(19 May 1999) English/Nat
The United Nations delegation to Yugoslavia on Wednesday toured the ruins of Serbia's only car factory, and saw for themselves the damage NATO bombing raids have done to the Serbian economy.
The Zastava plant in Kragujevac was one of three centres on the U-N officials' itinerary for the day.
They also visited the towns of Cuprija and Aleksinac, where 17 people were killed and 27 injured when NATO bombs strayed from their targets and hit a civilian area.
Faced with the extent of the destruction, the head of the mission, Sergio Vieira De Mello, called for an end to the conflict, and promised that the U-N would help people rebuild their lives once the bombing stopped.
After Tuesday's visit to Pancevo and Novi Sad, on Wednesday, the 11-member U-N delegation began a tour of the town of Kragujevac.
There they met with city officials and toured part of the damaged Zastava factory, which before it was destroyed by NATO bombers, was Yugoslavia's only car plant, employing 36-thousand people.
The factory also produced light weapons, and was reduced to rubble in two days of heavy bombing.
The mayor of Kragujevac told the head of the U-N delegation, Sergio Vieira De Mello that as well as the entire work force, the closure of the factory had put many others living nearby out of work.
The town's heating plant was also badly damaged.
After seeing the devastation for himself, De Mello said the first priority was to put a swift end to the conflict.
Once that happened, the United Nations would help people rebuild their lives on the basis of the information brought back by the humanitarian mission.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"This is not, obviously a political mission, this is a humanitarian and rehabilitation mission. And what we need to address is what are the immediate needs before this winter in order to restore basic services."
SUPER CAPTION: Sergio Vieira De Mello, Head of UN Delegation in Yugoslavia
The second stop for the U-N delegates was the town of Cuprija, where an army barracks was hit about a month ago.
Some bombs went astray, hitting a residential neighbourhood nearby, wrecking several homes.
The delegation was not shown the barracks, but saw the wrecked homes from which Yugoslav officials say over 5-hundred families had to be evacuated.
They also said several schools were too damaged to use.
Local officials said they could not understand why Cuprija was targeted.
They blamed NATO for bringing the town to an economic standstill, and said the 24-hour air raid alert meant no one can go to work.
The final stop on Wednesday's tour was Aleksinac, a town of 20-thousand inhabitants.
Stray missiles hit a residential area in the town at the start of April, killing 17 people and injuring 27.
Before leaving Aleksinac, the U-N mission met the head of the city council, who urged them to show the world the devastating effect of the NATO airstrikes on local people.
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