Yugoslavia's Power Crisis

With traffic lights failing, frozen foods thawing in grocery stores and people struggling to keep warm, Yugoslavia's worst-ever energy crisis is prompting many people to question whether the new democratic leadership can't at least keep the lights on.

Officials of the new government appealed Wednesday for people to be patient with eight- to 10-hour blackouts — common in neighboring Albania or the province of Kosovo, but previously unheard of in Yugoslavia's main republic of Serbia.

Some Yugoslavs grumbled that things were better under autocratic President Slobodan Milosevic, who was ousted following a contested election in September and riots in Belgrade on Oct. 5.

"I knew that we couldn't expect a fast improvement after Oct. 5," said Milovan Radisic, 57, a retired factory worker. "But I didn't expect things would get worse."

The long power cuts have affected virtually everyone in the country.

Long lines formed Wednesday in front of supermarkets and department stores in the capital. Harried cashiers were scrambling to tally customers' bills by hand with only the dim light of candles. A crowd in the southern city of Nis burned tires in protest.

The interior ministry issued an appeal Wednesday for motorists to take extra care on the roads because many traffic lights were not working. Extra policemen were called out to keep order on busy streets where traffic signals had failed.

"You wanted 'democracy,' now you got it," Dragoljub Matic, a self-described Milosevic supporter, grumbled as he waited at a crowded bus stop.

Serbia's deputy prime minister, Nebojsa Covic, tried to cast blame on the Milosevic's regime, which wielded power for 13 years.

Covic told Belgrade radio and television stations that the Milosevic government has failed to maintain the power grid and keep up repairs on power stations.

That was due in large part to the effects of years of international economic sanctions imposed on Yugoslavia because of Belgrade's role in fomenting ethnic wars in the Balkans.

Those sanctions made it difficult for the government to purchase spare parts and equipment from abroad.

"A stable energy situation cannot be expected before spring," Covic admitted. "The whole system is extremely worn out."

Yugoslavia's power system also suffered damage during last year's 78-day NATO bombing campaign, launched to stop Milosevic's crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists in Kosovo.

To make matters worse, a protracted drought in the Balkans, which began in the summer, has reduced water levels in the Danube, the Sava and other major rivers, severely limiting hydroelectric output.

Yugoslavia and other Balkan countries are tied together in a regional power grid, which allows them to import electricity in times of need.

However, because of high demand elsewhere and Belgrade's severe economic problems, officials say imports make u only about 20 percent of the shortfall.

All these factors have contributed to the crisis at a time when temperatures are hovering around the freezing level in a country where most people use electricity for heat.

The West has welcomed pro-democracy changes and promised humanitarian aid for energy purchases, but such assistance takes time to materialize.

Nada Kolundzija, a top official of the 18-party alliance that won the presidency and recent parliamentary elections, claimed Milosevic's government has forced the state-run power company to "exhaust the power system to the extent that it is now near collapse."

But many angry Serbs want solutions, not more scapegoats.

"I've heard enough of that. … Milosevic also used to blame others for everything," said Tamara Blazic, fuming because a blackout left her stranded in an elevator for three hours. "It's time somebody takes responsibility."

By MISHA SAVIC