Forces opposing Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic took to the streets to demand his resignation. After a background report and a discussion with New York Times journalist Steven Erlanger, two experts discuss the protest.

JOHN DRAPER, ITN: On the streets of Belgrade this evening, 150,000 people united in one demand, that President Slobodan Milosevic goes. They came from all over Serbia, some traveling hundreds of miles to make their voices heard for change. At one stage someone exploded a tear gas canister. People scattered, gagging for breath. But within minutes, they were back defiant. Nothing was going to disrupt this demonstration against the president. For once, the fractious opposition put on a united front backed by the Serbian Orthodox Church. Democratic Party Leader Zorin Ginzic gave the president 15 days to resign or they'd be back on the streets every day. This has been the biggest anti-Milosevic rally since the war. The tear gas incident, if anything, appears to have hardened their resolve. Many of these people have demonstrated against the president over the years, this time, they say, they'll continue demonstrating until he resigns. Vuk Draskovic, the charismatic opposition leader, appeared out of the blue and cut through the crowd to the platform. His supporters went wild, but others called him a traitor over his decision to join President Milosevic's government for several months. Once again, the divisions in the opposition were evident, but the people were clear about Mr. Milosevic.

WOMAN: He should resign.

MAN: Well, big hope that something will change in this country.

JOHN DRAPER: The people had spoken, and it was spectacular, but no one here thinks Slobodan Milosevic will go easily.

ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: New York Times correspondent Steven Erlanger covered today's demonstration. I talked with him a few moments ago. Thanks for being with us, Steve Erlanger, and please tell us, did this rally meet the expectations of the opposition?

STEVEN ERLANGER: Yes, I think it did. They were a little bit nervous about the turnout, but they wanted about 100,000 people, and I think there were probably fewer than that, but not a lot fewer. And the rally was loud and boisterous and fervent. They heard a very mixed message from different opposition leaders, but I think it really was not a flop, and that was the key thing.

ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: Tell us about the mixed message.

STEVEN ERLANGER: Well, what you had was this very strange event. It was a rally that was sponsored by a group no one had ever really heard of, a bunch of economists and experts that pulled in a lot of opposition politicians who actually don't like each other very much. And one of them, Vuk Draskovic, had sworn he would not appear on the stage with this group, and yet crashed the party anyway. And when he did crash the party, he basically criticized the people who organized the rally and also criticized his rival indirectly, Zorin Ginzic, head of the Democracy Party, and said what the country really needed was not a new transitional government, but fresh elections as soon as possible. So if you were in the crowd, you heard about four different messages, Draskovic's being one of the most different and certainly one of the most critical of the other people speaking.

ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: Steve, who was in the crowd? Tell us what kinds of people you saw and why they were there.

STEVEN ERLANGER: Well, lots of people came who simply want change. I mean, it's been ten years of this Milosevic government. What everyone thinks of him -- it's a tired government. People have seen their lives decline. So you found a lot of kind of Belgraders, urban people, doctors, middle class people. You had the usual round of kind of young, soccer types who just want to party and want to make noise, some of them Red Star soccer fans who actually favor Zorin Ginzic. I mean, there was a little bit of squabbling in the crowd, but by in large, this was a pretty educated, pretty influential group of people, and also a number of people who I'd say, you know, have lost perspective. They don't have good jobs. They don't see what future there's going to be for their children. They're really less interested in personalities than in change, and this was the best way to express that hope for change.

ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: Were the military or police present and visible?

STEVEN ERLANGER: There were no military present that I saw. There were police, but they were fairly discreet. I mean, they were in buildings around the sight just in case there was trouble, but they did, as I could see, nothing to intervene. There was some talk that they were redirecting traffic, but I think enough people came so that it would be hard to argue that the police stopped lots of people from coming. I mean, people came as they pleased, said what they wanted, and went home peacefully.

ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: And was the Serbian Orthodox Church visible, and how important was their role in this demonstration?

STEVEN ERLANGER: Well, they were one of the sponsoring parties, and, you know, they have called in the past and called again recently for President Milosevic to resign. You know, they're a kind of moral force, but I think not as influential in this largely secular country as many people believe. I mean, they were more powerful in 1991 and 1992 when communism seemed to be collapsing. So what they say matters, but I don't think it swings lots of votes quite honestly.

ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: And Steve, you've been covering other demonstrations around the country. We've been reading your articles. Have they all built to this one, and is this one especially significant because of the size and the fact that it's in Belgrade?

STEVEN ERLANGER: Yes, it is significant for just those reasons. The opposition in a way seemed to be afraid of Belgrade. There was a lot of popular anger, particularly in the south of Serbia over the loss of Kosovo. And this was not something that the politicians organized. It's something that took them a bit by surprise. And they've been very slow. I mean, some people would argue this rally in Belgrade should have happened a month ago. Other people are arguing it should happen again in September when students are back and winter is coming. So they're not getting their timing right. But still, it was an important rally, but I think it's not definitive. One could only say it was one and the biggest one of a number of rallies that have waxed and waned all summer long. This story still has quite a long way to go, and President Milosevic is far from toppling, I think.

ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: And is that largely because of the divisions that you described within the opposition?

STEVEN ERLANGER: Well, I think it's partly that. I think it's also partly, frankly, that, you know, he still looks like a titan among politicians compared to the squabbling opposition people. And also, don't forget, this still is a communist system, though by a different name. It never fell apart. There's still an awful lot of power centralized in Milosevic's hands-- the army, the police, the administration. He has money with which to buy people. There's a lot of power there. I think the regime is beginning to split a little bit. Onions are peeling away. But it's still, as they say, a sort of Slobocentric universe, and he has a lot of cards to play. They're very scared. I think this is the most vulnerable period for him ever. And he's certainly benefited by divisions in the opposition. And he's doing his best to make them worse.

ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: And briefly and finally, what are the signs that he's scared?

STEVEN ERLANGER: Well, I mean, for instance, there were some awkward efforts to cut down the size of this demonstration. On TV last night, they talked about the arrest of a man from Montenegro with a bomb and said that he was going to blow it up at the rally. They decided to pay pensioners today. They moved the televising of a popular lottery show to tonight from Saturday night. And there were other things. I mean, they floated the idea of early elections, again, as a way to flummox the opposition, because some of the opposition isn't really ready for elections. So it's gotten them squabbling amongst themselves once again on a topic, new elections, that would leave him still in power.

ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: Well, Steve Erlanger, thank you very much for being with us. Good to see you again.