Weeds Take Over

The time has passed when ethnic Albanians in Kosovo were the one's who had the final say on the course and quality of investments. The Federal fund for financing investments was dissolved in 1990. Data issued by the Chamber of Economy of Kosovo and Metohija show that 4.85 billion dollars and 1.1 billion DEM, mostly money from the Federal fund, were invested in the economy over the last decade.

The second period of investments is characterized by the realization of Republic of Serbia program of investments. This body took over the work of the dissolved Federal fund. Investments were carried out via the Board for the Promotion of Economic and Social Development of Kosovo and Metohija. The board lasted only two years. It was dissolved in April 1992, and the task was taken over by the Republic of Serbia Development Fund. The Chamber of Economy have no data on investments or what has been built in the past four years!

Both epochs are characterized by the fact that the authorities have always made investments with political goals in mind. The difference lies in the fact that the centers of power and decisionmaking have now changed. Once Pristina was the center, today it is Belgrade.

The above mentioned analysis by the Chamber of Economy contains data on 273 unfinished investments. This also includes a large part of what Serbia had decided to build and complete, all with the aim of proving that it would continue to resolve questions concerning Kosovo successfully, as part of ``the Serbian state and national issue.''

And this is where many foundation stones lie overgrown in grass. Foundation stones of all kinds of political marketing moves including going through the motions of opening empty facilities. Ahead of the previous elections, the floors of the Hospital in Pristina were wiped twice, and the public was told that ``better conditions for the treatment of the population had been ensured.'' Both the Hospital and the authorities needed this propaganda move because the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) always won one deputy there. Sixty percent of the projects concerning industry and mining, two strategic branches in this part of Serbia, have not been realized. This includes the lead melting works, the lead refinery works and the zinc metallurgy industry which have been awaiting completion since 1978.

The zinc metallurgy industry is a typical example of an overcapacitated facility. It was planned to process 80,000 tons of zinc annually. Then the capacity was lowered to 50,000 tons, without a hope of it ever being completed.

The situation with the metal industry does not differ much. The Pristina industry for the production of shockabsorbers needs 4.4 million DEM for the development of their Zastava automobile production project. The ``Ramiz Sadiku'' plant from Pec for the production of Zastava 103 cars, needs another 6.6 million DEM. Energoinvest from Pristina needs another 400,000 DEM for making highvoltage fuses...

The Chamber of Economy of Kosovo and Metohija does not know how much more money is needed, or if any of the abovementioned investments will ever be finished. The municipalities do not have more data either. In Djakovica, for example, the authorities do not know the situation regarding ``current investments.''

``The matter does not concern municipality or SPS weaknesses,'' said Svetislav Jovanovic, the SPS Djakovica branch president, passing on responsibility for the situation to the Chamber of Economy of Kosovo and Metohija, which, he believes ``is obstructing data collecting and aid to Djakovica.''

Jovanovic claims that Serbia is present in the region and that ``things are in their place, but are not getting better.''

The Chamber of Economy of Kosovo and Metohija has proposed a ``revision of projects from the point of economic profitability,'' regardless of how much has been constructed so far. Solutions are sought in integrations with firms in ``Serbia proper,'' in the development of small or medium sized firms which are not working at full capacity. The list of factories overgrown in weeds, and projects on paper which once brought political points to the League of Communists and now to the SPS, and which swallowed enormous sums of money, is a long one. It includes a maternity hospital, factories, cattle and sheep farms, houses of culture, hospital buildings, housing for returnees, churches and places of worship, sports halls, etc. A large sports hall is in the process of being built in Vucitrn in the last fifteen years, in the vicinity of an unfinished factory for the production of concrete pylons. The overall situation in the economy, culture, sports and spiritual sphere can be illustrated with six examples:

In the village of Bresje in the vicinity of Kosovo Polje, at the time when the communist authorities united the republic, a maternity clinic was built and equipped with the latest apparatus, only eight kilometers from the Maternity Hospital in Pristina. Dr. Nebojsa Dzeletovic, a doctor working in Kosovo Polje said: ``That's the way it was then. Now four years after the completion and equipping of the maternity clinic, which is locked up, we don't know what to do. There were various ideas, including giving the land to the municipality. The current idea is to adapt the building for the production of syringes. This would mean that half the building would have to be pulled down.''

Kosovo Polje is the ``political birthplace'' of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. A printing works for the needs of the Pristina daily ``Jedinstvo'' was started here. It remains unfinished, even though its value is over 10 million DEM. The printing works were started even though there is such a facility in the ``Jedinstvo'' building in Pristina.

A building for returnees started during the time of Socialist Yugoslavia, stands unfinished in the center of Pristina. The wind has blown the roof away. There are 122 apartments, and 900 persons have submitted requests for a flat there.

A high rise building stands in the grounds of the Pristina Hospital Clinic. It was planned to house the institutes of physiology, patho physiology and anatomy. Its construction started ten years ago, but stopped when investments for nonproduction facilities were discontinued. The building belongs to the Medical Faculty, and is worth several million DEM, said clinic director Stevan Baljosevic. ``We intend to move tubercular patients into it. They are presently in a building which is over one hundred years old, with coal furnaces, and a roof which could cave in on the patients at any moment. Since there is no more money, we are trying to sell the old building in order to find funds to complete the new one,'' said Baljosevic. ``We have another unfinished investmentthe children's clinic is halffinished.''

The Church of Our Lord the Savior was started in the heart of Pristina. So far 1.2 million DEM have been invested. At the parish we learned that the state has promised to finance the building. The foundations have been laid, but they haven't been paid for. The Republic of Serbia's budget for the province foresees 80,000 dinars for the building of the church this year. But this money will only cover what has already been done.

At the last meeting of the Committee for the building of the church it was proposed that a voluntary tax be introduced, since the state cannot complete the project. According to this idea, over the next few years, all those working in Serbia would put aside 35 dinars/month. The Businessmen's Club of Pristina would also help, said architect Pavle Pavlovic, project head.

Who Needs Ethnic Albanians

We asked Vekoslav Sosevic, Minister Without Portfolio in the Serbian Government if Serbia's promises were not bigger than the real and efficacious investments in the province. Those in the know claim that Sosevic is the coordinator of the economic recovery of Kosovo and Metohija.

Sosevic looks on the great number of bum investments as ``the products of a bad policy in Kosovo and Metohija, a policy conducted by people who did not have the interests of this country at heart and who didn't look on it as their own. A number of projects were aimed at an imaginary Albanian state, and the ethnic Albanians used the daily investment of 1.3 million dollars for employing compatriots, at a ratio of 9:1, even where the population figure was in favor of the Serbs. The ethnic Albanian leadership in Pristina helped.''

Sosic does not agree with the view that Kosovo and Metohija's economy will not get started until ethnic Albanians are reintegrated in the process of production.

``We have proved that the Kosovo and Metohija economy can function without ethnic Albanians. They can come back to work after they have recognized the Serbian state. All those who do so are welcome. At present we are trying to revive production and things are not easy. I believe that the thesis that we cannot function without ethnic Albanians just doesn't hold water,'' said Sosic.