BELGRADE, June 29 (Hina) - Opposition parties held two protest rallies in Belgrade on Friday evening, each gathering about ten thousand protesters.
BELGRADE, June 29 (Hina) - Opposition parties held two protest
rallies in Belgrade on Friday evening, each gathering about ten
thousand protesters. #L#
The gatherings were marked by the demands for the replacement of the
ruling DOS coalition, request for early elections, and fights
between Socialists and members of Vuk Draskovic's Serb Revival
Movement (SPO). One policeman was slightly injured in a fight.
One rally was organised by the Socialist Party of the former
president Slobodan Milosevic, who is being tried by the UN tribunal
for war crimes in The Hague.
The other rally was held by the SPO together with the People's
Democratic Party led by Slobodan Vuksanovic and Social Democrats
led by Vuk Obradovic.
The SPO leader Draskovic described the current Serbian Premier
Zoran Djindjic as "dictator", and asked for elections until 15
September, or the "Bolshevik authorities " would have the entire
Serbia against them.
At the other rally Mirko Marjanovic who replaced Milosevic at the
Socialist party's helm, asked for the set-up of an interim
government which would call early elections until the end of
September. At this rally, which had a slogan "Against The Hague And
For Early Elections," several thousand protesters chanted
Milosevic's name.
Milosevic's wife, Mirjana Markovic, also organised a rally in front
of Belgrade's monument to victims of the NATO's air strikes against
Yugoslavia. About one hundred members of her party "JUL" (Yugoslav
Left), gathered at the rally at which she called "on all patriots in
the country to unite in the fight for freedom", as "Serbia is now
again faced with slavery," she said.
(hina) ms