Serbs promised international aid

Poverty-stricken Serbs are dependent on soup kitchens

By Jacky Rowland in Belgrade

The streets of Belgrade have become one big flea-market. Grinding poverty has driven ordinary people to sell off their personal possessions: hats, shoes, even a table lamp are spread out on the ground.

Under 10 years of rule by Slobodan Milosevic, they have been trying to get by on wages that are worth less every month. The average salary is currently just $40. Many people have reached breaking point.

If we stop as soon as we see a trace of dependency... we are not living up to our responsibility

Poul Nilson, EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs

Aid agencies are now feeding tens of thousands of people every month through a network of soup kitchens. The state is bankrupt - so international donors have stepped in to fill the gap.

The European Union has promised about $200m in the short term, while the United States is planning a similar aid package.

The EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Poul Nilson, admitted that there is a danger of Serbia becoming dependent on aid.

But he believes the international community has no alternative. "If we stop as soon as we see a trace of dependency and run away, we are not living up to our responsibility," he said.

Winter fuel

Part of the task facing the international community is to make sure that people do not freeze this winter. The aid agency Oxfam is providing thousands of tonnes of coal as part of its emergency response to the crisis.

Slobodanka Torbica of Oxfam says that it is proving almost impossible for people to get by from day to day without a regular income.

The crisis is forcing many Serbs to salvage any scraps of food they can

"Forget about meat on your menu, forget about fruit, forget about everything, really down to the very basics - bread and pasta and that's about it," he said.

Hundreds of people can be seen waiting in line outside buildings in Belgrade. But this is not one of the usual queues for sugar, oil or basic food - it is a queue for money.

With the change in government, the banks have announced they will be giving back some of the personal savings which were stolen by the Milosevic regime.

"A lot of people urgently need these 150 German marks because their salaries are not high enough," said a man waiting outside a bank in the city centre.

They will only receive a fraction of what they invested, and they know they will never get all their savings back. It is just one example of how Slobodan Milosevic robbed his people over 10 years.

Now the new government is left to cope with the debt, and his legacy.