Belgrade Protesters Not Satisfied

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia: Perhaps scenting blood in President Milosevic's recent concessions, protesters in Belgrade are vowing to press on. "It's only the first round," opposition leader Vesna Pesic told demonstrators who returned to the streets for a 79th straight day of protests. "We have to change the entire system, step by step, until liberty. We demand economic reform, we demand freedom, we want to live in dignity." Milosevic's bill ceding the 14 election victories to the opposition has been submitted to parliament. And that, clearly, is where those in power would prefer for the matter to be addressed. "Nothing can be solved in the streets," said Aleksandar Vulin of Mirjana Markovic's Yugoslav United Left, charging opposition members to end their boycott of parliament. "If (protests) continue forever . . . then you must expect the state to defend itself." But opposition leaders fear that Milosevic's parliamentary strategy is merely a front to buy himself more time. Estimating Wednesday that more than 300 people have been injured and 100 arrested in clashes with police this week, opposition leaders seemed to acknowledge that Milosevic may yet strike out. The coalition Zajedno provided its own, unarmed security forces for the rally, while protest leaders begged the crowd to disperse promptly to avoid further provoking riot police. Meanwhile, Pesic and the two other opposition leaders, Vuk Draskovic and Zoran Djindjic, met with French leaders in Paris to further rally international support. In Belgrade, they know, sits not a vanquished foe but a wounded tiger.