THE Yugoslav army denied yesterday it was split over support for the Serbian president in his dispute with the opposition as demonstrators took to the streets of Belgrade for the 43rd consecutive day.
Serbia's pro democracy movement has planned a New Year's Eve extravaganza of rallies and parties with alarm clocks set to ring at midnight, as if time were running out for the President, Mr Slobodan Milosevic.
Buoyed by an apparent statement of support from dissident army officers, the demonstrators renewed their demands that Mr Milosevic recognise opposition wins in November's local elections.
An unsigned and unauthenticated letter, read out before 50,000 opposition supporters on Sunday, warned Mr Milosevic that its authors, apparently including men of the elite 63rd Paratroop Brigade, would refuse to fire on demonstrators if ordered to do so.
The letter also warned the opposition Zajedno (Together) coalition that it too would be toppled in its turn if it became autocratic in power.
But an official statement from the army chief of staff later stressed unity, though it made no pledge of loyalty to Mr Milosevic, who has struggled for six weeks to contain the protests that have paralysed Belgrade for more than six hours every day.
Zajedno has prepared a street spectacle today to keep up the enthusiasm of supporters whose ranks have dwindled since subzero snowy weather set in a week ago.
A costume ball for children is scheduled followed by a mid town procession in mid evening and then a huge party in Republic Square with well known pop groups and actors.
Zajedno said "tickets" for the party would consist of candles, sparklers or alarm clocks timed to go off at the stroke of 12 in a humorous warning to Mr Milosevic.
The protests, made despite police moves to drive demonstrators off the main streets, is the most sustained popular push for democracy in 50 years of left wing one party rule in Serbia led Yugoslavia.
Five thousand university students tried to march across the Sava River bridge yesterday but were blocked by police and forced to retreat into a pedestrian mall. Later, tens of thousands of people backing Zajedno massed in Republic Square with riot police packing adjacent streets to prevent protesters swarming into traffic zones.
Mr Dejan Bulatovic, a Zajedno activist who had been beaten while in police custody, appeared at the rally after he was released yesterday having served 25 days in jail for carrying an effigy of Mr Milosevic in prison garb.