MILLENNIUM CORNER 16 DAYS TO GO

TWO OF Serbia's opposing political groups have decided to usher in the millennium with a bash in Belgrade's main Republic Square, raising fears the events could turn violent.

The youth branch of Slobodan Milosevic's ruling Socialist Party and their neo-communist allies are planning a New Year's Eve party in the square, where the opposition had already booked its own celebrations.

Milutin Ranjelovic, an opposition MP, said he fears the situation could get out of hand. He hopes city authorities will prevent the Socialists erecting their stage. The head of the Young Socialists, Aleksandar Rastovic, told Glas Javnosti newspaper their event would be dubbed "Songs Have Saved Us", dedicated to "the heroic resistance against Nato aggressors."