World Notes Yugoslavia

In downtown Belgrade, far from the western battles between Serbs and Croatians, two masked assassins leaned out of a car and fired more than 40 bullets. Branislav Matic, second-in-command of the Serbian Guard, a newly formed anticommunist militia, fell dead.

Matic's comrades-in-arms accused the Serbian government of organizing the murder. At the funeral last week, Vuk Draskovic, leader of the Serbian Renewal Movement, the main opposition party, blamed the republic's ruling Socialist -- formerly Communist -- Party, headed by President Slobodan Milosevic. The Ministry of Internal Affairs issued a denial and added that uttering such accusations was illegal.

The struggle between communist and anticommunist forces in Serbia has been intensifying for several months. In March, Draskovic's party led mass demonstrations against the Socialists, and two people were killed in clashes with police. In July, the Serbian parliament banned militias formed outside the republican or national armed forces.