Calls for general strike as Serbs take to streets

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia -- Pressure on Slobodan Milosevic is mounting after students in Serbia walked out of schools, firms closed and roads were blocked by protesters demanding the president concede election defeat.

Opposition parties called on Yugoslavians to hold a nationwide general strike from Monday as the Serbian strongman and his senior party officials defiantly prepared for a second round of voting on October 8.

Yugoslav opposition candidate Vojislav Kostunica called for a recount of Sunday's election in an attempt to dispel Milosevic's assertion that no candidate won an absolute majority in the first round of voting.

The Yugoslav army on Friday rejected a request for an urgent meeting by Serbian opposition officials struggling to oust Milosevic.

IN-DEPTH Yugoslavia Decides 2000   • Overview   • The road ahead   • Key players   • Party profiles   • Shrinking of Yugoslavia   • Maps/At-a-glance

VIDEO In Montenegro, new alliances are being considered among Milosevic supporters. CNN's Nic Robertson reports Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Alessio Vinci shows the celebration Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Browse the video archive of CNN's Yugoslavia election coverage     IMAGE GALLERY Images from the historic vote     AUDIO What will the opposition do now? CNN's Alessio Vinci reports. 810K/37 sec. WAV sound     MESSAGE BOARD Peace in the Balkans     RESOURCES Yugoslavia election information

The Democratic Opposition of Serbia bloc had asked for a meeting with chief-of-staff General Nebojsa Pavkovic to present what it says is evidence that official results of Sunday's elections had robbed Kostunica of victory.

In a letter to army headquarters, the opposition bloc said it had "irrefutable evidence that the results are based on incorrect and inaccurate calculations," the independent Beta news agency said.

The head of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) also called Belgrade's vote count for that province "a lie and a manipulation."

Throughout Serbia, roadblocks have been set up by protesters determined to cause major disruption and unsettle the president.

Several trucks blocked a main road in central Serbia, causing long lines near the town of Ljig, 50 miles south of the capital. Drivers said other blockades had been set up further south.

"It is better to sit here for 10 days than to have years more of life like we have now," said one driver sitting in a restaurant while his truck was parked on the road nearby.

Road-blocks were also set up on a bridge across the Morava river by the town of Cuprija and opposition activists in the central town of Krusevac blocked motorways.

Earlier, about 20,000 people gathered in downtown Belgrade for a protest rally that marked the start of the campaign of non-violent protest.

In the capital and a string of towns run by the opposition, students walked out of schools, taxi drivers blocked traffic, workers at several companies went on strike and cinemas and theatres closed.

In the northern city of Novi Sad, local authorities vowed to shut down much of the city. Even employees of state television in the city threatened to go on strike.

"Everything will stop in this town besides the water supply and garbage disposal. Buses will work only in rush hours," said the head of the city government, Predrag Filipov.

Montenegro's President Milo Djukanovic told CNN that his republic, which together with Serbia comprises Yugoslavia, would support the opposition.

"Montenegro has been working with great dedication on (ousting Milosevic) for the past three years, and I would say that in the past three years Montenegro has held this entire anti-dictatorial front in the Federal Republic of Montenegro.

"Montenegro will give absolute support to the democratic oppostion," Djukanovic said.

In Belgrade, the turnout at Friday's rally was much lower than at one in the same place on Wednesday night, which drew a crowd of around 200,000. Analysts say it remains uncertain how many people will take part in the campaign, noting that massive participation is essential if it is to succeed.

Daily street protests last year failed to put any major pressure on Milosevic and fizzled out after a few weeks.

The opposition insists its candidate, Vojislav Kostunica, won outright in Sunday's elections, and has called a five-day campaign of country-wide protests to force Milosevic to step down.

And in a written statement released at the United Nations Friday, UNMIK's special representative Bernard Kouchner said the figure of 140,000 votes that President Slobodan Milosevic said he won in Kosovo was false.

Kouchner said fewer than 45,000 Kosovars went to the polls last Sunday in the presidential election.

"I would like to make it very clear today that based on UNMIK's witnessing of the voting in Kosovo, the figure of 140,000 Kosovar voters is absolutely a lie and a manipulation," Kouchner said.

The European Union is also backing Kostunica's claim to have won an outright election victory but is not totally ruling out the run-off Milosevic is trying to impose.

Heartened by what they believe are signs of an unstoppable momentum for democratic change, EU governments agree it is up to Kostunica to decide whether to accept a second round vote.

They expect him to gauge the strength of his own support in street demonstrations and civil disobedience over the next week before taking a final decision.

Kostunica's name will definitely be on the ballot paper if there is a run-off since Milosevic admits he came first in last Sunday's election.

"We hope there won't have to be a run-off, but that is for the opposition to judge and we will support them. The situation is on a knife edge. It's their show and it's not up to us to second-guess them," a British official said.

The EU and the U.S. have increased public pressure for Milosevic to step down and offered to lift sanctions on Belgrade as soon as it has a democratic government, but they are avoiding any statement that could embarrass the opposition.

The European Union has spent close to $140 million since 1991 on projects as diverse as providing energy last winter to opposition-run cities in the main Yugoslav republic Serbia, to paying for benches and other equipment for schools there.

The United States funnelled $35 million to opponents of Milosevic in little more than a year as part of efforts to weaken his position.

EU officials played down the possibility of violence, saying there were signs that military commanders were aware that a majority of soldiers voted for Kostunica, raising questions about their willingness to use force against opposition protesters.

In Sarajevo, the Bosnia and Slovenia governments expressed hope that democratic changes in Yugoslavia speed up, allowing relations between the two former Yugoslav republics and Belgrade to improve.

Slovenia and Bosnia broke relations with Yugoslavia in 1991 and 1992 respectively, after declaring independence from the former socialist republic.

"The change of political situation in Yugoslavia represents an improvement for all of us who shared the same state," said Slovenia's Foreign Minister Lojze Peterle.

Yugoslav authorities expelled BBC correspondent Jacky Rowland on Friday alleging biased reporting on the country's general elections.

Yugoslavia's information minister, Goran Matic, had issued Rowland a first warning more than a week ago, when he referred to the BBC's reporting on the campaign and cited the correspondent by name.

"For her, the elections are already over and the opposition won," Matic said at the time. In a meeting with the minister the following day, Matic accused the BBC of siding with the opposition, Rowland said.

The BBC said it would appeal against the Yugoslav government's decision, but gave no details.

The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.

Yugoslav election body orders second round of elections
September 28, 2000
Yugoslav State-run TV announces opposition lead
September 26, 2000
Clinton: Election shows Milosevic must go
September 26, 2000
Milosevic declared winner in Montenegro
September 26, 2000
After the poll: Milosevic's options
September 25, 2000

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Serbia Ministry of Information
Serbian Orthodox Church
Democratic Opposition of Serbia
Socialist Party of Serbia

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