SICK UN OBSERVER HELD PRISONER BY BOSNIAN SERBS

ZAGREB, Dec 6 (Hina) - Bosnian Serbs have detained a seriously ill UN military observer, the UN in Zagreb said today. The prisoner, a Jordanian major, was posted at the Banja Luka airfield along with two other observers to monitor the observance of the UN Security Council "no fly" resolution, UN spokesman Michael Williams said. These observers have been subjected to systematic abuse since the NATO airstrike against Udbina (in Croatia's UNPA South) on November 21. Bosnian Serbs were practically keeping them in prison, sometimes neglecting to feed them for 24 hours. The observers were once forced spend eight hours cooped up in their vehicle on the Banja Luka runway to ward off possible NATO air raids. As a consequence of these mistreatments, the Jordanian major developed a heart condition a week ago, Williams said. UNPROFOR was trying to negotiate the replacement of the Jordanian major, but the Serbs insisted that another officer take his place. A Spanish captain and a Czech major left for Banja Luka yesterday, only to be detained by Bosnian Serbs. Bosnian Serbs have so far detained 349 UN peacekeepers, most of them military observers, UN spokesman Paul Risley said. French and Ukrainian troops posted in UN arms depots around Sarajevo were also among the detainees, while fifty-five Canadians were held at an Ilidza police station, he said. Bosnian Serbs today rejected all 32 applications for free passage of supply convoys for UN troops in various parts of Bosnia- Herzegovina. (hina) mm as 061725 MET dec 94