BELGRADE - Serbia's government gave a guarded welcome yesterday to an international mission which is to rule on vote rigging accusations while the opposition threw a huge festive street party in the capital.
The Foreign Minister, Mr Milan Milutinovic, said Serbia would not be bound by any findings made by the Organisation for European Security and Cooperation (OSCE), which arrives today, saying its recommendations must be confirmed by Serbia's own institutions. The OSCE was called in by the embattled President, Mr Slobodan Milosevic.
In Belgrade yesterday, more than 200,000 protesters demonstrated against Mr Milosevic. The crowd of supporters of the Zajedno (Together) coalition which packed the city's Republic Square was one of the biggest of the past 32 days of rallies to demand that Mr Milosevic restore opposition victories in local elections.