World

What To Do About Milosevic?

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

October 12, 1999 / 9:43 AM EDT / CBS

Opposition parties and Western nations are demanding he step down, but Yugoslav President Milosevic is fighting back, reports CBS News Senior European Correspondent Tom Fenton.

In a rare appearance Monday, he presided over the reopening of a bridge destroyed during the war and then accused NATO of genocide against the Serbs. He also blasted SerbiaÂ's opposition, calling them cowards and bootlickers.

The normally reclusive Milosevic also ventured out in public recently to reopen a damaged oil refinery. Serbian self-reliance is the message, but the PR campaign may be a sign that the President is feeling the heat as the cold dark days of winter approach.

NATO's air campaign targeted Yugoslavia's oil refineries, factories, and infrastructure. The economy is in shambles and shortages are fueling public discontent with the regime. But the prospect of Serb suffering has sparked a serious dispute between the United States and its European allies.

The opposition to Milosevic has taken to the streets and rallied around 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 combine carrot and stick by sending aid to cities that are centers of anti-Milosevic sentiment.

That may not be easy. Most of the Yugoslav opposition leaders backed away from a meeting with European ministers Monday. The aid plan was on the agenda and some said Belgrade used intimidation to keep MilosevicÂ's opponents close to home.

Â"The point of todayÂ's meeting with the opposition was to demonstrate to the people of Serbia what is on offer to them from Europe if they could get rid of Mr. Milosevic and his anti-democratic policies,Â" said Chris Patten, the European Union's commissioner for external affairs.

Despite the missing Serbs and at the risk of 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.