Warning issued on travel in Montenegro Upcoming Milosevic vote behind increasing tensions

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe banned itsstaff Friday from traveling to Montenegro, the Yugoslavian republicwhere two British police officers and two Canadians were arrested bythe Yugoslavian army earlier in the week.

In a memo to its staff throughout the Balkans, the OSCE said thearrests were part of a pattern of activity indicating that "thesecurity situation in Montenegro (is) taking a turn for the worse."

"Clearly, it would be unwise to offer an opportunity for the(Yugoslav army) to use a chance encounter with OSCE people travelingwithout visas as another propaganda coup," said the memo from theEuropean security organization.

The memo came a day after the Yugoslavian army announced that ithad arrested the four on suspicion of spying and trainingsecessionist forces in pro-Western Montenegro.

The four had been spending a weekend at the Montenegrin coast andwere traveling back to Kosovo, the Serbian province where they work,OSCE said. They were picked up on what the OSCE called "anunauthorized road" near the Montenegro-Kosovo border.

The arrests came amid rising tensions throughout Yugoslavia asnational and presidential elections approach. President SlobodanMilosevic is seeking another term in the Sept. 24 vote, butMontenegro-whose pro-Western administration strongly opposesMilosevic-has said it will boycott the election.

Montenegrins do not require Westerners to obtain Yugoslavian visaswhen they visit. But the Yugoslavian army in Montenegro, which isloyal to Milosevic, does not recognize the waiver and considersanyone without visas to be in the country illegally.

The Canadians, Shaun Going and his nephew Liam Hall, 19, wereworking in Kosovo for a construction company, Meridian Resources,said Shawn Barber, head of the Canadian mission in Kosovo.

On Thursday, one of Going's Kosovo employees, Safer Miftari,denied that the two Canadians were spying or training Montenegro'spro-Western forces.

"We deny absolutely everything . . . the spying charges and thathe came to Montenegro to prepare some (military) units," Miftarisaid. He said Going had taken his nephew for a short vacation inMontenegro and failed to return Monday night as expected.

David Slin, head of the British mission in Kosovo, said Belgradeauthorities had not formally notified the British government thatthey are holding the two British men. He identified them as Sgt.Adrian Pragnell, 41, and Constable John Yore, 31, both trainers atthe OSCE-run police academy in the central Kosovo town of Vucitrn.