Supporters of the late former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic hold pictures of Milosevic in front of the Federal Parliament building in Belgrade, March 18, 2006. Tens of thousands of people gathered in central Belgrade to pay their last respects to Slobodan Milosevic ahead of his burial. (Xinhua photo)

BELGRADE, March 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Tens of thousands of Serbs gathered in central Belgrade on Saturday to bid farewell to former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic, hours ahead of the funeral in his hometown.

    Carrying banners and photographs, Milosevic's supporters held one minute silence to pay emotional tribute to the former leader who died one week ago in the detention unit of the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague.

    Meanwhile, reports said Milosevic's opponents have also threatened to hold their own rally in Belgrade during the time of the funeral.

    Officials from Milosevic's Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) said the funeral, to be held in his hometown of Pozarevac, would be private but thousands of people were expected to be present.

    

Supporters of the late former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic hold pictures of Milosevic in front of the Federal Parliament building in Belgrade, March 18, 2006.  (Xinhua photo)

An SPS official said Friday that over 50 foreign delegations would attend the funeral. However, party sources also said neither Milosevic's wife Mira Markovic nor their son Marko would be able to attend the funeral.

    The two are living in Russia and have received no guarantee that they won't be arrested once returned to Serbia. Earlier on Tuesday, Marko flew to The Hague from Moscow to claim his father's body from the Dutch authorities.

    In response to suspicions on the cause of Milosevic's death, the UN war crimes tribunal's President Fausto Pocar said Friday in The Hague that provisional results have shown that Milosevic, 64, was not poisoned but died of heart attack. Enditem