(18 Dec 1996) English/Nat
Students in the streets of Belgrade Wednesday, are keeping up the pressure on Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic.
The president is taking a conciliatory line toward their demands, but his lieutenants were organising counter-rallies and showing greater visibility on the streets of the capital.
Hundreds of anti-riot police flooded the streets of Belgrade.
Their instructions. To prevent the 20-thousand students marching on the home of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic from reaching their destination.
The students descended on the waiting lines of police.
A tense but non-violent stand-off between the two groups followed.
Police last week made a similar move to block students protesting over cancelled election results from reaching Milosevic's
residence.
The president's home is in Dedinje in the highest part of the Yugoslav capital.
Serbian Interior Minister Zoran Sokolovic was quoted in the press saying that "police had never banned students from making their way to Dedinje".
Armed with the ministers words the students tried to put them to the test.
They carried a large cardboard pyramid bearing the words: "forbidden town of Dedinje."
Once again they failed to reach their destination.
A cordon of several hundred riot police stood in their way.
SOUNDBITE:
" Speaking to the students Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic practically admitted he is running a dictatorship."
SUPER CAPTION: Miodrag Perisic, Democratic Party
The opposition won 15 of Serbia's 18 biggest towns, including Belgrade, in the November 17 municipal polls.
But the results were annulled on appeal by the ruling Socialists.
Subsequent protests have drawn crowds of up to 200,000 in Belgrade.
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