LIVING IN STRPCE MUNICIPALITY

By Zoran CULAFIC

Hello and Welcome. You are listening to UN Radio in Kosovo.

Strpce municipality in the southern part of Kosovo is a town of some 15 thousand inhabitants. It is approximately 70 kilometers from Pristina, but unlike other municipalities in Kosovo’s southern territory, Strpce’s population is made up of a Serb majority.

Some observers suggest Strpce’s isolation from Serbia has created a municipality politically insulated from Belgrade and one that exhibits a better model of interethnic cooperation in Kosovo. However, Strpce’s mayor, Sladjan Ilic says that real multiethnic living is still a distant goal, even in his municipality. Mayor Ilic adds that real multiethnic models cannot simply be imposed, and he says he supports the idea of identifying mutual interests as a way to foster real cooperation.

ACTUALITY – That’s my political stance regarding multiethnicity and it’s the approach I’m implementing in the municipality – very sincere and very open toward the Albanian community. And I’m “forcing” them to play with open cards, according to the principle of non-imposition of the “multiethnic” model, or “brotherhood and unity”, at any price.

Nevertheless, interethnic relations in Strpce municipality are much better then in many Kosovo municipalities. Unofficially, Strpce has been mentioned as one of the municipalities with a Serb majority that could serve as testing ground for introducing the plan for decentralization of local authorities in Kosovo, early next year.

But political instability, Mayor Ilic said, is having a negative impact on economic development in Strpce, adding this is the same for other municipalities in Kosovo.

ACTUALITY - The business risk in Strpce is not different compared to other parts of Kosovo, and we cannot escape the fact that we are a part of Kosovo reality. No matter how open we are, the same problems we share as all the others in Kosovo. And as long as we do not achieve political stability in the region and in Kosovo I think that any serious investment in the municipality is not possible.

Many Serbian residents of Strpce expressed their concern over the high rate of unemployment. Some even said that unemployment was more of a concern than safety issues, contradicting some official statements coming from Belgrade. Dragan is 35 years old and a resident of Strpce. He says that a majority of his friends are focused on everyday issues – chief among them was the economic situation.

ACTUALITY - We are living in an unsafe environment, and people adapt themselves as time passes. But, people are hardly adapting themselves to the poverty … All these guys around us were employed but at the moment no one is working. So, say, it is not safe, yes, but we can swallow it somehow, the time will pass, it’ll be safe again, but we cannot accept the economic stagnation. The lack of economic sustainability is the major factor for Serbs leaving Kosovo.

The main source of income for Strpce’s Serbian population comes from public sector jobs – paid either from the Serbian government or from Kosovo’s Government. Strpce mayor Ilic points out that the significant part of his municipality’s income comes through KFOR and UNMIK jobs.

ACTUALITY - We have more then 200 Serbs employed in Bondsteel, who are working for Americans. These people bring every month some US $200.000 in cash to this municipality.

Nonetheless, some of the Serb residents of Strpce told UN Radio in Kosovo that they’d be forced to sell their houses and all the property if the economy did not pick up soon.

ACTUALITY - – Would I sell my property … I’d rather not do that, but if these trends continue, sooner or later that issue will come up on the agenda. It is a cruel fact, but it is the truth.

Still other Serbs living in Strpce lamented that surviving on a daily basis was a story that needed more time than could be devoted in a short radio segment. For those not employed in the public sector, or by KFOR or UNMIK, many interviewed said their main source of income came from small business ventures, or as some residents explained, from the “gray trade” or illegal trade. Others said small-scale farming was also a contributor to the municipalities economic well being.

ACTUALITY - In every family there is at least one member who works in the public sector and gets a salary from the state. Some others do have jobs with KFOR and UNMIK and so … one member of the family inevitably supports four to five other members and that’s how we live.

Explaining the huge negative impact coming from the high rate of unemployment, Strpce mayor Sladjan Ilic points out the importance of the privatization process, expected to enter round four in November. He says that a majority of former socially owned companies are now closed, which limits the possibilities for steady employment. And the solution cannot be reached without political stability, stressed Sladjan Ilic.

ACTUALTITY - We have only one former socially owned company, now a shareholding company, that is functioning today – INEX Ski Center and its hotels and facilities for winter tourism, but I have to tell you that any kind of political instability negatively influences the number of tourists.

Although living is hard for all of Kosovo’s residents, it is particularly for minorities. Milan is a 28 year-old Serb from Strpce. He says he strongly believes that the changes that need to be made are out of his hands.

ACTUALITY - We do hope … always there is a small hope … whatever, anything just to happen … to propel something … to be better … but very little depends on us people …

This concludes today’s edition of UN Radio in Kosovo. This report was prepared by Zoran Culafic, with ? and ?. Tune in tomorrow on this channel for the Week in Review, a recap of news and views affecting Kosovo.