SERBIA: OPPOSITION PARTIES JOIN FORCES TO TOPPLE MILOSEVIC скачать в хорошем качестве

SERBIA: OPPOSITION PARTIES JOIN FORCES TO TOPPLE MILOSEVIC

(10 Jan 2000) Natural Sound For the first time in more than two years, all major opposition parties in Serbia have agreed to join forces in their struggle to topple Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. If honoured, the agreement by Serbia's traditionally fractured pro-democracy parties could present a turning point in their decade-long efforts to undermine Milosevic's grip on power. Monday's agreement was the latest of several opposition attempts to conjure up a common anti-Milosevic platform. In what looks like the most unified front shown by Serbia's disparate opposition groups, representatives of all of the 16 political parties attended a meeting in Belgrade on Monday. Serbia's opposition had failed to unite on many previous occasions. The most recent breakup came in 1997, when personal rivalries dissolved the unified opposition. That allowed President Slobodan Milosevic to consolidate his control after more than three months of street protests had shaken his grip on power. Monday's meeting was called by Vuk Draskovic, leader of Serbia's single largest opposition party, the Serbian Renewal Movement. After the meeting, the opposition leaders faced the media at Belgrade city hall and issued a unified demand for nationwide elections to be held by the end of April. SOUNDBITE: (Serbian) "I have the honour to announce that we have agreed on both documents, the first being the joint strategy for struggle for democratic early elections, and the second our mutual letter to the governments of the E-U, USA, Russia and China. These two documents were signed by all of us." SUPER CAPTION: Vuk Draskovic, leader, Serbian Renewal Movement Until the elections, a united opposition will seek to cultivate the support of the masses through joint media presentations and meetings. The first in a series of planned rallies is scheduled for March 9. According to independent media reports, Draskovic's party also wants the opposition parties to ask the West to suspend sanctions against Yugoslavia once Milosevic's government agrees to hold elections. But details were not the top of the meeting's agenda - the main aim was to give the opposition groups the chance to show a united front. SOUNDBITE: (Serbian) "Serbia has got today an united democratic opposition, united not as in one party but united around the mutual goals which will represent dawning of a new day for all the citizens of Serbia." SUPERCAPTION: Bishop Artemije, Kosovo Serb spiritual leader Yugoslavia's loss of Kosovo, along with deepening political and economic crises intensified by international sanctions, heightened opposition demands for the ousting of Milosevic's. But a series of nationwide street protests failed after Draskovic's group refused to join. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...