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Serbian opposition forces must find a common path if President Slobodan Milosevic is to be brought down, said Javier Solana, who is to hand over as NATO chief Wednesday to become the EU's foreign policy and defence supremo.
"It will be the Serbs' responsibility to change this regime, said Solana in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. "The opposition should be more united."
At least 20,000 protesters in six Serbian towns on Tuesday responded to an opposition appeal to continue daily anti-Milosevic protests
For the 15th straight day thousands of marchers also gathered in Belgrade in their bid to get Milosevic to resign.
Solana said that "even without new conflicts in the Balkans the stabilization of Bosnia and Kosovo will require a military presence for many years."
Stability in the Balkans with Milosevic is not possible, he added. There "can be no serious political transformation for as long as Milosevic is in power," he added.
Solana said that Europe, the United States and Canada were providing assistance to the Serbian opposition. "Even though it is more of an external assistance because there can be no direct intervention in the domestic policy of this country."
He did not elaborate.
He also called on Europe to develop its defense potential so as to be able to manage crises in other world regions and restore peace.
"We were already aware of this and the Kosovo crisis has made it obvious for everyone to see," he said. "It is therefore easier to explain to public opinion how much Europeans need to have this capacity, also to establish a new equilibrium with our American allies."