A bitter dispute with supporters of ousted Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic threatened Monday to scupper plans by allies of President Vojislav Kostunica to wrest control of Serbia's government.
Milosevic's Socialists (SPS), still the strongest party in the republic's parliament, agreed last week to share power with the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS), which backs Kostunica, until elections due December 23.
But a last-minute dispute over DOS demands for certain Milosevic loyalists to be dropped from the list of cabinet nominations led to a key vote of approval set for Saturday being postponed 48 hours.
The rescheduled parliamentary debate was due to begin at 10:00 am (0800 GMT) Monday but was again held up by wrangling between party managers.
The stand-off threatens to scupper DOS election plans because the caretaker government must be approved Monday if parliament is to be dissolved two months before the poll as the Serbian constitution demands.
Kostunica's supporters maintain the forthcoming elections offer reformists a golden opportunity to capture Serbia's government, the real seat of power in Yugoslavia.
Nebojsa Covic, a DOS leader, denounced the Socialists' stalling tactics and warned of a mass uprising if Milosevic's party did not back down over the controversial nominations.
"We have already begun to get ready for more protests on the streets of Belgrade in case they become necessary," he told reporters after the SPS blocked the first attempt to hold the crucial parliamentary vote.
"We will have elections one way or another ... That is not a threat, but reality," he added.
The 18-party DOS coalition objects to the nomination of Science Minister Branislav Ivkovic because he was allegedly involved in beatings of opposition activists during the Milosevic era.
The reformers also want other top officials, such as state security chief Rade Markovic, to be removed from government posts.
However, Ivkovic told the daily Politika in an interview published Monday that he was prepared to sacrifice his nomination for the sake of cross-party agreement.
"I think that my candidacy should be revoked in order to get DOS to form the government, although they are dragging it out with new requests," he said.
The reformers have called for Supreme Court chairman Balsa Govedarica and public prosecutor Dragisa Krsmanovic to be dismissed from the electoral commission because they supervised previous polls allegedly marred with fraud.
But the Socialists lashed out at the DOS, accusing Kostunica's supporters of blackmail and unreasonable demands that were not raised in last week's discussions that led to the power-sharing accord.
"It was agreed that each party choose its ministers," said Zoran Andjelkovic, newly-appointed SPS secretary general.
The Socialists have been plunged into turmoil by the popular uprising on October 5 that forced Milosevic to concede defeat to Kostunica in last month's elections.
But Vladan Batic, a DOS leader, expressed confidence that the interim government would be formed inside Monday's deadline.
"DOS has made its demands and we are sticking to them. We continue to demand the changes in SPS personnel, and I expect them to accept these changes. In any case, they better do," he said -- BELGRADE (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
