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VetLegion
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You said nothing about why they did what they did.
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Bereta_Eder
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Because Albanians are accusing Serbs that they've drowned 3 boys. That is after Albanian doctors let 2 Serbian children die by refusing to provide them with medical attention.
So, let's burn a church?
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VetLegion
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I've just written a long post explaining my stance on the issue, but I deleted it. I'm not really in the mood for arguing this. Just for the sake of clarity, it had to be said what was the immediate cause of the violence.
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VetLegion
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The area is hopelessly resource poor btw. And Kosovo and Albania are the only territories on European continent with a population growth.
Suffice to say it won't resemble Switzerland anytime soon.
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Bereta_Eder
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The good thing of this is that noone was killed not protestors or peacekeepers, although one soldier will have something to show back home. It would have been much worse if there was deaths. And the church which I think is medieval and of great symbolic importance was saved as well.
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Bereta_Eder
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quote:
Originally posted by VetLegion
The area is hopelessly resource poor btw. And Kosovo and Albania are the only territories on European continent with a population growth.
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You're wrong about that. It has huge minerals and before the war a mining business which provided much much richness to Yugoslavia. I thought you would know that.
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VetLegion
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quote:
Originally posted by paiktis22
You're wrong about that. It has huge minerals and before the war a mining business which provided much much richness to Yugoslavia. I thought you would know that. |
False. It has mines but they are practically worthless and didn't contribute squat to Yugoslavian richness. Kosovo was a hellhole with GDP/capita at 40% of the Yugoslavian average at it's best days when mines were fully exploited and enormous federal funds were spent on the infrastructure of the region. The funds were designe to take money from more developed parts of the country and invest in the backwards regions. Kosovo was the largest net beneficiary.
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Bereta_Eder
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The crowd dissolved after 100 more Greek peacekeepers came to the aid of the 15 guard. Albanian protestors (although I dounb one can still describe people who threw a grenade as mere protestors) are still there but things are described now as "calm". Fortunately the injuries of the soldier (ypolochagos but I don't know the equivalant grade in english, he might have been the leader of the guard) are minor and he won't have to be transfered to Thessaloniki for attendance. They can take care of him there.
Last edited by Bereta_Eder on 18-03-2004 at 06:08
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Bereta_Eder
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quote:
Originally posted by VetLegion
False. It has mines but they are practically worthless and didn't contribute squat to Yugoslavian richness. Kosovo was a hellhole with GDP/capita at 40% of the Yugoslavian average at it's best days when mines were fully exploited and enormous federal funds were spent on the infrastructure of the region. The funds were designe to take money from more developed parts of the country and invest in the backwards regions. Kosovo was the largest net beneficiary. |
My sources tell me that the mines were profitable and a major work for renovation of the mines had begun.
I'm glad you acknowledge it isn't resource poor BTW.
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Bereta_Eder
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I'm not questioning the financial status of Kosovo. I'm saying that it isn't resource poor and that the mines were profitable. Actually the situation in the mines played an important role in the escalation of the conflict.
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Bereta_Eder
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After your edit: maybe you have something wrong again. Croatia is dumbed under "developing country" in the UN chart. Maybe compared to Kosovo it was developed.
Also, another errour you make, all the profits from the Kosovo mines and they were A LOT went straight to the coffers of the central government in Belgrade.
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Bereta_Eder
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I have some knowledge about the mines. All sides agree that what happened there led to the escalation of the conflicts but it's too long to raport. The profits were certaintly not insignificant and that is by european standards.
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VetLegion
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Quick surfing finds me some sites that talk about immense mineral richness of Kosovo. So I might indeed be wrong.
It baffles me why it would be a money drain if that was the case, and so poor.
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VetLegion
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quote:
Prior to the NATO bombing campaign in spring of 1999, the Yugoslav government had attempted to privatise Trepca. In 1998, despite international sanctions, the first phase of a restructuring of the site was undertaken in partnership with Mytileneos Holdings S.A., the Greek metals group. According to one study, Mytileneos signed several contracts with the Serbian agency of foreign trade “for a total of $519 million.” In return, Trepca would receive concentrates for production and modern mining equipment. However, “Any further development was hampered by the precipitation of events and by the collapse of the economic, judicial, and administrative system of Kosovo,” the study found. |
Ah, I see the Greek connection 
From the world socialist web site (one of the more conspiracy lunatic sites on the net)
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Bereta_Eder
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quote:
Originally posted by VetLegion
Quick surfing finds me some sites that talk about immense mineral richness of Kosovo. So I might indeed be wrong.
It baffles me why it would be a money drain if that was the case, and so poor. |
I can only offer an educated guess. The money from the mines went directly to the pockets of the central government, not to the region itself.
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VetLegion
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Some quick investigative work 
quote:
There is over 30 percent lead and zinc in the ore’, said Novak Bjelic, the mine’s beefy director.... We export to France, Switzerland, Greece, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Russia and Belgium.... In the last three years we have mined 2,538,124 tons of lead and zinc crude ore ... and produced 286,502 tons of concentrated lead and zinc and 139,789 tons of pure lead, zinc, cadmium, silver and gold. |
Okay. http://www.metalprices.com/#Tables gives me that the price for lead is 900 punds or dollars (can't figure out) for metric ton.
This would mean that yearly earnings (not profits) from the mines are in the about 100 million dollar to 150 million dollar range. Not bad. But not that much for a region of 2 million people. Those mines were and are practically the only industry existing there, and even if spread to the entire population can't lift the standard much.
Compare to Slovenia, also 2 million population and no minerals, but a strong exporter with a GDP of 20 billion dollars or so. Kosovo is at about 2 billion dollars.
The ratio is stunning and while Slovenia shot forward in the last decade and Kosovo sunk, it was not that different back in Yugoslavia.
An overview for Kosovo economy: http://www.grida.no/enrin/htmls/kosovo/SoE/economy.htm
Last edited by VetLegion on 18-03-2004 at 06:15
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Bereta_Eder
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Yes not bad. Notice that they were underdevelopped and using very old technology. The contract with the Greek company aimed at modernizing them. So I'd guess their output would increase more, actually maybe dramatically more.
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18-03-2004 04:01
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