Milosevic urges unity

Milosevic's visit embarassed the Montenegrin government

President Slobodan Milosevic has sent a strong message for Yugoslav unity to the voters of Montenegro.

He urged them to "think hard" before deciding whether or not to break away from Serbia, Montenegro's larger partner in the Yugoslav federation.

Mr Milosevic was addressing an election rally in the predominantly pro-Serb town of Berane in northern Montenegro ahead of Sunday's presidential ballot.

Dear citizens [of Montenegro] I want you to think long and hard about where you want to live and how

Slobodan Milosevic

Flanked by cabinet ministers and leaders of the SNP, Montenegro's pro-Serb party, he accused foreign powers of trying to tear Serbia and Montenegro apart.

Mr Milosevic said he thought the future of the Montenegrin people lay with Serbia. "It is up to you whether or not you wish to live with Serbia or if you wish to choose another way."

He described Montenegro's pro-western leadership and Serbia's opposition parties as "rabbits, rats and even hyenas who wish to transform this gigantic nation into a poodle at the whim of its foreign master".

To cries of "Yugoslavia, Yugoslavia" from the crowd of 15,000 supporters, Mr Milosevic said that he would defend the Yugoslav republic from enemies "within and without".

Tight security

There was a large and visible military presence in the town of Berane for Mr Milosevic's visit, his first outside Serbia since Nato's bombing campaign last year.

The security forces comprised a volatile mix of Serb police and Yugoslav army units loyal to President Milosevic, as well as Montenegro's own police and special forces.

Tension mounts in Montenegro as the election approaches

The BBC's Michael Voss in Berane says Mr Milosevic's presence there is an embarrassment to Montenegro's pro-Western authorities, who are calling for a boycott in the elections.

While they have made it clear that he is not welcome, they have admited that they are powerless to stop him.

They would rather see Mr Milosevic in The Hague facing war crimes charges.

Mr Milosevic's indictment by a UN war crimes tribunal last year for the bloodshed in Kosovo that provoked Nato bombing means he is fighting for his freedom as well as political survival - if he falls from power he could be jailed.

Sanctions promise

Meanwhile the United States has said that it could lift sanctions on Yugoslavia if Sunday's elections lead to a change of government.

"When a democratic transition takes place, we will take steps to remove sanctions," the State Dedpartment spokesman Richard Boucher said.

Washington has also backed a European Union statement urging Yugoslavs to vote President Milosevic out of office.

Concern has been growing that Mr Milosevic - who has held power for 13 years - may proclaim victory in the elections regardless of the vote result.

Belgrade has barred observers from Europe's leading election monitoring body, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), as well as local independent watchdog groups.

Serbia's opposition leader Vuk Draskovic says the elections in Yugoslavia are a disaster for the democratic camp. He believes that President Milosevic will manipulate the election results.

"In the extreme case, he will use the army and the police. It is a little like a football match during which 'the rules' force one team to play with chained arms and legs," Mr Draskovic said.