Diplomats press to see Montenegro captives

There were no visible signs of mistreatment

British and Canadian officials are hoping to get their first access to four Western men detained by Yugoslav soldiers on the Montenegro-Kosovo border.

The two British policemen - Adrian Prangnell and John Yore - and two Canadians were seized on Tuesday in the border zone on their way back to Kosovo and accused of plotting against the Yugoslav Government.

The Yugoslav army in the town of Andrijevica refused the Canadian ambassador access to the men on Friday.

But United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has now joined those calling for their early release, saying he is "very much concerned" about their detention.

British, Canadian and OSCE spokesmen in Kosovo call for their release

The British Foreign Office said Yugoslavia had agreed to give the two British policemen access to diplomatic representatives.

"We have tried to make it clear that this is not a bilateral issue between Yugoslavia and Britain but an international one," a spokesman said.

The British men, who work for the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) as police training instructors in Kosovo, were on holiday on the Montenegro coast, the OSCE said. They were travelling with Canadian mining engineer Shaun Going and his nephew Liam Hall.

Television pictures

Yugoslav television later broadcast pictures of the men with guns and tools allegedly found with them.

Montenegro, the junior partner to Serbia in the Yugoslav federation, is at loggerheads with the Milosevic regime in Belgrade.

The men were said to be carrying knives and wire

In a strongly worded statement, Montenegro's Interior Ministry dismissed allegations by the Yugoslav military that the four detained foreigners might have been secretly training secessionists.

The OSCE has now banned any of its personnel in Kosovo from visiting Montenegro.

"Clearly, it would be unwise to offer an opportunity for the [Yugoslav army] to use a chance encounter with OSCE people travelling without visas as another propaganda coup," the OSCE said.

Earlier, OCSE officials met Belgrade's charge d'affaires in Vienna to demand the four be officially charged or released.

The OCSE has called for immediate access to the detainees and more information.

Broadcasts condemned

Both Britain and the OCSE condemned the broadcasting of recordings of the four men on Serbian television.

No evidence was produced to support these charges

Foreign Office spokesman

Television footage showed the men sitting at a table on which foreign money, knives, lengths of wire and an Albanian map of Kosovo were spread out.

"This is degrading treatment of detainees. It's against any normal practise of how to treat detained persons," said OCSE spokesman Mans Nyberg.

Safer Mitari speaking in Mr Going's office in Pristina

"It is unacceptable to parade British citizens...before the world's media and accuse them of terrorism and espionage," the Foreign Office said in a statement.

"No evidence was produced to support these charges."

An employee of Mr Going, the owner and director of Canadian construction company Meridian Resources, denied the espionage charges.

"We deny absolutely everything," said Safer Miftari, adding his boss was a businessman who had gone on holiday with his 19-year-old nephew.

Election tension

The arrests come amid rising tensions in Montenegro as Yugoslavia's presidential and parliamentary elections loom in September.

The men were arrested close to the Kosovo border

Correspondents say there are fears that the Yugoslav army may try to oust the pro-western Montenegrin Government, which is seeking more independence.

Montenegro's police force and the Yugoslav army have had a heated exchange of words over the arrests.

On Monday, the Yugoslav authorities announced that four Dutchmen had been arrested near the Yugoslav border for allegedly planning to kill or abduct President Slobodan Milosevic.

Montenegro has declared an open borders policy, but visas are still officially required under Yugoslav entry requirements.