Yugoslavia still rebuilding a year after NATO bombing

Mrkonjic heads reconstruction efforts in Yugoslavia

June 22, 2000
Web posted at: 3:44 p.m. EDT (1944 GMT)

In this story: Project began before bombing ended Ahead of schedule Paying for reconstruction RELATED STORIES, SITES

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (CNN) -- More than a year after NATO bombs stopped raining down on Yugoslavia, Belgrade's effort to rebuild damaged homes, roads and bridges remains unfinished.

NATO trade sanctions aimed at forcing Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic out of power have hampered Belgrade's plan to repair damage from the war and develop new construction projects.

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Some residents are not happy with the pace of construction. During the conflict, Dragan Mladenovic's house in Aleksinac, 200 kilometers (124 miles) south of Belgrade, was only damaged, prompting officials not to place him on a priority list for new home construction.

"They have completed a lot of projects, but a lot less than what they are claiming, said Mladenovic. "Look where I live with four of my children. I will get a new house... But the question is when? How much longer will I have to sleep on the floor with my children?"

Project began before bombing ended

NATO ordered the bombing campaign on March 24, 1999 after Yugoslav troops failed to follow NATO's demand to withdraw from the nation's Kosovo province. NATO had accused Serbian security forces of conducting systematic persecution of Ethnic Albanians in the province.

NATO claimed its air war was designed to minimize damage to civilian areas and to concentrate on military and infrastructural targets.

Just ten days after NATO bombs began falling on Yugoslavia, Milosevic appointed Milutin Mrkonjic to head the nation's post-war reconstruction and development.

"He said ... Mrko, we have to rebuild our country," said Mrkonjic. "Start with the team tomorrow ... go and visit the sites."

Mrkonjic, a 58-year-old civil engineer, said there was a reason to start the project long before 79 days of bombing had ended on June 11, 1999.

"We were monitoring sites during the war ... gathering information about those sites that were destroyed ... like bridges," Mrkonjic said. "We used that documentation after the war, which helped us begin the work right away."

Ahead of schedule

In the past year, according to official records, the national reconstruction agency that Mrkonjic leads has repaired 174 houses or apartments and rebuilt 449. It also has rebuilt 28 road bridges, four railway bridges and a railway track.

Many projects have been completed ahead of schedule, Mrkonjic said, an achievement he attributes to strict discipline among his workers.

But Mrkonjic's successes have been hindered by a trade ban by NATO nations against Belgrade in an attempt to force Milosevic, who has been indicted as a war criminal by a U.N. commission, out of office.

"Sanctions made our job harder," Mrkonjic said. "But our companies have good personnel, our engineers and experts are well-known all over the world. Knowing these qualities we began our work assured."

Paying for reconstruction

Cost of the reconstruction has been estimated in the billions of dollars, 80 percent from government resources and taxes, and 20 percent from abroad.

The sanctions, said Mrkonjic, are "a mistake of the West... They need to look at the economy. We are talking with the rest of the world, and many countries are interested... China, Russia, we still talk to them."

Last year China, which had denounced the NATO bombing campaign, reportedly offered Belgrade $300 million in credit and loans to help rebuild the damage.

Correspondent Alessio Vinci contributed to this report.

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Yugoslavia:
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia official site
Kosovo and Metohija facts
Serbia Ministry of Information

Kosovo:
Kosova Foundation For Economic Reconstruction And Development
Kosova Crisis Center
Kosovo - from Albanian.com

Military:
NATO official site
BosniaLINK - U.S. Dept. of Defense
U.S. Navy images from Operation Allied Force
U.K. Ministry of Defense - Kosovo news
French Ministry of Defense
Jane's Defence - Kosovo Crisis

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