U.S. RAISES BOSNIAN HOSTAGE ISSUE WITH SERBIAN PRESIDENT

WASHINGTON, Jan 3 (Hina) - The US administration on Wednesday called for the immediate release of 16 Bosnian Moslem civilians recently detained by Bosnian Serbs. US State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns told a news conference in Washington that the United States had made its demand known to Bosnian Serb military commanders and Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. Burns said that his country was very concerned about reports of 16 people having been taken hostage. The US charge d'affaires in Belgrade had been instructed to raise the issue with Milosevic, he said, adding that IFOR commander General Sir Michael Walker had already contacted Bosnian Serb authorities. Burns stressed that there was no element of the Dayton peace agreement more central to the civilians in Bosnia-Herzegovina than freedom of movement. He said that such actions obstructed the implementation of the agreement. (hina) vm 032129 MET jan 96