U.N. CHIEF INFORMED OF CROATS' SUFFERING IN NORTHWESTERN BOSNIA

NEW YORK, Feb 8 (Hina) - The Croatian Ambassador to the UN, Mario Nobilo, today relayed to UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali a letter by the Union of Croats from northwestern Bosnia, in which it described the plight of Croats in the Banja Luka region. It was requested that the letter be included among documents of the UN General Assembly on human rights issues. During the three years of Serb occupation, 50,000 out of 80,000 Croats had been expelled from northwestern Bosnia. There were 30,000 Croats in Banja Luka town before the outbreak of hostilities and nearly 20,000 of them were forced to leave their homes. During that time, the non-Serb population had been subject to killings, expulsion and maltreatment. Croats were frequently taken to front lines to serve as a human shield and were forced to fight their own people. The situation had worsened in the past two months. On Christmas and before the New Year, several hundred Croats and Moslems were taken away and the whereabouts of 20 of them were still unknown, the letter said. It cited examples of robbery and maltreatment of Croats, adding that the mobilization of Croats from 18 to 65 years of age had resumed. The letter warned of more Croats fleeing the region, emphasizing that Serb authorities did nothing to protect citizens. (Hina) jn rv mv 082042 MET feb 95