BELGRADE. Dec 11: Rebel Serbs in Croatia on Saturday said they would join their fellow Serbs fighting in Bosnia, threatening to widen the Balkan war. reports AP

The announcement came a day after Croatian officials confirmed that their troops were helping Bosnian Croats wl>o are allied with Bosnia's Muslim-led government.

Conflict between Croatian Serb and Croatian artny forces in Bosnia could reignite warfare in Croatia, where a truce ended Croatia s 1991 war.

Croatian Serb leader Milan Martie said his forces would help Bosnian Serbs repel a Croat offensive on Bosnia's western border with Croatia.

That offensive, toward the western Serb-held town of Grahovo. threatens to cut a key supply link form the Croatian Serb stronghold of Knin through Bosnian Serb-held territory to Serbia proper in the east.

"We must help our brethren in the Bosnian Serb Republic."

the Yugoslav news agency Tanjug quoted Martie as saying.

Croatian Serbs have already been fighting in Bosnia, back Ing rebel Muslims and Bosnian Serbs in an offensive around northwestern Bihac. They have denied It. but UN officials have confirmed their Involvement

On Friday. Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Cranic con firmed that his country’s army was helping Bosnian Croats in their offensive near Grahovo south of the Bihac pocket

Rebel Serbs captured about one-third of Croatian territory in the 1991 war and want to link their holdings with the 70 per cent of Bosnian territory held by Serbs and Serbia proper.

Martie said the joint attacks of Bosnian Croat and Croatian troops on "The western bor ders of the Bosnian Serb re public are at the same Utpe attacks on the Croatian Serb republic."

"The Croatian Serb army will join the fighting to defend the Grahovo-Glamoc Region