U.N. PRESS CONFERENCE ON SITUATION IN SECTOR SOUTH

ZADAR, Feb 23 (Hina) - The UN said today Croatian army troops and rebel Serbs were digging trenches at some points along the line of separation in UN Sector South. UN Sector South spokesman, Alun Roberts, told a press conference in Zadar that it was not a large-scale operation. He ascribed this to the failure of both sides to start implementing the third stage of the ceasefire agreement, under which they were supposed to reduce the number of their respective troops near the separation line. Roberts denied media statements in Serb-occupied areas which quoted him as saying that UNPROFOR would stay in Croatia after its mandate expired on March 31. He added that there were no official indications of extending the UNPROFOR mandate in Croatia. Asked if rebel Serbs were preparing for war, Roberts said there was nothing 'special' going on around Knin. "A solution should be found within the recognized borders of Croatia, which Serbs in Knin still reject," Roberts stressed, adding that the speedier implementation of the economic agreement would accelerate the political resolution of the conflict. Commenting on the recent establishment of the joint military headquarters of Croatian and Bosnian Serbs, Roberts said such a development was dangerous. He stressed that UNPROFOR was not providing logistic support to rebel Serb forces in Croatia except in the event of transporting serious patients to Belgrade and repairing roads used by UNPROFOR. Asked if Serbs were stealing oil from the Adriatic oil pipe line passing through the occupied area, Roberts said no such incident had been acknowledged. He added that Croatian Serbs were getting small amounts of fuel from their Bosnian kin. (hina) sd vm 231701 MET feb 95