By KATARINA KRATOVAC
Associated Press Writer
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP)--Heavy rains flooded medieval towns
in the Yugoslav republic of Montenegro on Thursday, forcing evacuations
and endangering historic monuments. In its sister republic of
Serbia, meanwhile, residents protested continued electricity shortages.
In Cetinje,
Montenegro's ancient capital, dozens of people were evacuated
by boat from their homes as continuous rains flooded parts of
town, threatening the medieval archives and the city's treasured
library.
"We haven't
seen this much rain since 1986,'' said Rajko Cicanovic, head of
the local fire department.
Two schools
and the town's main Grand Hotel also were flooded, as were several
roads leading into the mountainous town. Across the republic,
schools and grocery stores shut down and people left work. Strong
winds downed power lines in several places, news reports said.
In the Montenegrin
seaside town of Kotor, a UNESCO-protected medieval port, residents
woke up to find the town's maze of cobblestone streets under water.
The main highway connecting Monetengrin capital, Podgorica, with
the republic's second major city, Niksic, was partly flooded.
Montenegro
Television sought to lift spirits by running a jingle telling
the people they were "sailing on'' to a better future.
Meanwhile,
in Belgrade, authorities had more bad news for a population desperately
short of electricity. Two electricity-generating units at a major
power plant supplying the capital and much of northern Serbia
broke down Thursday, shattering hopes of an end to the eight-hour
electricity blackouts.
Angry over
the blackouts, residents have upturned garbage containers and
used them as barricades on tram lines, forcing traffic to a standstill.
Traffic lights were out as well, due to the blackouts.
Serbia's premier-designate,
Zoran Djindjic, urged Belgrade residents against the protests.
"I understand your anger and your fury. But we can't make
something out of nothing,'' he said.
"We have
enough money from Western donations to buy up all the electricity
we need, but the problem is that our derelict system could not
take in such an input,'' Djindjic said.
Officials
offered several reasons for the energy shortage: a summer drought,
an abnormally mild winter, low water levels in rivers and forced
cutbacks on hydroelectric production.
The power
grid was poorly maintained during the administration of ousted
President Slobodan Milosevic, when the government was strapped
for cash because of international sanctions imposed over the ethnic
wars in the Balkans.
Power stations
also were targeted during last year's NATO bombing.
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