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Serbia calls for moratorium on privatisation in Kosovo-Metohija
Belgrade,
27 May 2006
Head of the Economic Team for Kosovo-Metohija and southern Serbia Nenad Popovic said in an interview with the daily “Vecernje Novosti”, that Serbia has called for a moratorium on privatisation in Kosovo-Metohija, because Serbia wishes to establish who are the owners of companies, in order to bring any decisions concerning their fate.
Popovic said that in the next round of talks in Vienna, which will be dedicated to economic and property issues, there will also be a discussion on the debts of Kosovo-Metohija which are paid regularly by Serbia without contributions by Kosovo-Metohija, which stand at $800 million.
He said that during that time companies were being privatised in Kosovo-Metohija by selling their property without payment of debts to creditors.
He said that this model for privatisation was enforced by the UNMIK, while Serbia proposed that a central database of creditors should be prepared and the major part of privatisation be conducted through bankruptcy procedure.
He said that Serbia supports the idea that privatisation should be conducted after the future status of Kosovo-Metohija is determined, because then Kosovo-Metohija will have a much better rating, and the companies could be sold for a better price.
According to Popovic, Serbian interests in Kosovo-Metohija include among others, hydroelectric power plants and mines, above all, Trepca, which is currently, divided in two parts, the northern (Serbian) and southern Kosovska Mitrovica.
“The part in northern Kosovska Mitrovica now has an annual turn over of €20 million, and I am confident that privatisation conducted after the determination of status of the province would return Trepca to its earlier position,” said Popovic.
He said that during that time companies were being privatised in Kosovo-Metohija by selling their property without payment of debts to creditors.
He said that this model for privatisation was enforced by the UNMIK, while Serbia proposed that a central database of creditors should be prepared and the major part of privatisation be conducted through bankruptcy procedure.
He said that Serbia supports the idea that privatisation should be conducted after the future status of Kosovo-Metohija is determined, because then Kosovo-Metohija will have a much better rating, and the companies could be sold for a better price.
According to Popovic, Serbian interests in Kosovo-Metohija include among others, hydroelectric power plants and mines, above all, Trepca, which is currently, divided in two parts, the northern (Serbian) and southern Kosovska Mitrovica.
“The part in northern Kosovska Mitrovica now has an annual turn over of €20 million, and I am confident that privatisation conducted after the determination of status of the province would return Trepca to its earlier position,” said Popovic.
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