Major in visit to Bosnia troops

REDOUBT CAMP, Bosnia-Herzegovina (Reuter) - John Major visited British troops in Bosnia yesterday and predicted a draft resolution to enforce a no-fly zone would be before the United Nations in days.

Speaking to some of the 2,400 soldiers Britain has deployed to escort UN aid convoys, Mr Major said details of the plan to keep Serbian military aircraft on the ground had yet to be worked out.

'I think there is going to be a no-fly zone resolution. The nature of it is clearly important, that's still under discussion,' he said. 'What is happening across Bosnia is not acceptable. We all know of the atrocities that are being committed and I think it has to be made clear that those aren't acceptable.'

Standing in front of Warrior armoured vehicles, Mr Major told men from the Cheshire Regiment their safety was a prime concern. 'When we have that no-fly zone, be absolutely certain that the matter foremost in the minds of the Government will be to secure your safety out here.'

The Prime Minister had travelled by aeroplane, helicopter and Range Rover from Heathrow to visit the redoubt, a camp in the woods built by Royal Engineers carving routes for aid convoys through the mountains.

He brought Christmas presents - cassettes of the British top 40 - and posed for photographs in front of a Christmas tree at the gate. Mr Major meet more troops at Tomislavgrad.

In Belgrade, Milan Panic, the defeated Serbian presidential challenger, asked the world to abandon the idea of further military intervention to stop the fighting in

Bosnia.

He denounced the landslide electoral victory of Slobodan Milosevic, the nationalist incumbent, as a fraud.

Panic fights on, page 8

Letters, page 16