BILECA (Bosnia), Apr 3: The Bosnian Serb Parliament today overwhelmingly rejected an international plan to end the year-old civil war in Bosnia that would strip them of captured territory, reports Reuter.

Serb leader Radovan Karadzic told journalists that plans to redraw the ethnic map of the former Yugoslav republic, reducing the Serb ■hare of land, directly endanger the survival of the Serb people in this territory.'

He added 'We are in favour of maps but not at the cost of the, catastrophic disappearance of the Serb people, the signing of the maps would be suicide for the Serb people.

Momcilo Krajisnik, the Parliament's President, said 68 of the 81 legislators voted against the UN-sponsored plan accepted by their Muslim and Croat foes.

There was one abstention and no votes against as hardliners brushed aside attempts by their leaders Including Karadzic to avert outright rejection which would court the west's wrath.

Not all deputies were present at the decisive session which lasted for only 60 minutes.

Serdjansrzo, a legislator

from Prijedor In northern Bosnia, told journalists: "Now we have snubbed the western pressure 1 can go back to my fighters with my head high and look them in the face.

Meanwhile, an aid convoy bound for the eastern Bosnian town of Srebrenica turned back today 10 kilometres (six miles) from its destination, a UN spokesman said.

He said the convoy of 16 trucks—eight of them empty— turned back at the town of Bratunac, close to the border with Serbia, on orders from UN High Commissioner for Refugees officials.

The convoy had been due to take food and other aid in and evacuate civilians, but UN High Commissioner for Refugees spokesman John McMillan said earlier that If fighting continued In the area the convoy would probably not go in.

UN Protection Force spokesman Barry Frewer termed clashes Friday and Saturday around Srebrenica, where some 60,000 Muslims arc surrounded by Bosnian Serb forces, a 'flagrant viola tion' of a ceasefire throughout Bosnia-Herzegovina which was declared March 28 and has been generally holding.

Meanwhile. In Rome, Italian prime minister Giulio Amato on Friday gave the green light for Italian bases to be used by NATO aircraft to enforce a no-fly zone over Bosnia-Herzegovina. a government official announced.

Under Secretary of State Fabio Fabbri said Amato made the decision after consulting with the defense and foreign ministers.

Informed sources said Italy would provide logistic support for NATO flight that would operate out of several Italian bases, possibly Aviano near Udine, Vicenza, Ghedi near Brescia, Pisa, Gioia Del Colie near Bari, Brindisi and from Slngpnella on the island of Sicily.

All bases are regularly open to NATO forces.

Some 30 ships under the command of the western European Union and NATO are already on patrol In the Adriatic Sea to enforce a UN embargo on former Yugoslavia.

NATO's decision to en force the no-fly zone over Bosnia-Herzegovina was the West’s first direct military action In the battlefield former Yugoslav republic.