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BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP) -- Opposition parties demanding Slobodan Milosevic's ouster said in comments published today that they would take part in early elections -- but not if they are controlled by the Yugoslav president.
Milosevic is willing to hold elections early in Yugoslavia, his spokesman, Ivica Dacic, said on Monday. However, he rejected rivals' calls for the vote to be under international supervision.
At their meeting late Monday, the leaders of the Alliance for Change, who have spearheaded protests for Milosevic's ouster, agreed to take part in the early elections even if he does not relinquish power, which was their previous demand.
``The Alliance is ready for elections, but not if they are organized by Milosevic,'' Velimir Ilic, the group's member, told the V.I.P. daily bulletin. ``We will take part in the elections only if they are organized by someone neutral and if they are controlled by the international community.''
The opposition claims all elections in Serbia, the dominant Yugoslav republic, have been rigged since Milosevic came to power 10 years ago. The next regular elections were scheduled for the end of 2000.
NATO's devastating bombing of Yugoslavia and the de-facto loss of Kosovo, as well as years of economic misery, have fueled demands for the president's ouster.
Vladan Batic, another Alliance leader, said that Milosevic is likely this week to set a date for an early vote. Batic predicted elections would take place before the winter, when harsh cold and the lack of electricity could further diminish Milosevic's popularity.
The Alliance's conditions for taking part in elections include banning those indicted for war crimes and under travel restrictions, and the freeing of the state-run media, Milosevic's chief means of maintaining power.
Milosevic and four of his top aides have been indicted by a U.N. war crimes tribunal. About 300 Serbian government officials have been banned from traveling abroad by the European Union and other Western states for supporting Milosevic's autocratic policies.
Batic said that since Milosevic is unlikely to accept those conditions, the Alliance will continue with their street protests until the Yugoslav president is ousted.
The agreement by the Alliance's leaders to take part in the elections brings them closer to their opposition rival, Vuk Draskovic, who has been calling for an early vote even with Milosevic in power.
Draskovic today rejected Alliance calls for a single opposition bloc to challenge Milosevic's communist-ultranationalist coalition, saying any coalitions had to wait until after election results.
``We are ready to fight for election conditions with other democratic parties, but we will go the elections alone,'' Draskovic said.