, Russian Alexander Ivanko, said today in Sarajevo that the latest developments demanded a redefinition of the status of the UN Security-Council-declared 'safe havens'. "The UN Secretary-General has asked the UN Security Council for directions on how to react to threats to 'safe havens' caused by military actions from inside the 'havens'," Russian officer Ivanko said. He added that Bosnian Serb artillery attacks on the Tuzla 'safe haven' were the result of a government-led Bosnian Army offensive on Mount Majevica. However, Ivanko also said that UNPROFOR believed that the Bosnian Serbs' response was impermissible. But, a question on why the UN 'blue helmets' did not respond to a Serb artillery attack on the Gorazde 'safe haven' on March 25, received no clear answer. UN military observers say that the unprovoked attack left 17 civilian casualties. UN officials once again condemned the Serb attack, and reiterated that NATO aircraft had flown over Gorazde after the attack. The NATO airplanes did not execute any operation, with NATO and the U.N. explaining that there were numerous reasons for their inaction. UN officials repeatedly say that Bosnian Army troops are being trained within the safe areas, and offensive actions carried out from there, and Serbs use this as an excuse for their onslaughts on civilian targets in towns. Gorazde is one of Moslem enclaves in eastern Bosnia, completely encircled by Serb forces, and overcrowded by refugees who were expelled from Serb-conquered areas. (hina) jn sd mms 281412 MET mar 95