Milosevic party protests over arrests

Supporters of the former Yugoslav president, Slobodan Milosevic, have reacted angrily to the arrest on Monday of seven of his associates.

Mr Milosevic's Socialist Party accused the new authorities in Serbia of trying to fabricate evidence to distract the public's attention away from what it called their disastrous policies.

Seven men were arrested, including leading party officials.

According to local reports, they are under investigation for the acquisition of a villa in an exclusive residential district of Belgrade, allegedly for under five-thousand dollars.

They are also being questioned about the alleged embezzlement of fifty-two thousand dollars from the national health fund. About fifteen associates of the former president are now in custody, including police and secret police officers.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service