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MARGARET WARNER: The crisis in Yugoslavia: There's still no word about
the whereabouts of Slobodan Milosevic. But, opposition presidential
candidate Vojislav Kostunica urged the military and police to ensure
a peaceful transition of power. And an independent radio station said
he called an inaugural session of the new parliament for later in the
day. We begin with a report on the events leading up to all this by
Lindsey Hilsum of Independent Television News.
LINDSEY HILSUM: This morning, convoys of cars left provincial opposition
strong holds like Chiachak heading for Belgrade. Some were blocked by
the police. At one point, there was reported to be a 50-kilometer long
queue trying to leave the southern city of Nietche. By mid-afternoon,
there were tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands outside the
federal parliament. They had come from all over the country for the
final push to overthrow Slobodan Milosevic. They burst into the parliament,
Milosevic's formal power base. The police used teargas to push them
back. But in the end, they couldn't hold back the tide, or maybe they
chose not to. Demonstrators said the police were now on their side.
They shimmied up the walls and set fire to the building. Smoke and flames
billowed out, so all of Belgrade could see that the opposition had destroyed
the symbolic heart of Milosevic's power. The crowd was throwing up its
own leaders. "The clock has struck the hour," he shouted,
"please remain peaceful. Please don't provoke violence." Earlier
in the day, when the people first tried to storm the parliament, there
were violent scenes. More than a dozen people are reported to have been
injured and taken to hospital.
Meanwhile, state television, Milosevic's propaganda wing, was showing
this. Time for the 5:00 P.M. news came and went. Do not adjust your
set. At 6:00 P.M. local time, the screen went blank. As the people amassed,
they had set fire to state TV, as well. The journalists there have appealed
for calm. Mr. Milosevic's political party has put out a statement saying
it will fight back with all means to secure a peaceful life. But it's
not clear what those means are. By early evening, the following symbolic
buildings were still in flames: The federal parliament in central Belgrade;
Radio Television Serbia; and the headquarters of Mr. Milosevic's wife's
political party, ULE. Night has now fallen, and the latest pictures
from Belgrade show people still on the streets. Police stations have
been occupied. The opposition says the police are with them, and the
opposition says it's now in touch with the army. The man who would be
president, Vojislav Kostunica, has addressed the crowd. He told them,
"What we are doing is making history." He called for the police
and the army to ensure a peaceful transition of power to him. Mr. Milosevic
is not thought to be in Belgrade, and now it's not at all clear that
he is any longer in charge of Yugoslavia.
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