Kostunica preaches forgiveness

Kostunica (left) joined relatives at a service in Belgrade

Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica has given a message of reconciliation on the second anniversary of Nato's bombing campaign to stop repression of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.

As events were held around Yugoslavia to mark the event, President Kostunica joined citizens and relatives at the Church of St Mark in central Belgrade to pay tribute to those who died in the 78-day conflict.

Soon afterwards up to 10,000 people, mostly supporters of the former president, Slobodan Milosevic, attended a rally in the capital to denounce Nato and hear calls for Western leaders to go on trial.

A rare appearance by the former leader

Mr Milosevic, these days a virtual recluse, did not attend the rally but he did make a rare public appearance, greeting supporters outside his home.

Mr Kostunica had announced a day of national remembrance to mark the anniversary, which has reawakened resentment towards the West, but his message was also one of repentance:

"The evil that we suffered and which others suffered at our hands will not be repeated if it is stored in our memories."

He said that that while the victims of the bombing must never be forgotten, now was the time for co-operation with the international community.

'Nato murderers'

But at the rally held by the Socialist party the mood was not one of reconciliation.

I think that the West has a moral obligation to assist Yugoslavia

Boban Korisma, care worker

Waving Serbian and Yugoslav flags, protesters denounced what they described as "Nato murderers".

Speaking to the assembled crowd one Socialist party official, Ivica Dacic, said:

"Serbia will not forget 24 March and the 78 days of Nato aggression."

Residents of Belgrade saw widespread destruction

Elsewhere in Serbia, the anniversary was marked by gatherings of civilians and soldiers who laid flowers to local people killed during the bombing.

BBC Belgrade correspondent Paul Anderson says people are angry not just for the more than 500 people killed in 11 weeks of bombardment, but for the West's failure to atone for what many people see as a crime against humanity, and for failing to deliver much needed aid.

Asking 'too much'

Ministers are still refusing to extradite Yugoslav war crimes suspects to the Hague, despite threats from the West to cut off aid.

According to the Serbian Minister for Foreign Economic Relations, Goran Pitic, it is one demand too many.

Relatives laid flowers for airstrike victims

"I think much more flexibility should be found on the side of the international community if they really want to see Serbia being part of the democratic societies around."

Boban Korisma, a field officer for Care International agrees: "I think that the West has a moral obligation to assist Yugoslavia."

"After the bombing everything fell apart and it is very hard to start the machine again, so we need that injection to go up."