Today in Belgrade: Serbs Kept in the Dark About Impending Strikes

BELGRADE, Tuesday, 7pm (local time): Residents of Belgrade know their country may soon be bombed by NATO, but they're not sure why. "Everyone here relies on Serb TV for their information," says TIME correspondent Ed Barnes, "and that's left them really confused. They have no sense of why this is happening -- all they see on TV and in the official media are reports favorable to the Serb position."

Getting around in a city under the cloud of U.S. bombers can be difficult for an American journalist. "A lot of cab drivers don't want Americans in their taxis," says Barnes. "You get the occasional threat on the streets, but this could really turn ugly for Americans if the Serb forces start taking casualties in any air strikes." So if Milosevic's people knew the truth about Kosovo, would they be happy to give it up? "No," says Barnes. "It's a patriotic issue and they obviously don't want to give up any Serb territory. But that doesn't mean they sympathize with Milosevic. They think he'll do whatever's in his own interest, and they'll have to pay the price."

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