U.N. DEPLOY 30 PEACEKEEPERS ON ROAD BETWEEN SARAJEVO AND AIRPORT

SARAJEVO, April 7 (Hina) - UNPROFOR this morning posted 30 peackeepers near a Serb check point on a road between Sarajevo and the airport to ensure unimpeded passage of UN vehicles and personnel. Serbs had installed the check point in contravention of agreements on check points and UN personnel had been robbed there and some humanitarian activists and journalists had been taken prisoner. UN Sarajevo Sector spokesman Pierre Chavancy said that four UN armoured personnel carriers, instead of one, were placed there this morning. UNPROFOR told Serbs that they would be allowed only to check the identity of passengers and their luggage, but Serbs threatened that they would use force. The Serbs increased their presence at the check point overnight which showed that they were warned of measures UNPROFOR was going to take. Chavancy said that there were about a dozen armed Serbs wearing flak jackets that had recently been stolen from UN peacekeepers. Two Serb units were also deployed in the vicinity but their exact number was not known. UN spokesman Alexander Ivanko said that French UN peacekeepers were prepared to respond to any Serb attack. Ivanko said that the problem would be solved in talks with Serb military commanders, which were in progress. Meanwhile, the road between Sarajevo and the airport was closed and the humanitarian airlift was partly suspended because of the increased tension in the area. (hina) jn vm 071559 MET apr 95