Milosevic On the Ropes?

In a rare appearance today, Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic came out to reopen a bridge destroyed during the war, CBS News Correspondent Tom Fenton reports. Defending his policies despite years of war and economic ruin, Milosevic called opposition leaders seeking his ouster cowards and said they want to turn Serbia into a pro-Western colony.

He also accused NATO of genocide against the Serbs.

It is the second time in recent weeks the normally reclusive Milosevic has been seen in public. The last time was to reopen a damaged oil refinery. Defiant Serbian self-reliance is the message, but the the PR campaign may be a sign that the President is feeling the heat as winter approaches.

Milosevic conceded that Yugoslavia is going through a deep economic and social crisis. The opposition has accused him of starting and then losing four Balkan wars and turning Yugoslavia into one of the poorest European countries through fiscal mismanagement.

NATO's air war crippled Yugoslavia's economy. Shortages are fueling public discontent with the regime. But the prospect of Serb suffering has sparked a serious dispute between the United States and European.

With Milosevic opposition groups united in the streets and in their demands that he step down, the United States insists this is no time to be sending aid that could relieve pressure on the president. But the Europeans - worried about a new humanitarian crisis - want to supply fuel to cities that are centers of anti-Milosevic sentiment.

But that won t be easy. Today most of the Serb opposition leaders backed away from meeting with European ministers. The aid plan was on the agenda and the no-shows were no surprise after Milosevic said attendance would amount to treason.

Despite the missing Serbs and U.S. displeasure, the ministers went ahead and approved the plan to send fuel aid. All of the parties agree on the desired end - no more Milosevic - but when it comes to the means, it looks like allied unity could be the last casualty of the war.