1Friday • June 13 • 2008 NEWSNEWS

Issue No. 1 / Friday, June 13, 2008

Lure of Tadic Alliance Splits SocialistsWhile younger Socialists support joining a new, pro-EU government, old Milosevic loyalists threaten revolt over the prospect.

EDITOR’S WORD

Political PredictabilityBy Mark R. Pullen

Many of us who have experi-enced numerous Serbian elections rate ourselves as pundits when it comes to predicting election re-sults and post-election moves.

We feel in-the-know because our experience of elections in Ser-bia has shown us that (a.) no single party or coalition will ever gain the majority required to form a govern-ment, and (b.) political negotiations will never be quickly concluded.

Even when the Democrats achieved their surprising result at last month’s general election, it quickly became clear that the re-sult was actually more-or-less the same as every other election result in Serbia, i.e. inconclusive.

This is likely to continue as long as Serbia’s politicians form new political parties every time they disagree with their current party leader (there are currently 342 reg-istered political parties in Serbia).

Drawn-out negotiations are also the norm. One Belgrade-based Ambassador recently told me he was also alarmed by the distinct lack of urgency among Serbian politicians. “The country is at a standstill and I don’t understand their logic. If they are so eager to progress towards the EU and en-courage investors, how come they go home at 5pm sharp and don’t work weekends?”

Surely the situation is urgent enough to warrant a little overtime.

Costs Mounting

Economists are warning that pro-longed uncertainty over Serbia’s

future could scare off investors, lead to higher inflation and jeopardise prosperity for years to come.

“This year has been lost, from the standpoint of economic policy,” says Stojan Stamenkovic of the Econom-ics Institute in Belgrade.

Football Rebellion

While the football world watch-es events unfold at the Euro-

pean Championships in Austria and Switzerland, Bosnia is experiencing a soccer rebellion, led by fans, play-ers and former stars who are enraged by what they see as corrupt leaders of the country’s football association leaders.

By Rade Maroevic in Belgrade

Tense negotiations on a new gov-ernment have divided the ranks

of the Socialist Party, which holds the balance of power between the main blocs and has yet to announce which side they will support.

“It looks as if the Socialists will move towards a government led by the Democrats,” political analyst Mi-lan Nikolic, of the independent Cen-tre of Policy Studies, said. “But such a move might provoke deeper divi-sions and even split the party.”

Simultaneous negotiations held with the pro-European and national-ist blocs have drawn attention to a deep rift inside the Socialists.

This divides “old-timers” loyal

to Serbia’s late president, Slobodan Milosevic, and reformists who want the party to become a modern Euro-pean social democrat organisation.

After eight years of stagnation, the Socialists returned to centre stage after winning 20 of the 250 seats in parliament in the May 11 elections.

With the pro-European and nation-alist blocs almost evenly matched, the Socialists now have the final say on the fate of the country.

Nikolic believes the Socialists, led by Ivica Dacic, will come over to Tadic, if only out of a pragmatic de-sire to ensure their political survival.

“The group of younger Socialists gathered around Dacic seems to be in the majority”, Nikolic said, adding that these reformists believe the party

faces extinction unless it changes. However, a strong current also

flows in the opposite direction, led by party veterans enraged by the prospect of a deal with Tadic.

Mihajlo Markovic, a founder of the party, recently warned of a crisis if Dacic opts for the pro-European bloc, abandoning the Socialists’ “nat-ural” ideological partners.

Markovic, a prominent supporter of Milosevic during the 1990s, is seen as representative of the “old-timers” in the party who want to stay true to the former regime’s policies, even though these almost ruined the Socialists for good.

Some younger Socialist officials have voiced frustration over the con-tinuing impasse within their own

party over which way to turn. “The situation in the party seems

extremely complicated, as we try to convince the few remaining lag-gards that we need to move out of Milosevic’s shadow,” one Socialist Party official complained.

“Dacic will eventually side with Tadic in a bid to guide his party into the European mainstream, but much of the membership and many offi-cials may oppose that move.”

Nikolic agreed: “The question is will the party split or will the ‘old-timers’ back down,” he noted.

Fearing they might not cross the 5-per-cent threshold to enter parlia-ment, the Socialists teamed up with the Association of Pensioners and the United Serbia Party, led by business-man Dragan Markovic “Palma”.

Pensioners leader, Jovan Krkoba-bic, Palma and Dacic are all pushing for a deal with the Democrats.

The reported price is the post of deputy PM, with a brief in charge of security for the Socialist leader.

In addition, the Socialists are bar-gaining for other ministries, includ-ing capital investments, Kosovo and education, Belgrade media reported.

Tadic has denied talk of horse-trading with the Socialists, maintain-ing that ministries would go only to those committed to working for the government’s “strategic goal”.

At the same time, Dacic seems re-luctant to call off negotiations with the nationalists.

“If we don’t reach an agreement with the DSS and Radicals, the par-ty leadership will decide on future steps”, Dacic announced, following the first session of country’s new par-liament on Wednesday.Source: Balkan Insight (www.balkaninsight.com)

Business Insight Neighbourhood Matters

Socialist leader Ivica Dacic remains the Serbian kingmaker

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Weekly Issue No. 9, Friday, Oct. 24 - Oct. 30, 2008

People in Serbia will be pay-ing as much as 60 per cent more for their natural gas in

2009 following a series of deals between the country’s key gas sup-plier, Srbijagas and Russian energy giant, Gazprom.

The power of the monopoly Russian supplier, Gazprom, to dictate supply prices has been compounded by the purchase by a Gazprom subsidiary of a control-ling stake in Jugorosgas, a joint venture beween Gazprom and Ser-bian state companies.

Meanwhile, some political parties are crying foul about the lack of transparency surrounding the 2009 gas supply agreement and the involvement of political appointees in the management of

The parliamentary trade committee at work Photo by FoNet

state run organisations.The League of Social Demo-

crats of Vojvodina, LSV, and the Liberal Democratic Party, LDP and G17 Plus claim that state-operated Srbijagas, has agreed unfavourable contracts for imports with a sub-sidiary of Russia’s OAO Gazprom, Gazpromexport, that will ultimately lead to a 60 per cent rise in prices.

Nenad Canak, head of the LSV who accused the Jugorosgas joint venture of taking a monopolist po-sition in the marketplace, said “the matter is so important it requires immediate government action.”

“Tens of thousands of people are using gas for heating and this is no joke. This smacks of monopolies, fraud, cronyism and all sorts of wrongdoings,” Canak told reporters.

Established in 1996, with a 50 per cent stakeholding by Gazprom, 25 per cent in the hands of Srbijagas

and the remainder owned by Serbian NIS oil industry and several other now defunct state owned compa-nies, Jugorosgas was tasked to act as an intermediary to manage the tran-sit of gas from Russia to Serbia.

In January 2007, under the stew-ardship of Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica’s DSS government, Ser-bijagas failed to purchase the 25 per cent holding of the bankrupt state companies, allowing Gazprom to acquire the stake for €4.6 mil-lion and take majority control of Jugorosgas in early 2008. That “was clearly damaging, but although we were in the government back then, we did not know all the details about that,” Suzana Grubjesic of the G17 Plus party said.

The deal effectively put Jugoros-gas in a much stronger negotiating position, allowing it to better con-trol the prices paid by Srbijagas.

On October 15, Srbijagas an-nounced it would increase costs by up to 59.9 per cent to compensate for the rise in raw gas prices, trans-port costs, and the strengthening of the US dollar against the euro.

The current price of gas, mainly imported from Russia, is based on import costs of $250 (€194) per 1,000 cubic metres.

“That price has doubled,” Ca-nak said.

Gazprom Scare

Serbia and Russia are currently negotiating the sale of the Naftna Industrija Srbije, NIS, an oil giant, to Gazprom’s oil arm, Gazprom-neft. The Russian company has offered €400 million for a 51 per cent stake in NIS and another €500 million in investments.

Although the government said it wants to renegotiate the deal and raise the price, Gazpromneft offi-cials flatly dismissed this demand as unacceptable.

The government of Mirko Cvetkovic is also negotiating the de-velopment of the Gazprom’s South Stream gas pipeline that will deliver Russian supplies to western Euro-pean markets via Romania, Serbia and Croatia. The development of the €1.2 billion, 400 kilometre stretch of the pipeline through Serbia, is tenta-tively slated to begin in 2013.

In a bid to renegotiate the NIS deal, Cvetkovic’s government asked for an increase of the planned gas flow in the future pipeline that will secure long-term gas supplies and income from transit fees.

Grubjesic said that in the talks over the sale of NIS, Gazprom in-sisted that Jugorosgas must be an in-termediary in the sales of gas to Sr-bijagas. “It was take it or leave it and we couldn’t do much about it. They are our only suppliers and we cannot diversify our gas supply,” she said.

Serbia Rocked by Gas Price Scandal

The International Court of Justice lays down the ground rules for the future case regarding the legality of Kos-ovo’s declaration of independance.

Jovan Teokarevic comments on Ser-bia’s recent decision to start impe-menting a trade agreement with the European Union.

Page 3 Page 5

Rian Harris gives us her pick for the best place to shop in Belgrade.

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MY PICKS

Continued on page 6

Our sports writer ponders the short list for the Golden Ball awards.

Page 13

SPORT

This week we take a walk amongst columns surrounded in myths and legends.

Page 9

OUT & ABOUT

Sophie Cottrell takes us on a visual journey through Belgrade’s Djeram market.

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LIFE

The Serbian government makes it easier for investors to purchase state companies.

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BUSINESS

POLITICS

Only minutes before the US presi-dential elections Balkan states pon-der which candidate would be better for their country.

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NEIGHBOURHOOD

Tango Natural is not only a dance company, it’s a way of life. Andrej Klemencic speaks with some of Bel-grade’s most dedicated dancers.

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ECONOMICS

BELGRADE

Source: www.weather2umbrella.com

By Aleksandar Vasovicin Belgrade

A major scandal is brewing in Serbia after a group of pro-western parliamentary parties cast doubts on contracts for the import and sale of Russian natural gas.

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Think you know Belgrade?Think again!

3politicsFriday, Oct. 24 - Oct. 30, 2008

The UN has appointed Andrew Ladley as the new negotiator to mediate indirect negotia-

tions between Kosovo and Serbia, on issues of key mutual interest.

Ladley, an expert on constitutional and judicial issues at the United Na-tions has started consultations with the authorities in Pristina and Bel-grade to find solutions for the six cri-teria set by the United Nations Secre-tary General, Ban Ki-Moon, reports Prague-based Radio Free Europe.

In June, Ban instructed the chief of

the UN Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, Lamberto Zannier to start compli-cated talks with Belgrade on “several issues of mutual interest” including Serb involvement in Kosovo’s ju-diciary, police, customs, transporta-tion and infrastructure, boundaries and Serbian patrimony, as the world body prepares to wrap up its interim administration in Kosovo.

Ladley will be in charge of over-seeing these talks.

UNMIK has confirmed his ap-pointment and the new mediator has

already met with senior leaders from Kosovo and Serbia.

Until now, the indirect negotia-tions between Pristina and Belgrade were supervised by Zannier.

So far they have reached an agreement on reopening the court in the Serb-dominated northern half of Mitrovica which was at the centre of clashes in March this year.

UNMIK spokesperson, Alexander Ivanko, reported that Ladley’s mandate will stand until an agreement is reached between Pristina and Belgrade.

UN Appoints Official for Kosovo-Serbia Talks

Source: www.queensu.caAndrew Ladley

The Serbian and United States militaries are now enjoying strong relations despite a

NATO-led air war which pitted the two against each other less than a decade ago, say top commanders.

During his one-day visit to Ser-bia, Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff said that military coopera-tion between the two nations is “a friendship that has weathered many trials and has grown stronger and stronger.”

Although Mullen and his Ser-bian counterpart, General Zdravko Ponos, spoke in positive terms about bilateral cooperation, they said that the issue of now-independent Ko-sovo remains a source of division, better left to politicians to resolve.

“Serbia and the United States have totally different opinions on

The International Court of Jus-tice has set a the deadline for the submission of all the in-

formation relevant to the case on the legality of Kosovo’s independence.

The judicial body said that April 17, 2009 will be “the time-limit within which written statements on the question may be presented to the Court”. In addition, July 17, 2009 will be the deadline for comments.

The Court also said it will ask Ko-sovo’s government to “make written contributions to the Court within the above time-limits,” but stopped short

The European Union’s Enlarge-ment Commissioner Olli Rehn has reiterated his conviction

that Serbia may get candidate status next year.

“We haven’t yet reached the ‘end of history’ in the Western Balkans and I am convinced that 2009 can be a year of clear progress for the whole region towards Europe,” Rehn said at a Serbia-EU business forum.

“Serbia obviously holds a central place in this agenda and I believe that, if conditions are met, it could get candidate status next year.”

During his keynote speech at the conference on Serbian Business and European Integration held on Mon-day in Brussels, Rehn stressed that the business community has a central role to play in realising the European perspective of the Western Balkans.

“You are the ones that can really push the reforms forward,” Rehn said.

Kosovo,” Ponos said.Mullen is the first Chairman of

the Join Chiefs of Staff to visit Ser-bia, which is also the only European country that was bombed by the US-led NATO in the alliance’s history.

The 78-day air war in 1999 was staged to oust Serbian secu-rity troops from the then southern province of Kosovo and end their crackdown against ethnic Albanians there. It left most of the then Yugo-slavia’s infrastructure and air force in shambles, although its ground forces remained largely intact.

Kosovo, which remains an in-ternational protectorate patrolled by NATO peacekeepers, declared independence from Serbia in Febru-ary of this year. The US and most Western countries have recognised the new state but Serbia and its ally Russia remain staunchly opposed.

from saying whether representatives from the government in Pristina will be allowed to take part in the pro-ceedings.

“Taking account of the fact that the unilateral declaration of independence by the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government of Kosovo of 17 Febru-ary 2008 is the subject of the question submitted to the Court for an advisory opinion, the authors of the above dec-laration are considered likely to be able to furnish information on the question,” the court said.

The UN General Assembly ap-

The conference gathered various Serbian businessmen and experts in a meeting sponsored by the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and also the chief of Delta Holdings, Miroslav Miskovic.

Rehn stated that Serbia is already a natural spot for investments: it has a strategic location in the centre of the Balkans with a relatively strong economy, a productive and skilled workforce and an infrastructure which is improving.

However, he mentioned that the Serbian business climate faces many challenges.

“Free trade and market access are essential for trade and investments. But lowering tariffs is not enough. For any potential investor, a stable, transparent and predictable legal and administrative environment is also crucial when choosing the best in-vestment location,” Rehn said.

The US currently maintains a 1450-strong contingent in Kosovo as a part of the NATO-led KFOR mission there.

Both top commanders stressed the importance of increasing coop-eration between the two militaries.

Since the ousting of former Pres-ident Slobodan Milosevic in 2000, Serbia has sought to improve ties with NATO and became a member of the alliance’s Partnership for Peace Programme, considered a stepping stone towards full mem-bership of the alliance.

Serbian officers are attending American military universities and the Ohio National Guard is actively involved in training Serbian troops.

“On the military side, there is much work we are doing and can do to ensure we have a safe and stable region,” Mullen said.

proved a resolution put forward by Serbia to seek the world court’s opinion on the legality of Kosovo’s independence. At the General As-sembly, 77 states voted for the move and 6 voted against, while 74 coun-

tries abstained.The International Court of Justice

ruling is not binding. Both Belgrade and Pristina have

announced that they will form special legal teams to deal with the case.

Serbia and US to Maintain Military Cooperation

World Court Details Kosovo Case Timeframe

Rehn: Serbia an EU Candidate in 2009Source: www.wikimedia.org

Mullen and Ponos Photo by FoNet

Source: www.politickiforum.org

The ICJ Building in the Netherlands

The EU Enlargement Commisioner Olli Rehn

Serbia’s Deputy Premier Bozi-dar Djelic has ordered an in-quiry into plans for the July

2009 University Games in Bel-grade, amid claims the number of sports and participants will have to be reduced.

“Djelic ordered a probe into pos-sible fraud,” the source closed to the government told Belgrade Insigh on condition of anonymity.

“Apparently there were some dodgy deals there,” he added.

The Serbian government re-cently dismissed the Universiade Organisation Board and appointed Djelic to chair a special committee, which will oversee the preparations for the event.

The move came after organis-ers said they will have to reduce number of sports and participants to secure the staging of games at a lim-ited number of venues in Belgrade as opposed to the previously an-nounced 69 locations in the Serbian capital and five other towns.

The games’ opening ceremonies will have to be moved from the 55,000-seat stadium of the Crvena Zvezda soccer club to the much smaller indoor Belgrade Arena, or-ganisers said last week.

The government also decided to strip Sinisa Jasnic, the head of the Universiade Belgrade company that was tasked to secure logistics for the games from some of his authority. Jasnic was not immediately avail-able for comment.

The Universiade are an inter-national sport games organised by the International University Sports’ Federation. They were first staged in 1923 and were expected to be Belgrade’s largest sports event ever held.

The bidding for the 2009 Sum-mer Universiade games began in early 2004 and major Belgrade-based sporting events such as the Eurobasket 2005 basketball cham-pionship, the 2005 European Vol-leyball Championship, the 2006 Eu-ropean Water Polo Championship and the European Youth Olympic Festival in 2007, worked in Bel-grade’s favour.

Belgrade had previously launched two unsuccessful bids to hold the Summer Olympics in 1992 and 1996.

Inquiry into Universiade Corruption

4 business

Hotel Vrbak in Novi Pazar

Nikola Tesla Airport: up for sale?

Cvetkovic boosts bank liquidity

Source: www.skrz.sk

Source: www.airport-belgrade.co.yu

Photo by FoNet

Government Amends Privatisation Rules

Govt. Measures Slow Metals Banka Catering Firm on Sale Amid Ownership Row

Government Aids Financial Sector Dinar Continues Rise Against Euro

Novi Pazar-based catering and tourist company Lipa, will be privatised on November 28

at an auction in Belgrade, despite op-position from a local Islamic leader.

Lipa has 144 workers, and its of-fer price is €1.75 million.

The company owns around 198,691 square metres of land which includes the Hotels Vrbak and Raj, the Amiragin han restaurant, Novi Pazar spa, cafes Granata and Furgon, and another nine smaller facilities.

Emin Razdaginac, the company’s director, says that several consortia are interested in its purchase.

An auction of the company was previously scheduled for October 10, but the Privatisation Agency postponed it to November 28 follow-ing requests that the Amiragin han restaurant and an old banya in Novi Pazar spa be exempt from the sale.

The Islamic Community in Ser-bia, headed by mufti Muamer Zuko-rlic, demanded that the Novi Pazar spa be exempt, while a Novi Pazar businessman asked that Amiragin han be returned to his family.

Razdaginac says that Islamic Community claim to the Novi Pazar spa has no legal basis, adding further that there is no basis for exempting the Amiragin han restaurant.

“We will respect Serbian legis-lation and if the Law on Denation-

alisation is adopted and the property returned to the Islamic Community, the buyer of Lipa will have to com-ply and we are currently warning all interested parties of that possibility,” Razdaginac told Balkan Insight.

Zukorlic announced publicly on several occasions that he would not allow the old Novi Pazar spa to be

sold, because it is a “facility which the Islamic Community is entitled to based on the law on returning prop-erty to churches and religious com-munities.”

The company’s new owner wil not be able to change its basic registered activity for three years, and will also be obliged to keep all the workers.

The government has introduced a set of urgent measures to boost the liquidity of banks

and improve confidence in the fi-nancial sector, Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic says.

The new measures stipulate an in-crease of state guarantees on private savings of up to €50,000, a tempo-rary end on tax on savings as well as on customs duties on imported cars, Cvetkovic said at a press conference.

“We will consider whether to increase guarantees on savings ac-counts to €100,000 if there’s a need for that,” he said.

Commercial banks in Serbia are registered as domestic legal entities, regardless of their origin and the Na-tional Bank of Serbia currently guaran-tees private savings of up to €3,000.

Last week, in a move that should boost currency market liquidity, the National Bank of Serbia decided to abolish compulsory reserves of com-mercial banks for loans from abroad

and lowered their requirement for compulsory foreign currency deposits.

The central bank also left its benchmark interest rate at 15.75 per cent, as inflation reached 10.6 per cent in September.

Cvetkovic said that taxes on sav-ings accounts, profits and the transfer of ownership rights “will be temporar-ily abolished until the end of 2009.”

The government will collect revenues to fund its program by in-creasing taxes on fuel and cigarettes, Cvetkovic said.

“We have made provisions in the budget for 2009 to preserve the bank-ing system’s stability as well as to at-tract foreign investments if we find out that the global crisis is having adverse effects on the economy,” he said.

The Serbian dinar continued strengthening against the euro this week, following last

week’s changes in the central bank’s reserves requirement, dealers said.

“Almost immediately after the measures were announced, we ex-perienced a gradual appreciation in the value of the dinar. It was the psychological effect of the central bank’s move,” a currency dealer with a Belgrade-based commercial bank told Belgrade Insight.

Last week, the National Bank of Serbia announced it had lowered its mandatory reserves for commercial banks’ borrowing in foreign curren-cy, backdating it to October 1, with an aim of improving the liquidity of the domestic banking system amid the global financial crisis.

In October the central bank also intervened with some €180 million in the currency market to halt the depre-ciation of the dinar against the euro.

“The bank’s measures increased

demand for the dinar,” another dealer said.

Earlier this week, Serbia’s Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic also said that the state will guarantee private savings of up to €50,000 and abolish some tax-es to safeguard the country’s financial system against the impact of the crisis.

The dinar depreciated to its low-est level of some 84 dinars to the euro after the May 11 snap elections amid investors’ worries that Presi-dent Boris Tadic’s pro-Western coali-tion would not win enough seats to form a government.

The dinar started appreciating in June following the start of coalition talks between the pro-Western bloc and the Socialist Party.

The most recent drop of the dinar’s value against the euro came due to the deepening of the global financial cri-sis which then sparked the pullout of investors from emerging markets.

The dinar slightly dipped against euro by the end of the week.

The Serbian government pre-pared a draft set of regula-tions to ease the sales of state-

run firms and attract investors who are reluctant amid the global crisis, Economy Minister Mladjan Dinkic pledged.

At a press conference, Dinkic said the new set or rules is tailored to al-low buyers to privatise the remainder of Serbian companies by paying for them in installments.

“Buyers will have to make at least a 30 percent advance payment and pay the remainder in installments over the period of five years, plus in-terest,” he said.

According to Dinkic, Serbia still has to sell as many as 442 smaller

Recent moves by Serbia’s Na-tional Bank aimed at stabil-ising the financial sector are

hampering commercial banks’ deal-ings with clients, the Belgrade-listed Metals Banka said Tuesday.

“However, the new situation did not impede the bank’s operations overall,” the Metals Banka said in a statement obtained by Belgrade Insight.

The National Bank of Serbia’s recent desition to amend compulsory deposit levels was designed to allow commercial banks greater freedom to operate in the current climate.

Metals Banka said it “remained

companies, many of them bankrupt before the end of 2009 and invite tenders for 69 major state-run enter-prises.

“Under these new rules, a buyer will have the right to manage com-panies but will receive ownership rights only once the final payment is made,” he said.

In 2007, the Serbian government said it would privatise some of its key assets through initial public of-ferings, including the state-operated Telekom Srbije telephony provider, Elektroprivreda Srbije electric power utility, JAT Airways, the national flag carrier, JAT Tehnika airline mainte-nance division, Belgrade’s Galenika pharmaceuticals and Belgrade’s

stable” and that its financial data in-dicate “it remained well within a safe zone” and that “operations with pri-vate accounts and savings were not affected in any way.”

Metals Banka AD Novi Sad was established in 1990 and enlarged in 2001 and 2005 with the acquisition of DTD Bank DDOR Bank in 2005.

Metals Banka has a retail branch network of 110 and an active invest-ment banking operation and retails insurance policies from its strategic partner, DDOR Novi Sad insurance company, which is additionally the bank’s single largest stakeholder with 18.97%

Nikola Tesla airport. However, recently, the govern-

ment said it would abandon the sale of the JAT Airways and restructure the company instead.

Dinkic previously announced that Telekom Srbija’s initial public offer-ing (IPO) scheduled for the second quarter of 2009 will be delayed due to the global market crisis.

He said Galenika will be offered for sale in 2009, but “the prospective buyer will not be allowed to pay in regular installments.”

“I am expecting some very lucra-tive offers,” he said.

The sales of major state enterpris-es through IPOs will allow Serbian authorities to distribute long prom-ised free shares to more than 4 mil-lion people.

Friday, Oct. 24 - Oct. 30, 2008

5businessFriday, Oct. 24 - Oct. 30, 2008 5business

Source: www.ftd.deVojislav Kostunica criticises the Government’s deal

Serbia Hopes Its European Arithmetic Adds Up Belgrade hopes unilateral implementation of the EU trade deal will win it candidate status next year, even without Ratko Mladic’s handover. But will Brussels agree?

Last Thursday, Serbia decided to start 2009 by unilaterally implementing the Interim

Trade Agreement with the EU. Al-though the decision does not come as a surprise, since it has been an-nounced and encouraged by the Eu-ropean Commission, it has stirred a fierce debate in Serbia.

In brief, what the Serbian govern-ment has decided to do is cut customs on imports from EU countries by an average of 22 per cent. From a le-gal standpoint, the main problem is the unilateral implementation of the agreement.

Namely, the EU still has not put its signature on the contract. To put it an-other way, it has yet to “unfreeze” im-plementation of the arrangement on account of Serbia’s failure to fully co-operate with the Hague Tribunal over the handover of war-crime indictees.

This was the conclusion of EU foreign ministers in mid-September, although every state except The Netherlands favoured granting this concession to Serbia. The other 26 countries thought that last summer’s arrest of Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb leader, was suf-ficient proof of Serbia’s cooperation. But without the Dutch, the necessary consensus was absent.

Implementation of the Interim Agreement is important because these agreements can last several

Bambi-Banat, Imlek Initiate Buy-back Bids

Serbian confectionary maker Bambi-Banat, announced it has launched a buy-back of its shares to prevent a further plunge of its stock price at the Belgrade Stock Ex-change, the BELEX.

The company, listed on the Belex 15 index of the most liquid shares said it will buy up to 3 percent of its 420,678 shares at market price to prevent damage to the company caused by the current market crisis.

Already this year the company has purchased 6.5 percent of its own shares. In recent weeks Bambi-Banat shares have been selling at around 50 per cent of their January value.

Serbia’s Imlek, the country’s single largest dairy producer also launched a buy-back of up to 5 percentof its total of 9.52 million ordinary shares at the current market price.

‘The director of BELEX was au-thorised to set the price for Imlek’s shares on the basis of total daily trading volume and the company’s financial situation,” the statement said.

Imlek pledged it will sell all shares purchased through this route within a year.

The Danube Foods Group, which is part of the British-based New World Value Fund owns major-ity stakes in both Bambi-Banat and Imlek. The Danube Foods Group is the single largest investor in Serbia’s dairy, mineral water and beverage sectors.

Sale of Kolubara IGM Lime Producer Cancelled

Serbia’s Privatization Agency cancelled the sale of a stake in the Kolubara IGM lime producer to a consortium led by local entrepreneur Liljana Jokic after the buyer failed to implement its investment and social program.

The consortium, which in 2007 purchased Kolubara IGM for 1.46 billion dinars (€18 million), paid only 20 per cent of the agreed price, and restarted only one of four furnac-es at the factory, the agency said in a statement.

Serbia’s Privatization Agency said it would call for new bids for the company after an audit.

Eurowind to Invest in Zrenjanin

Eurowind, a Hungarian - Italian maker of fittings and accessories for trucks and freight vehicles will build a €4 million factory in Serbia’s north by 2011, a local official said on Tuesday.

According to Branislav Knezevic, the head of the local development department in the city of Zrenjanin, Eurowind will develop a plant in the town’s Ecka industrial zone.

The factory will cover some 1.5 hectares, and should employ up to 100 workers, Knezevic said in a statement. Eurowind has subsidiaries in Serbia, Romania, Slovenia and Russia.

EBRD Lends €70 Million to Idea d.o.o.

The European Bank for Re-construction and Development an-nounced it will lend €70 million to the Croatian-owned retail company in Serbia, Idea d.o.o.

In a statement posted on its official web site, the European Bank for Re-construction and Development said it will pass €35 million of the loan to Alpha Bank Greece, and retain €35 million of the loan money on its own account under its A/B loan structure.

Idea d.o.o is a part of Croatia’s Agrokor food producer and retailer, which is a key supplier for supermarket

chains in Eastern Europe. The compa-ny’s multi-format retail and wholesale operation was founded in 1992 and ac-quired by Agrokor in 2005.

The Serbian retail sector is still underserved and fragmented com-pared to more mature markets, with only 25 square metres of retail space per 1,000 inhabitants compared to the European Union average of 270 square meters.

“The project represents an op-portunity for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to support regional food quality stand-ards and will therefore have a visible demonstration effect on the rest of the market,” the statement said.

years before the EU members then ratify the Stabilization and Asso-ciation Agreement, or SAA. The EU signed the Agreement with Serbia in April but for the implementation of the Interim Agreement, full coopera-tion with the court in The Hague was deemed essential.

Serbian critics of the Agreement’s unilateral implementation neglect to say that the EU cancelled custom taxes on imports from Serbia - and other western Balkan states - as far back as 2001.

Exports were significantly stimu-lated by this major concession to the under-developed countries of the region. For their part, potential EU candidates were obliged to agree that once they had signed the Agreement, they would gradually reduce customs on imports from the EU.

In Serbia’s case, the Agreement specifies that customs would dis-appear completely after six years, which is to say a free-trade zone or customs union would then be estab-lished with the EU.

That is why one could say that al-though it is not yet formally obliged to do so, Serbia is meeting its part of the obligations as of January.

The economic arguments of the matter are vexed. Many experts, poli-ticians and businessmen have been dramatically warning that an influx of cheaper products from the EU will en-danger, if not destroy, Serbia’s weak economy, especially its agriculture.

But these claims do not stand up to examination. First, both the Agree-ment and the Interim Agreement are no surprise. As well signposted steps on the path to EU membership, they have been part of this country’s stra-tegic goals since the democratic turn-about eight years ago, which include not only membership in the Union, but also an open economy that can survive competition in European and world markets.

Especially ridiculous is the criti-

cism coming from former prime min-ister, Vojislav Kostunica. Not only did he head two governments that negoti-ated every detail of the Agreement but he also interpreted the initialling of the agreement with the EU a year ago as a personal triumph.

Second, implementation of the Temporary Agreement itself was ex-pected a lot sooner than early 2009 and the current proposed reduction of customs should have been included in the projections for Serbia’s de-velopment a long time ago. As it is, the changes will cut income into the budget only marginally, by between €70 and € 90 million a year.

Finally, the overall gains will probably far exceed losses to the budget. This is because many prod-ucts will now become cheaper on the Serbian market, which is often held captive by harsh monopolies. Do-mestic producers and retailers will be forced to cut prices and rationalise business dealings. This can only ben-efit consumers.

When it comes to agriculture, the politicians’ protectionist slogans diverge from reality even more. The

SAA envisages only a very gradual exposure of this sector to competi-tion from the EU.

Moreover, as much as a quarter of all Serbia’s agricultural products, including such staple items as wheat, tomatoes and plums, will retain a de-gree of customs protection even after the six-year deadline on other prod-ucts has expired.

As the legal and economic argu-ments against implementation of the trade agreement are clearly weak, the whole matter, as usual, is really about politics.

It appears that various figures from the ranks of the opposition are merely resuming and deepening their anti-European discourse, so reveal-ing that Serbia still lacks a crucial political consensus on European in-tegration, even if it has a narrow pro-European majority in parliament.

The government, too, is thinking primarily in political terms.

Thus, it is now reducing customs on imported cars by half, from 20 to 10 per cent, in a populist gesture aimed at attracting voters.

The government also correctly as-

COMMENT by Jovan Teokarevic

in Belgrade

Companies & Markets

Friday, Oct. 24 - Oct. 30, 2008

sumes that it has to show some results in the implementation of the Interim Agreement as soon as possible (even if it is implemented unilaterally), in order to secure Serbia’s status as a candidate for EU membership by the end of 2009.

The deadline is short, however. Between applying for member-ship and obtaining candidate status, Croatia needed 16 months, and Mac-edonia 18. The path to official appli-cation leads through the “unfreezing” of the Interim Agreement and cannot happen without the conclusion of co-operation with the Hague Tribunal.

This may eventually be reached even if the last two Hague suspects, the former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic and the former Croatian Serb leader Goran Hadzic, are not delivered. But this can only happen if the Tribunal’s chief prosecutor, Serge Brammertz, gives Serbia a positive assessment in early December.

From this perspective, the timing of the government’s decision on uni-lateral implementation of the trade agreement looks obvious. It is still not clear, however, whether Serbia will manage to pass another few necessary laws and decisions on customs policy before January, because the opposi-tion has been blocking the efficient work of parliament for some time.

If Mladic does not end up in the Hague by December, what will then count will be the EU’s assessment about whether it is crucial for Serbia formally to meet the non-obligatory conditions, such is unilateral imple-mentation of the trade agreement, or the required ones, such as full coop-eration with The Hague.

It is on account of the latter that Serbia’s integration into Europe has been delayed for years already.

Dr Jovan Teokarevic is a lecturer at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade. Source: www.BalkanInsight.com

6 belgrade chronicle

Serbia’s Gas Price ScandalFriday, Oct. 24 - Oct. 30, 2008

Damaging Deals

Meanwhile, local media report-ed that Sasa Ilic, the acting director of Srbijagas, signed a €700 million contract for the purchase of 2,390 million cubic metres of gas with Jugorosgas, in violation of provi-sions allowing him to make deals of no more than €2 million.

The deal which secured the en-tire 2009 gas supply, envisaged a 4 per cent commission to Jugorosgas as an intermediary for gas supplies, which could amount to as much as €28 million, reports said.

However Nenad Popovic, Presi-dent of the Economic Council of the Democratic Party, DSS, and a power industry leader, insists that the price paid by Srbijagas would be the same either with or without an intermediary company because the Russian partner agreed to bear the full cost of the commission.

Predrag Grgic, head of the Srbi-jagas board said that “the deal will be valid only after the board veri-fies it” but added that neither he nor the board “knew about the deal or Ilic’s intentions.”

“We will seek the government’s opinion on this. If they say the deal was good, we will verify it,” Grgic said.

In an interview with Belgrade daily Blic, Ilic denied any sugges-tion that the deal was badly negoti-ated, pointing out that global prices of gas have gone up.

Ilic said that the price of gas, initially set at €700 million “can be

altered in line with fluctuations on the global market.”

“At the beginning of 2008, the price was some $280 (€218) for 1,000 cubic metres of gas. It is $455 (€354) now, as prices have gone up,” he said.

Ilic insisted that Serbia’s Energy Minister Petar Skundric “was duly informed about the Jugorosgas deal.”

In a statement carried by B92 TV, Skundric said “the ministry knew nothing about Ilic’s moves”.

In an interview with Belgrade Insight, a government official said “Ilic will be sacked at the next Cab-inet’s session.”

“The government will appoint Dusan Bajatovic of the Socialist Party as the new Chief Executive of Srbijagas,” the source said on condition of anonymity.

He added that Bajatovic’s ap-pointment “as well as the share-out of directorial positions in other state-operated enterprises” was agreed ahead of the reconciliation treaty between the Democratic Party, led by Serbia’s President Boris Tadic and the Socialist Party of Serbia for-merly led by Slobodan Milosevic.

Tadic meanwhile said the au-thorities are “carefully monitoring gas suppliers as there is informa-tion about monopolies.”

He said that the state will “do its utmost to help people who are using gas for heating” but that “de-spite our goodwill, we are import-ing gas at prices which are going wild throughout the world.”

Corruption worries

Verica Barac, Director of the government’s Anti-corruption Commission, said the scandal is just another demonstration of sys-tematic corruption within major state-operated enterprises.

“Parties are using major state enterprises to fund themselves and this gas story is only the tip of the iceberg,” she said.

Another government official, who spoke on condition of ano-nymity said, “the anti-corruption authority has documents that may lead to a series of indictments, but it is in no one’s interest to order such a move.”

Barac said that state-operated enterprises and utility companies are the “exclusive turf of political parties and no one is allowed to probe into them and added that the anti-corruption commission was “never allowed to collect enough documentation about anything we tried to investigate”.

“Most of them are generat-ing losses while the directors and members of managerial boards have huge salaries,” she said.

In an interview with Blic, Ilic said his salary from Srbijagas was 250,000 dinars (€3,125), but re-fused to discuss his income from Jugorosgas, arguing it was confi-dential information.

Barac said that a government-operated auditing commission could “hugely contribute to the transparency of major enterprises.”

“Systematic corruption was a key reason that the parties never agreed to allow the auditing com-mission to become fully operation-al,” Barac said.

Continued from page 1

Sonja Zivanovic and Darko Dozic

Milutin Mrkonjic

Photo by Andrej Klemencic

By Andrej Klemencic

The set in the Centre for Culture in the Old City is ready to be filled with the energy of tango,

as twenty-something youngsters fill the space. Healthy enthusiasm is brokered by Sonja Zivanovic and Darko Dozic’s careful introduction of the mission of the Tango Natural dancing school.

“We do not want to go too deep into philosophy, because people might get scared”, Darko confesses to me as a crowd of smokers gathers in front of the building. The approach this energetic couple has towards tan-go is: make it as natural as possible, thus the name Tango Natural.

They started with a pioneer of Belgrade’s tango scene, Dragan Mi-kic, who introduced the street dance of Buenos Aires to the city and they have now been dancing together for four years. The desire to start a school was a logical one, they both agree.

“Once you train for a long time and get to a certain point, you ask yourself: What now?” Sonja points out in the precise accent of one who has spent some time at the Belgrade Drama Theatre.

“Everyone has their own tango. It is not as difficult as it seems. True tango fully complements life, because it is life’s paradigm”, says Darko. While he speaks, his eyes sparkle. “Tango is energy; it is the Ying and Yang, the flow through the connection of masculine and femi-nine. In the endlessness of tango, we find each our own place. Sometimes we walk through life with big steps,

The summer Universiade, which will be held in Belgrade next year, has launched a cam-

paign calling for 10,000 volunteers. Over 3,000 applications have already come in, most before the official start of the campaign.

The Universiade organisers have not put a limit on the number of ap-plications they will accept, so the competition for who’s allowed to volunteer will be open until the be-ginning of the event next year.

Volunteers have already put to-gether both a theme song and a music

The games are made up of ten sports including gymnastics, basket-ball and fencing. In addition, the host country is allowed to pick three ad-ditional sports.

Belgrade will host the follow-ing sports: athletics, judo, football, basketball, fencing, volleyball, swimming, rhythmic gymnastics, diving, artistic gymnastics, table tennis, tennis, water polo, flatwater canoeing, karate, handball, wres-tling, archery, shooting, taekwondo and rowing.

video calling their fellow countrymen to join them. The song was written by Ivan Ristic, Miroslav Cvetkovic, and David Micic.

The video, which will hit tel-evision stations later this month, fea-tures FK Partizan football players, as well as members of the national wa-ter polo team.

The Universiade is an interna-tional student sporting event organ-ized by the Federation Internation-ale du Sport Universitaire and is hosted every two years in a mem-ber country.

only to find that it is the restriction of tango that fills us, others find beauty in embracing the width of colours it offers. Once you know tango, you think of other dances only to discov-er ways they can contribute to your tango.” says Darko with the look of a true believer in the magic of tango. Looking at him, you simply feel his deep devotion.

As the dancers take their first class in the mirrored room, the energy rises. “During the first class, we will learn how to channel energy from the earth through our body and back to the earth, while doing slight left-right swings,” Darko instructs.

“This wholeness in tango is something we learned from study-ing a combination of practices like yoga, karate, kick-boxing, but most importantly, through studying the works on psychotherapy by Alex-ander Lowen, who studied move-

ment and energy”, she says. There are only about 200 tango

dancers in Belgrade. Mirkic started the movement that continued with the Beltango Quintet, which after ten years of existence is one of Europe’s leading tango orchestras. There is a youth orchestra of 13 members, Tango Juventud, and 4 or 5 tango schools.

Since the Belgrade Tango Festi-val started, many possibilities have opened up. “It is the ultimate test of how universally tango really com-municates. Couples from all over the world, shared the same feelings, felt the same energy. Tango comes from the Mediterranean, from where it was taken to docks of Buenos Aires where over the years it has developed into a high art form.

This city has the potential to be-come one of the tango capitals of Eu-rope”, Darko says with enthusiasm.

Universiade Needs 10,000 Volunteers

Tango Natural Dances into Belgrade

Although sanitary inspections of Belgrade’s markets are performed twice a year, con-

sumers daily report finding, and ac-cidentally buying, expired goods.

Ljiljana Jovanovic, director of Belgrade’s Sanitary Inspection Agen-cy, said that one out of four calls from consumers to the institution concerns expired goods.

“If expired goods are found during regular inspections, they are immedi-ately taken off the market, and charg-es against the store are filed,” said Jovanovic to a Serbian daily, Blic.

However, she told consumers to be more careful and mindful of ex-piry dates when selecting products.

“Because we have a small amount of inspectors, it is impossible to per-

The national government, the city of Belgrade and Serbian Railways recently signed a

€72 million contract to start construc-tion of the Prokop train station. The deal, however, comes over three dec-ades after original plans were started and it is not clear when construction of the station will start.

Minister of Infrastructure, Milutin Mrkonjic, said that building will be completed in 18 months. However, construction has not started yet de-spite the minister’sassurance that construction would begin earlier this month.

“We’ll have a new train station in 18 months because the country is ready for the first time to give it a chance”, Mrkonjic told Serbian daily, Blic.

form more inspections than we al-ready do. Consumers have to be more careful when shopping. They have the right to complain to the store owner if they find expired goods or to report the store to the Sanitary Inspection Agency,” Jovanovic added.

All stores and other premises vis-ited by consumers are rated by the possibility of a health risk. Locations considered to be most at risk, like fast food restaurants, are inspected four times a year. Grocery stores are not considered high risk and are in-spected only twice a year.

During a regular inspection, in-vestigators rate how sanitary the store and its equipment are and goods are analysed according to health standards.

The €72 million for the project will come from both the country and city budgets with the state investing €50 million and Belgrade, €22 mil-lion.

Building of the station started in 1977 under the direction of architect Mihail Maletin. Over €100 million has been invested over time, but only one concrete level has been built so-far. There are plans to build commer-cial space above the station.

Consumers, Beware of Expired Goods

Three Decades of Planning, But No Results

Balkan States Search for Favourite in White HouseIf Europeans could vote in the US elections, Obama would win by a landslide - but opinion is more evenly split in the Balkans.

7neighbourhood

By Krenar Gashi in Pristina and the

BIRN Regional Team

Only weeks before the US Presidential elections, people throughout the Balkans are

watching the campaign closely and, in some cases, hoping for a victory by Barack Obama and in others, John McCain.

US policy has had a major impact in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Kosovo and Serbia over two decades, which helps explain the high level of interest.

And whilst an opinion poll by the Economist shows most Europeans strongly prefer Obama to McCain, preferences in Southeast Europe are more variable.

In the Western Balkans, the US campaign is day-to-day news, and there are lively debates over which candidate would make a better presi-dent but Romanians are indifferent.

Albania: Obama good, McCain also good

In Albania, whatever is Ameri-can tends to be viewed positively. Therefore, although the results of the Economist poll show 75 per cent of Albanians support Obama, many Albanians view McCain as equally acceptable.

According to Mentor Nazarko, a political commentator, “both candi-dates are seen in similar ways… Mc-Cain has a track record of taking pro-Albanian stances, while Obama has not had the chance to do that yet”.

While the Albanian community in the US is divided over the can-didates, if Hillary Clinton had been the democratic nominee, the choice would have been easier. She and her husband have both been decorated by the Albanian government.

Bosnia – too busy to notice

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the US elections are taking place amidst the biggest domestic political crisis in years. Overall, most people appear to show a greater interest in Obama, feeling his victory would renew the commitment of America’s democrats to their country.

Bosniaks feel closer to the democrats than Serbs, as a result of former president Bill Clinton’s key

role in ending the 1992-95 conflict. But many Bosnian Serbs also favour Obama, convinced that a republican White House has been politically and economically unsuccessful on the world stage. “Even Serbs would vote for Democrats, even though Clinton bombed them, first in Bosnia and then in Kosovo,” says Gordana Ka-tana, a journalist in Banja Luka.

Some in Bosnia and Herzegovi-na, however, believe that whoever becomes president will be too busy dealing with other hot issues, such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran, to deal with Bosnia.

“It doesn’t really matter who wins; it’s all the same (to us),” Drazen Sim-ic, a Sarajevo-based reporter, says.

Croatia is Obama-ised

Although Croats generally lean

towards right of centre governments, many appear to back Obama. The Economist’s results show that 80 per cent of Croats support Obama. In addition, there are many indications that Croats oppose the policies of George Bush.

Andjelko Milardovic, head of the Political Science Research Centre, says Bush’s mistakes have “gener-ated an economic crisis that can be compared only to the one that hap-pened in the 1920s”.

This and the war in Iraq are the pri-mary reasons given by Croats when asked why they support Obama. For 34-year-old journalist Nikola Jerkov, Obama simply “knows the formula for America’s future”.

Kosovo cannot choose

The Economist poll revealed Ko-

sovars to be strong supporters of Obama, though many favour McCain, and a few wish Hillary Clinton were running. Journalist Artan Mustafa was an admirer of Clinton who is rooting for Obama because of “his age, and the new kind of energy and leadership he is promoting are promising”.

But Shqipe Abazi, a Master’s candidate in Finance, says McCain is a better choice in terms of his policy towards the Balkans and his approach to the financial crisis. “Obama looks confused and sounds controversial, so he is no good for us,” she says.

Mufail Limani, a political analyst in Pristina, says that, for Kosovars, choosing between Obama and Mc-Cain “is like a mother choosing be-tween her two twin sons”. He adds: “The Democrats liberated us, and the Republicans made us a state.”

Macedonia cheers McCain

Macedonians view the US elec-tion mainly through the prism of the ongoing dispute with neighbouring Greece over their country’s name.

“In this regard, Macedonians see McCain as a better choice than Obama,” said Zhidas Daskalovski, a political analyst. This is because Obama “signed the non-binding US Senate Resolution S. 300, which is pro-Greek,” he adds.

Greece argues that Macedonia’s name implies a territorial claim to its own northern province of the same name. Many Macedonians fear that if Obama wins the race to the White House he might overturn the US deci-sion in 2004 which recognises Mac-edonia under its constitutional name. Ilina Jovanova, 33, a university pro-fessor, explained her preference sim-ply. “McCain!” she says. “The other one (Obama) is closer to the Greeks.”

Serbia – little faith in either “Barack Obama, be with us al-

ways,” read a large billboard on one of the main roads leading to Belgrade, when Obama was competing with Hillary Clinton in the primaries.

Anonymous Obama supporters put up the billboard in response to a speech following Kosovo’s inde-pendence in which Obama noted that Serbs had suffered in the past two decades.

However, the race for the White House inspires little optimism in Ser-bia, as both Obama and McCain sup-port Kosovo’s independence. Four years ago the Serbian lobby in the US overwhelmingly supported George Bush, but they faced a major disap-pointment when his administration continued pro-independence policies towards Kosovo.

“Why would we care about elec-tions in America?” asks Goran Bakic, a bartender. “That country has mas-terminded Kosovo’s independence.”

Romania indifferent

As the US campaign reaches a climax, most Romanians seem in-different about who wins. Interest is far greater in events in neighboring countries like Hungary or Moldova, or in other EU member states.

“Who is in or out of power in Washington has no relevance to me. I am more concerned that more than half my income goes to paying off loans,” says Adrian Tomescu, owner of a small shop in a Bucharest suburb.

Political analysts worry that this is also the attitude of the country’s politicians. “None of the political parties has a clear vision regarding specific relations with the future US president, whoever wins the elec-tion,” says Sever Voinescu, an inter-national affairs analyst.Source: www.BalkanInsight.com

Friday, Oct. 24 - Oct. 30, 2008

Tirana

Zagreb

Sarajevo

Skopje

Bucharest

Pristina Belgrade

Serbia-US Ties ‘Unaffected by New President’

“The upcoming U.S. elections are very exciting for the American people. Both parties have put

forward candidates who are well-respected, serious leaders, and both tickets are historic in that they include an African-American and a woman for the first time in our history. The candidates have engaged heavily dur-ing the campaign on our foreign pol-icy as the United States enters a pe-riod of increased political, economic and environmental challenges. Both have indicated the need for further en-gagement with our partners and allies around the globe and a renewed effort to meet challenges that rise above na-tional borders and interests.

Many foreign audiences have

speculated on the different approach-es that either candidate might bring to the bilateral relationship with their country. This has certainly been true here in the Balkans. However, I do not expect that either candidate would bring significant change to our policy in the region. Over the past two dec-ades our policy in the region has been bipartisan, and based on support for a stable, secure and democratic region. Here in Serbia, U.S. priorities are focused on ensuring that an increas-ingly stable, prosperous and secure Serbia takes its rightful place in the European Union and other transat-lantic institutions. We support this path because Serbia has enormous potential that can be realized much

more quickly as a member of the Eu-ropean Union. Such a path will result in greater foreign direct investment, more jobs, better wages, more com-petition, a higher level of innovation, and a better standard of living.

We have the same priorities for all of the countries of the region, including an independent Kosovo. Both candidates have already made public statements supporting these policies, and I expect that this will not change regardless of which candidate wins the election.

No matter who emerges as the new president of the United States on November 4th, U.S. policy in the Balkans will remain the same: that the nations of this region join Europe whole, free and at peace.”

Photo by Sophie CottrellUS Ambassador to Belgrade, Cameron Munter, comments for Belgrade Insight

8 neighbourhood

Kosovo Sends First ‘Ambassadors’

Two Migrants Dead, One Missing in Albania

Pristina _ Kosovo has started dis-patching its first ten chargé d’affaires, who will effectively work as Pristi-na’s ambassadors in some of the ma-jor countries which have recognised Kosovo.

Initially, Kosovo’s diplomats will operate in rented buildings or hotels until they are able to relocate to per-manent offices, which will not hap-pen before next year.

“Buying the buildings for embas-sies is not merely an issue of buying real estate, rather it is related to the issue of sovereignty, with special protocols and special procedures for the purchase,” said Kosovo’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Vlora Citaku.

The countries that will host Kos-ovo’s first embassies are regarded as the most important states that have recognised the country’s February

17 declaration of independence from Serbia and include the US, the UK, France, and Germany.

Tirana _ A 22-year-old mother and her 3-month-old toddler were killed on Sunday evening when a boat with 24 migrants capsized in the Butrinti Lake in southern Albania.

Four people are in a critical con-dition and have been hospitalised in nearby Saranda after being rescued by a border patrol boat. The 24 migrants were trying to reach the Greek border.

Human trafficking has been rampant in Albania over the last two decades. Tens of thousand of migrants have been smuggled on speedboats across the Adriatic Sea onto Italian shores.

However, a three-year mora-torium on speedboats, which was

imposed in 2005, has substantially curbed the phenomena.

Albania’s Interior Minister Bujar Nishani has proposed extending the country’s moratorium on speedboats along its coast in an effort to thwart illegal smuggling.

The moratorium is due to expire in October. The law had affected around 2,000 local speedboat own-ers, and aimed at stopping traffick-ers in both people and drugs who use speedboats to reach the shores of Italy and Greece.

Only authorised vehicles are al-lowed to venture out into the sea from Albanian shores.

Croatian Parliament Passes Smoking BanZagreb _ Croatia’s Parliament has passed a law which will ban smoking in all public places, except hospital psychiatric wards.

Starting in November, smoking will be banned in schools and hospi-tals, while restaurants, bars and other catering establishments have been given six months “to adjust”.

Parliament’s decision comes only a month after the government announced it would model the non-smoking bill on the one once pro-posed in Germany, which allowed owners of bars and restaurants to choose whether their establishments would only cater for smokers or be completely non-smoking. The smok-ing ban in Germany did not pass Berlin’s Constitutional Court, which found it to be violating the right to free enterprise.

The new law states that 40 percent of the packaging of each pack of ciga-rettes be covered with a warning on the risks of smoking.

Premises will be inspected on a regular basis to see if they are abiding by the law.

It is estimated that 30 percent of all Croatian citizens smoke.

The Caterers’ Guild has so far re-

acted mildly. They stated that they had been “hurt by the fact that the Justice Ministry had ignored their request for consultations on the proposal of the new law”.

The guild estimates that the law will put some 10,000 small bars out of business and cause massive layoffs. Small bars across Croatia employ more than 60,000 people.

Safer than the banking system?

The smoking ban starts in NovemberDeputy Foreign Minister, Vlora Citaku

Butrinti Lake

Source: www.sxc.hu

Source: www.churchtimes.co.uk

Bosnia Reels from Global Downturn

Bosnia’s state and entity pre-miers, economic experts and bankers converged on the

northwestern town of Banja Luka on October 17 to discuss the worsen-ing financial situation and agree on counter-measures.

“2009 will be very difficult for… the economy, though I fear our politi-cians are not aware of the situation,” the governor of Bosnia’s Central Bank, Kemal Kozaric, said on Oc-tober 15. He stressed that economic wellbeing depended on local leaders and their readiness to improve the lo-cal economic and business climate.

Bosnia’s top financial and banking experts tried to calm the first signs of panic and persuade people that their deposits are safe. “We don’t need a stampede,” said Kozaric, urging the media to refrain from inflammatory reporting and creating panic.

This appeal came as the first signs of the global economic crisis crept closer to Bosnia. Two weeks ago, a sudden increase in withdrawals sur-prised commercial banks and even the Central Bank. Their brief cash short-age revealed the first signs of panic among the population and scores of people formed queues outside banks, waiting to take out their savings.

Bosnian citizens have additional reasons for wariness. Many lost most of their savings when the banking system of the former Yugoslavia col-lapsed in the 1990s. and their nerv-ousness is further aggravated by the political deadlock that has blocked Bosnia’s progress since 2006.

In the last two weeks, Bosnians have withdrawn more than €60 mil-lion and the Central Bank has pumped an additional €200 million into the system to reassure bank customers.

Bosnia’s premiers agreed on October 17 to table an urgent par-liamentary measure to increase the state guarantee for deposits from 7,500 Konvertible Marks (€3,750) to 15,000 KM (€7,500).

Local bankers launched them-selves in a flurry of public appearanc-es aimed at soothing investors. Ko-zaric stressed that money was safe in the banks, thanks to the high reserves of Bosnia’s Central Bank, modern regulation of the banking sector, a fixed exchange rate between Bosnia’s Konvertible Mark and the euro, and the conservative fiscal system.

However, some bankers – speaking off the record – said the situation was not as sound as officials suggested.

Following a major reform of the local banking sector in 2000-2003, Bosnian banks adopted a conserva-tive approach to business – staying away from the securities market,

avoiding sub-prime loans and main-taining strict credit conditions.

But in the past two years, encour-aged by fast-developing business and pushed by growing competition, they have made finance more accessible with the inevitable consequence that a growing number of people are un-able to repay interest on their loans.

Real estate prices, which have been booming over the past two years, are leveling out or decreasing, as cash shortages and loan obligations increase pressure on household budgets.

Adna Sapcanin Masala, from Sarajevo’s Gala real-estate agency, told Belgrade Insight that “People are selling at reduced prices because they are afraid”.

The bourses in Sarajevo and Banja Luka have plummeted to almost one-third of their value at the beginning of the year and the director of the Sarajevo Economic Institute, Anto Domazet, says. “the question is wheth-er the anxiety will turn into panic,”

Prices for iron and aluminum – major components of Bosnia’s ex-ports – are falling on international markets and looming global reces-sion is expected to affect export vol-umes, further worsening the current account deficit.

In addition, global recession is ex-pected to reduce remittances.

Economic experts say economic hardship will also reduce retail pur-

chases, hitting tax revenues, which in turn will affect funding for health, education and basic social services.

Experts say local leaders must agree on a vigorous response, improv-ing Bosnia’s business environment and fostering a more competitive in-vestment climate in the country.

Local politicians must cut bloated public spending and target large but ineffective social benefits. But so far,

most local leaders seemed oblivious to the economic situation.

Some people see the funny side of the dire economic and political situation. “If the global crisis comes to Bosnia, it will immediately run away,” one of Bosnia’s top humour-ists, Osman Dziho, jokes in his blog.

To read more of the story, visit www.balkaninsight.com

Bulgaria Launches EU Funds Abuse TrialSofia _ A Bulgarian court recently launched a landmark trial against nine people accused of embezzling millions from European Union aid funds.

The defendants were accused of stealing 14 million levs (€7.1 mil-lion) in funds made available to Bul-garia by the EU as part of the Special Accession Programme for Agricul-ture and Rural Development.

The defendants allegedly imported used machinery for meat processing, but forged documents so the machines could be registered as new. The EU fund was drawn upon for the cost of new equipment, with the defendants allegedly pocketing the difference.

The investigation leading to the arrests was launched more than two years ago following a tip from the European Anti-Fraud Of-fice, OLAF. However, the amount of money cited in the indictment covers only part of the missing funds. In a confidential report that was leaked earlier this year, OLAF said that nearly €40 million were missing.

The alleged abuse spurred Brus-sels into freezing nearly €500 million in various development programmes for Bulgaria in July.

The trial launched on Monday is the first of its kind in Bulgaria.

Friday, Oct. 24 - Oct. 30, 2008

By Srecko Latal in Fojnica

A worsening global economic environment and local political deadlock are causing the first signs of panic amongst the population.

9out & about

Myths surround these beautiful columns

One of Djavolja Varos’s acidic mineral springs

Photo by Pat Andjelkovic The path on the way to the columns Photo by Pat Andjelkovic

Photo by Pat Andjelkovic

Friday, Oct. 24 - Oct. 30, 2008

Where the Devil is Djavolja Varos?By Pat Andjelkovic

If you’ve already “done” the mon-asteries, visited the naive painters in Kovacica, and aren’t up to raft-

ing on the Tara, Djavolja Varos just might be the place for you. The set-ting offers hiking, fresh air, forests, a choice of spas, and is surrounded in mystery and legends.

Djavolja Varos or “Devil’s Town” is situated in southern Serbia on the

Pat Andjelkovic is struck by the sight of these mysterious stone columns in southern Serbia – and by the myth and legend they have spawned.

slopes of Mount Radan, 30 kilome-tres from the spa of Prolom Banja, and approximately 320 kilometres from Belgrade, depending on which road you take. It’s too far for a day trip, so it’s best to find somewhere to stay in or near Prolom Banja. If you don’t take your car, you’ll need to hire a local driver (reasonably priced) to take you to Djavolja Varos or else hike 10 kilometres one-way through the woods!

Djavolja Varos occupies some 4,300 square metres of forest and

features approximately 200 rock columns that have been shaped by wind and water erosion. The col-umns, ranging in height from 2 to 15 metres, look remarkably like an assembly of college graduates wear-ing mortarboards and rise above the watershed between Devil’s Gully and Hell’s Gully. Each is topped with an andesite cap that protects them from decay, for they disintegrate relatively quickly when the cap falls off, but erosion again forms them equally rapidly, geologically speaking. The

columns are a breathtaking sight in almost any season. It’s best to visit them early at sunrise or at sunset, when shadows play hide and seek between the surrounding rock and beech trees.

Superstition and Legends

Superstition is often more appeal-ing than reality.

Some locals say the number and size of the columns shifts constant-ly as devils fight for power. Oth-

ers claim that the name of Djavolja Varos comes from the wind whistling through columns, like the devil’s laughter. Another legend claims an evil ruler once made a pact with the devil. His people would not obey him, so he destroyed the town and turned its inhabitants into stone.

A more romantic legend claims the columns are relatives of two suitors in love with the same girl. The rival families met up between the two gullies, and quarreled. To avoid bloodshed, a secret force turned them into stone. A spicier legend claims that the pillars are of a family turned into stone by the devil because a brother and sister were married in Saint Petka’s chap-el, the remains of which lie on the path to the columns. Others coun-ter that a winged black fairy, often sighted flitting between the col-umns, prevented this marriage. But, never fear if she whooshes by; she’s a good fairy.

Serbia’s National Treasure

Djavolja Varos was declared a natural treasure in 1995 by the lo-cal government and is currently on UNESCO’s waiting list to be regis-tered as a World Heritage site. This natural monument also embraces an-other rarity: Two springs of extreme-ly acidic water. This highly sulfuric hard water is reputed to do wonders for skin conditions including ecze-ma, pimples and blisters. The water is not for drinking, but if you suffer from mouth sores, gargling is all right. Locals sell the water in nearby towns, but you can fill your own bot-tles at the site.

The path leading to the columns is clear and the climb isn’t steep.

At one point the path splits. If you go right, you’ll go directly to the columns, passing by the remains of Saint Petka’s chapel where visitors leave flowers and a few coins. This way, you will have an excellent view of the columns and the surrounding countryside. The left path leads you up Devil’s Gully and is a bit more demanding, since you’ll have to clamber up and over large rocks and boulders.

Don’t forget to visit nearby La-zarica Church, around which, on June 25, 1359, Prince Lazar marched with his army before leaving for the Battle of Kosovo. The descendants of the plum trees that sprang up and bent their trunks to follow Prince La-zar as he marched can still be seen today, shaped with a little help from the church’s caretaker.

It’s worth visiting Djavolja Varos if you’re looking for a get-away in a setting untouched by commercial-ism. I couldn’t even find a postcard of the columns, except in Lukovska Banja, two hours away by car. So pay a visit before the souvenir sellers descend, hawking devil T-shirts and cheap mugs. If you’ve ever visited Dracula’s Castle, you’ll know what I mean.

For further information, see:www.djavoljavaros.comwww.n7w.com

Pat Andjelkovic is a teacher, writer, and long-term expat.

10 life

Zivadinka Nikolic, 63, wakes up every morning in Veliko Selo at 6 a.m. She selects produce from her small-holding and works all day at the market. “I get so tired by the end of the day,” she says. But, even after 25 years of hard work, you won’t see her without a smile.

Dragan Milosevic, 83, has been a regular at the Djeram market for almost half a century. One trader told us that she expects to see him working his stall till long after his 100th birthday.

The market gets busy almost as soon as it opens at 7, but some keen buyers arrive even earlier to get the pick of the crop as the traders set up. By mid-morning shoppers are squeezing past one another in the cramped alleys.

You’re always guaranteed a smile and friendly service from the traders.

This trader was too shy to give us her name but not too shy to pose!

An autumn staple, pumpkin, sold by the slice

generation, they look set to be with us for many years yet.

There are street markets all over the city and everybody has their fa-vourite but where ever you go, you are guaranteed a slice of local colour to go with your fruit and vegetables.

Faces from the Market

Ask any Serb, and Belgrade Insight offers you this guar-antee: They have their fa-

vourite open market and an elaborate reason why.

Even in a sophisticated city like Belgrade, open markets flourish. Serbs love their food to taste and look good and open markets have been a feature of all Serbian towns and cities for centuries.

And whilst supermarkets, with their convenience and their ability to purchase in bulk are gradually stealing business from the markets, particularly amongst the younger

The Djeram Open Market not only offers fresh fruit and vegetables, it offers insight into the make-up of the Serbia.

By Vanja PetrovicPhotos by Sophie Cottrell

Friday, Oct. 24 - Oct. 30, 2008

Freshness comes as standard.

11the belgraderFriday, Oct. 24 - Oct. 30, 2008 11the belgrader

TV’s Mile, Serbia’s favourite anti-hero Source: b92.com

sions to distinguish Croatian from Serbian): How do you say “cow” in Croatian? A four-legged, milk-giving, grass eater.

• Serbs happily make fun of them-selves, too: Little Pera depicts a young, cheeky, but clever Serb: Pera’s teacher asks, “How far is Plu-to from the sun?” - “As far as Parti-zan is from the Champions’ League,” Pera said.

People from surrounding nations have jokes too! In these jokes Serbs are often perceived as aggressive, violent and ready to be bribed. One Bosniak aphorism, runs:

• “Do not eat in a Croat’s house -

he is going to cheat you - and do not sleep in a Serb’s house - you can not be sure that you‘re goimg to be alive in the morning.

Humour all around

There’s humour in Serbian lit-erature, theatre, films, and televi-

sion. Serbs who can afford tickets flock to see Branislav Nusic’s (1864-1938) play The Cabinet Minister’s Wife. This is a story of a simple but strong woman in pre-Second World War Yugoslavia, whose life changes when her husband becomes a minis-ter. Aware of her lack of manners and education, she blindly follows proto-col, and in the process creates chaos for herself and her family.

Dusan Kovacevic’s play Radovan III is a tragic-comedy that tells of lost identity caused by Socialist “progress”. Radovan has moved from his native village to the sub-urbs where he lives with his family. His first daughter was raised as a son and is now a truck driver. His other daughter has been pregnant for five years since the father fled to Ameri-ca, and Radovan won’t let her to give birth until she marries.

Zdravko Sotra’s film Ivko’s Feast, makes fun of social mores. Tradi-tionally, no one should be turned away from a saint’s day celebration, but three long-staying guests turn the principal actor’s saint’s day into

nightmare when they refuse to leave.A very popular television social

identity satire was Mile Against Transition. Mile, represents Serbia’s everyman. He witnessed the dis-integration of Yugoslavia, wars in Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo, eco-nomic collapse, endured Milosevic’s international isolation, entrenched corruption and downfall, the assassi-nation of the prime minister, and the failure of Serbian politicians.

Mile yearns to preserve authentic Serbian life and rebels against transi-tion, from having to wear seatbelts to adopting a new work ethic. He feels powerless, and, in the face of frustra-tion, disappointment, and uncertain-ty, he yells at his TV. Mile was cre-ated to be taken ironically. Instead, Mile has become a popular hero whose anti-modern, anti-European tendencies are widely accepted, and has emerged as a hero, a symbol of Serbia’s current predicaments.

That in itself is kind of funny.

Pat Andjelkovic is a teacher, writer, and long-term expat.

What’s so funny?

For the most part, Serbs laugh at what they perceive as stereotypi-cal behavior of other peoples. These jokes are often offensive, and perpe-trate existing prejudices. However, jokes about religion (at least about their own Orthodox religion) and sick jokes involving grotesque, violent, or exceptionally cruel “humour” aren’t appreciated. The following jokes about what Serbs perceive as stere-otypical inhabitants of Serbia or the former Yugoslavia give you a pretty good idea:

• Pirocanci (from the town of Pirot, reputedly stingy): Why do Pirocanci have two peepholes in their doors, one high and one low? - To see who’s come and what he’s brought.

• Montenegrins (supposedly lazy): A Bosnian and a Montenegrin had a ten-metre race. Who won? - No one. The Montenegrin gave up, and the Bosnian got lost.

• Lala from Vojvodina (Naive and submissive): “My wife is a tramp,” Lale complains. “How come?” asks his friend. “I sent her a telegram I was coming home, and I found her in bed with some guy!” Then he adds, “Or maybe she’s not. Maybe she didn’t get the telegram.”

• Slovenians (about their country’s size): Why do Slovenians use only three speeds on their cars? – If they used the fourth, they’d be across the border.

• Croatians (who are perceived by Serbs as creating complex expres-

The world’s in financial crisis, local politics are a mess, but Serbs love to laugh even in the

darkest times, even during the NATO bombing, when jokes exploded just as frequently as, but with a lot less harm, than cruise missiles. Even the tennis star Novak Djokovic, (dubbed Joke-ovic by the press), imperson-ated fellow tennis players during the US Open, much to the audience’s de-light. As Goethe once said, “nothing shows a man’s character more than what he laughs at.”

We all have an inborn capacity to laugh, which has evolved over 15 million years of respective commu-nity-living among apes and humans. Tickle one of the great apes, if you dare, and they’ll grin and pant rap-idly: ape laughter. Chimps even laugh in anticipation of a tickle, and often when observing another’s dis-comfort. Now there’s a shared trait. But they don’t tell jokes…or at least we don’t think they do, but perhaps they’ll have the last laugh.

Jokes, plays and films provide a keen insight into what tick-les the average Serb – and it’s not always what you might expect.

By Pat Andjelkovic

Not Everybody Laughs in the Same Language

Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf?

When you think of it, chil-dren’s fairy tales are pretty horrific. Innocent kids are

chased by witches, monsters and other scary creatures, and there is not al-ways a happy ending, either.

Even today, every child in Britain knows the story of the three little pigs that were terrorised by a nasty, huff-ing and puffing wolf, complete with large, sharp teeth and a bad attitude. Like all good stories, of course, there is a moral tale behind it all; build your house out of straw or sticks, and you can expect a visit from the big, bad wolf. Build it from hard work and solid stones, and it is the wolf

himself who ends up on the dinner menu.

During the political and social revolution that swept the UK dur-ing the 1980s, we were all encour-aged, cajoled, even, to join Margaret Thatcher’s “property owning de-mocracy”. Social housing was con-sidered an anathema, a sign of weak and dangerous political thinking and therefore to be mercilessly wiped out. The British people, always keen to have a little suburban castle to call their own, behind the walls of which they will look respectable and be safe from wolves, neighbours and char-ity collectors, responded en masse. Mortgage companies and banking institutions (who were, incidently, huge donors to Mrs Thatcher’s Con-servative Party) grew enormously rich and powerful.

House values boomed, so we all borrowed lots more money, easily, and comfortably, to feed our ram-pant appetite for consumer goods, entertainment and exotic holidays. By 2005, so endemic was this self-delusion that I knew otherwise intel-ligent people who talked of nothing else. Dinner parties had become a tedious ritual, in which middle-class couples would compare the equity in their properties, while bitterly envy-ing those who had done even better

than they had. Greed is such an unat-tractive quality. This collective mad-ness was one of the factors that made moving to the relative sanity of Ser-bia an attractive option for me.

Of course, it was all an illusion. A few shrewd people, those who sold up at the peak and took their money out to buy up cheap farmhouses in relatively economically deprived areas, including Bulgaria, parts of France and Slovenia, did quite well. But the majority were duped into be-lieving it was they themselves who actually owned their houses, rather

than the banks, and worse, they could not let go, because the house would be worth even more in future, wouldn’t it?

Pop! The bubble burst so easily. The average British household now hqas debts of ₤70,000 (€84,000). The value of the average house there is falling by almost £150 (€180) per day. Every five minutes, another Brit-ish citizen is declared bankrupt or in-solvent. Over 100 homes are repos-sessed by the banks every day. And this time, there’s no discrimination. Straw, sticks, or bricks are all equally

vulnerable to the big bad wolf. It is quite amusing to see Karl

Marx’s critique of capitalism back in the best-selling book charts in the wake of the credit crunch debacle. One can only wonder where all the profit from those sales is going. But, for several thousand years, the Buddhists have been telling anyone who will listen that property is not theft, but simply il-lusion. Maybe they have a point.

David Dowse, is a Senior Partner at Webb Dowse Intelligent Corporate Communications.

David Dowse wonders whether Margaret Thatcher encouraged those three little pigs in the Brit-ish fairy tale to buy their house. If so, the wolf at the door prob-ably works for a bank.

By David Dowse

Lessons from the property market in Britan: Serbia beware Photo by David Dowse

Friday, Oct. 24 - Oct. 30, 2008

12 the belgrader

Dining out

Restoran Peking

Teatro – Not Theatrical, But Warrants Applause

By “Trencherman”

By Sophie Cottrell

Peking: disappointingly retro.

Teatro: turbo-folk and dancing girls upstairs, disco downstairs

Photo by Sophie Cottrell

Photo by Sophie Cottrell

As you step through the doors of the Peking restaurant, you find yourself instantly trans-

ported to a state restaurant of the 1980’s. A classy state restaurant, but a state restaurant nevertheless. Heavy dark wood was everywhere, little wooden features with “roofs” covered with pantiles – very “King and I”- thick carpet, very little light-ing and a smartly dressed Maitre d. whose experience of China was clearly limited to work and shopping expeditions to Blok 70.

The place was busy, and for four o’clock on a Saturday afternoon, that’s an achievement in any res-taurant, but particularly so for one tucked away down an alley, so we were seated upstairs at a large round table with a rotating white formica-topped “lazy susan” in the middle.

Everything was looking a little tired and depressed. The tablecloths weren’t dirty as such, it was just that they looked like they’d been dirty so many times before, the cutlery and glassware were similar. The lazy su-san was nasty. It was covered with a layer of dust, and had a black grimy ring where the plastic edge met the formica top. This was not looking promising.

The Peking was indeed a state run restaurant from the 1980’s when it was chic and fabulously expensive. One aspired to visit the Peking, used what connections one had and saved

Listen people, we are, after all, in the Balkans. Having made the decision to continue to stay

here, we knew that avoiding turbo-folk would be nearly impossible.

This strange music has its roots in Serbian folk, and electronica. Now, don’t get me wrong, Serbian folk and electronica are awesome. The mix of the two, spiced with some crappy lyr-ics and idiocy, however, is absolutely horrendous.

Some would call me pretentious when it comes to music. So, for the sake of transparency, I’m going to tell you right off , that I don’t much like turbo-folk. Although, I will admit, I had a pretty great night at Teatro, re-gardless of the fact that my brain was slowly poisoned via my ears.

The place was a bit intimidat-ing to get into. Two enormous bouncers, obviously still being fed

by their mamas’ hearty sarma and pasulj, were guarding the door. You couldn’t get into the ground floor of the place unless you had an over-priced table reservation. But, we sneaked in anyway, because, well, sarma and pasulj aren’t necessarily the best recipe for brain develop-ment and efficiency.

Let’s walk through the place. As I’ve already said, the place

has an upstairs and a downstairs. The upstairs is fashioned after an old theatre, but with a modern flair. In the centre is a crowded dance floor, but not much dancing was going on.

On one of the walls was a podium for a scantily-clad dancer, though I’ve come to accept this as standard for night clubs across the world, al-though the sleazy guys under the po-dium were unusually offensive.

The women patronizing the place were in the main quite classy. This also came as a surprise but I didn’t feel underdressed, or wrongly

dressed, because anything it seems goes, from grunge to Kenzo.

There were people of all ages, from a group of 15 year-old blondes to a table of leather-wearing middle-aged men.

I guess crappy music brings peo-ple together.

The downstairs was a bit more relaxed, not so crowded, and eman-

cipated from the chains of turbo-folk. The floors were checkered, and the walls done in a simple motif. The crowd down here was younger and we relaxed and got on with the serious business of drinking and dancing.

The choice of music was an improvement. A mixture of pop, house and a little techno although curiously nothing more modern

that late summer 2007! Make sure you bring your credit

card or a lot of cash - aound 500 di-nars will get you a Breezer and a shot of vodka at 270 dinars makes a vodka red bull not far off 600 dinars

Overall, I had a good time at Tea-tro, but doubt I’ll go back unless the music steps it up a notch. Plus, the drinks were way too expensive.

up. But that was in a different time, and now things are different – very different.

The Maitre d. was very insistent that we selected an Italian Reisling from the list. So insistent, in fact, that I smelled a rat and selected an Aleksandrovac. Ominously the Aleksandrovac was unavailable and despite the fact that, in my opinion, the words Italian and Reisling should never be adjacent, I gave in and ac-cepted the Reisling. It had a slight mustiness associated with oxidation and there was absolutely none of the liveliness, acidity and zing that should be associated with a Reisling. Fortunately, at 850 dinars for half a litre, it was at least not punitively ex-pensive.

Starters of sliced beef in oyster sauce, which was fine, tasted strong-ly of soy but was savoury and appe-tizing, and Szechuan beef, cut into strips with sesame and a hint of chilli were more promising than the wine but presentation was poor – they both arrived as a blob of brown in the mid-dle of the plate. My chicken noodle soup was watery and seemed to me to have been made to order by combin-ing previously roasted chicken strips, which were very dry, stock cubes and some noodles. The sour and hot soup was better; there was a strong taste of bean curd, some mushroom and a little chilli.

There was nothing awful about the main dishes, but there was nothing memorable either. The sweet and sour pork balls were served in a gloopy sweet orange sauce with no recognis-able ingredients, and the other dishes, despite their claimed make-up, were little more than meat in gravy. No colour, no real kick of spices, not ter-rible, not inedible - really just not very

interesting. It was picked up a lit-tle by the chow mein that we ordered to accompany these which was well cooked with some fresh sliced veg-etables, but all in all this was not a memorable experience.

There was nothing really about the Peking to write home about. Nothing about the place, apart from the lazy susan - ugh! - aroused much passion at all. I didn’t complain. What I had was clearly how it was all meant to be, there were no errors. The largely elderly clientele were certainly en-joying what they were getting.

But what they were getting was

an unadventurous menu, muted flavours and spicing, heavy, meaty sauces - in fact they were getting the European version of Chinese food from 30 years ago. Much beloved of the corner shop take-away, circa 1980.

These days, I’m afraid, I expect a little more, especially from a restaurant which has the history and pretensions of the Peking. With Chinese ingredi-ents ever more widely available, there’s little excuse even for the adventurous home cook not offering accurate spic-ing and fresh ingredients. For a restau-rant, it strikes me as indolent at best.

The Peking advertises heavily to tourists and business people with fly-ers at the airport and in many hotels. The flyers are modern, interesting, glossy, well presented and profes-sional. They would do well, in my view, to incorporate these values into the food.

Price guide: 2,000 – 2500 dinars per head for 3 courses with a mod-est wine.

Restoran PekingVuka Karadzica 2Tel 011 181931

A 1980’s institution in need of modernisation.

If you can get past the music, you’ll have a good time.

Going out

Friday, Oct. 24 - Oct. 30, 2008

13sport

Vidic and Krkic Give Food for Thought

Clash of the Titans Murray Wins Madrid Masters TV Events

By Zoran Milosavljevic

Nemanja Vidic may not win the elusive Golden Ball award but the fact that he has

been shortlisted among 30 players vying for the annual prize, given to Europe’s best player, shows just how far Manchester United’s Serbian de-fender has come since he joined the Premier League giants from Spartak Moscow in January 2006.

The 27-year old central defend-er, impressive for club and country over the past few years, does not stand much of a chance among team mates Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney or the likes of Lionel Messi and last year’s winner Kaka simply because defenders rarely beat strikers to the Ballon d’Or, a glittering gold-plated trophy presented by France

By Zoran Milosavljevic

Hosts ands world champions Australia are red hot favour-ites to retain their Rugby

League world cup title but they will face some stern opposition in the month-long tournament, especially when they meet bitter foes New Zea-land in their Pool A clash of the titans in Sydney on Sunday.

Australia have not played any warm-up matches while the Kiwis made their intentions clear in no uncertain terms with a 56-8 rout of Tonga last weekend, prompting a stern warning to the Wallabies. “We know that the favourites don’t always win and there is absolutely no room for complacency,” Australia’s cap-tain Darren Lockyer said after New Zealand’s effervescent performance against Tonga.

England and Papua New Guinea are the other two teams in Pool A, by far the strongest of the three, with France, Fiji and Scotland comprising Pool B while Tonga, Ireland and Sa-moa are in Pool C.

Although New Zealand must have high hopes of toppling Australia, their captain Nathan Cayless believes they will have to improve vastly if they are to mount a sustained challenge for the title. “We need to go out and perform the full 80 minutes, not just 60 or 40 as we have done in the past and that’s going to be the biggest test for us,” said Cayless.

By Zoran Milosavljevic

Britain’s Andy Murray has left no room for doubt that he is fast becoming a top contender

for the world number one spot in the men’s ATP rankings after his impres-sive conquest of the Madrid Masters, where he beat surprise package Gilles Simon of France 6-4, 7-6 in the final last weekend.

The 21-year old Scot won his second title of the season and his seventh overall after a memorable victory over former king Roger Fe-derer in an epic three-set semi-final, while Simon was equally impres-sive in eliminating world number one and the home crowd’s favourite Rafael Nadal.

Murray’s success and his im-proving performances as the season draws to a close suggests the men’s ATP tour now boasts of a “Big Four,” a quartet of top players who will aim

Friday, Oct. 24: Soccer: Bun-desliga - Bayer Leverkusen v FC Cologne (Sport Klub, 8:30 p.m.), Argentinean League - San Martin v Arsenal de Sarandi (Sport Klub, 11:55 p.m.); NHL Ice Hockey: St. Louis Blues v L.A. Kings (Sport Klub, 02:30 a.m.) Saturday, Oct. 25: Basketball: Re-gional NLB League: FMP Belgrade v Cibona Zagreb (FOX Serbia, 4:00 p.m.), KK Zagreb v Partizan Belgrade (HRT 2, 5:30. p.m.); Soc-cer: Everton v Manchester United (RTS 2, 12:55 p.m.), Hannover v Werder Bremen (Sport Klub, 3:30 p.m.), Blackburn v Middlesbrough (RTS 2, 6:30 p.m.), Osasuna v Betis (FOX Serbia, 8:00 p.m.), Juventus v Torino (Avala, 8:30 p.m.), PSV Eindhoven v Roda (Sport Klub, 8:45 p.m.), Barcelona v Almeria (FOX Serbia, 10:00 p.m.); NHL Ice Hockey: New York Rangers v Pittsburgh Penguins (Sport Klub, 1:00 a.m.). Sunday, Oct. 26: Basketball: Re-gional NLB League: Red Star Belgrade v KK Split (FOX Serbia, 12:00 a.m.) Soccer: Chelsea v Liv-erpool (RTS 2, 2:30 p.m.), Inter Milan v Genoa (Avala, 3:00 p.m.), West Ham v Arsenal (RTS 2, 5:00 p.m.), Borussia Dortmund v Her-tha Berlin (Sport Klub, 5:00 p.m.), Villarreal v Atletico Madrid (FOX Serbia, 7 p.m.), Marseille v PSG (Sport Klub, 9 p.m.), Argentinean League (Sport Klub, 11:30 p.m.); NFL: New Orleans Saints v San Di-ego Chargers (Spork Klub, 7 p.m.), Jacksonville Jaguars v Cleveland Browns (Sport Klub, 10:15 p.m.).

Manchester United’s Serbian defender has made the short-list for the annual Golden Ball award while Barcelona’s teen-age striker impressed with a mature Champions League per-formance.

Football, a monthly magazine. After all, Germany’s former World Cup winner Franz Beckenbauer was the last defender to claim it back in 1976, two years after he led his country to their second title on home soil. It may seem unfair but football is a game where fans want to see as many goals as possible and hence defenders are sometimes less appreciated for stop-ping them.

That however, turned out to be somewhat difficult in this week’s Champions League fiesta with the eight matches providing a record-equalling tally of 36 goals on Tues-day, much to the delight of everyone sat alongside me in Belgrade’s Sport Café where I caught the games. Not surprisingly, Rooney was on target again in United’s 3-0 rout of Celtic at Old Trafford and took his tally to nine in the last seven matches for his club and England, underlining that he has every chance of beating Ronaldo at the finish line. Although the mercurial Portuguese forward undoubtedly fig-ures as the top candidate following his stunning total of 42 goals in United’s double conquest last season, his the-atrical diving under innocuous tackles and gesticulations to referees is what might deter more than just a few jour-nalists from giving him their votes.

The goal extravaganza included Villarreal’s 6-3 win over Aalborg, a 5-3 success for Olympique Lyon at Steaua Bucharest, after they fought back from a two-goal deficit and Arsenal’s emphatic 5-2 win at Fener-

The tournament kicks off on Sat-urday when Papua New Guinea take on England in Townsville while Scot-land meet France in Canberra in Sun-day’s early match, the curtain raiser to the Australia v New Zealand clas-sic following the opening ceremony in the Sydney Football Stadium.

for the throne next season and many more to follow. Nadal appears set to keep his reign for some time to come with the ageing Federer battling the clock and a pack of hungry young prospects determined to move up the ladder. Serbia’s world number three Novak Djokovic, who made a shock early exit in Madrid after a straight-sets defeat to Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic, will need to find the consistency he lacked in the second half of the season not only to stand a realistic chance of breaking into the top two but also to fend off his close friend Murray, who has tightened his grip on the number four spot.

Meanwhile, Jelena Jankovic retained the top position in the women’s WTA rankings despite a first-round exit in Zurich following a hat-trick of victories in Stuttgart, Beijing and Moscow while fel-low Serbian prodigy Ana Ivanovic moved one place up to fourth after reaching the semi-finals, where she lost a tight contest with eventual winner Venus Williams of the U.S.

bahce, one of the most difficult away grounds in the Champions League.

Wednesday’s games produced less than half of the Tuesday total (17 goals in eight games) but will be remem-bered for Barcelona’s 5-0 thrashing of Basel in which teenage striker Bojan Krkic capped a brilliant performance with two well taken goals.

Far more experienced strik-ers would have been proud of his composure, maturity and clinical finishing.

Serbian fans are disconsolate af-ter the 18-year old chose to play in-ternational football for Spain ahead of his father’s native Serbia. Not even persistent efforts by Serbia’s coach Radomir Antic and his plea to Krkic’s father could change the young prodigy’s mind. “I was never in any doubt what country I would play for as I was born and raised in Spain,” said Krkic after making his debut for the European champions in a 4-0 World Cup qualifying win over Armenia.

Winning the Golden Ball is quite certainly far more important to Krkic than winning the hearts of Serbia’s fans but they in turn should not lose hope that Vidic just might be the one parading on the podium at the end of next week’s gala. Stranger things have happened in football.

Zoran Milosavljevic is Belgrade Insight’s sports writer and also a regional sports correspondent for Reuters.Rooney is a worthy contender to win the Golden Ball Photo by FoNet

Murray cliches his second ATP title this season The World Cup starts this weekend

Friday, Oct. 24 - Oct. 30, 2008

14 the belgrader

What’s On

My Picks

CINEMAS RODA CINEPLExPožeška 83A , tel: 011 2545260

Turneja (The Tour) 18:00 & 20:15 Wall - E 16:00Mirrors 22:30Journey to the Center of the Earth 16:00The House Bunny 17:45, 20:00 & 22:15Star Wars: The Clone Wars 16:30Max Payne 18:30, 20:30 & 22:30

DOM SINDIKATATrg Nikole Pašića 5, tel. 011 3234849

The House Bunny 18:15, 20:15 & 22:15Nije kraj (Will Not End Here) 18:00 & 20:00Ljubav i drugi zlocini (Love and Other Crimes) 16:00 & 22:00Turneja (The Tour) 16:15, 18:15, 20:15 & 22:15Mamma Mia! 16:30Max Payne 18:30, 20:30 & 22:30

STER CITy CINEMADelta City, Jurija Gagarina 16 (Blok 67), tel: 011 2203400

Turneja (The Tour) 12:10, 13:10, 14:20, 15:50, 16:40, 18:10, 18:50, 20:20 & 22:30The House Bunny 13:20, 15:30, 17:40, 19:50 & 22:00Wall - E 12:20, 14:30 & 16:30Tropic Thunder 13:00, 15:10, 17:20, 19:30 & 21:40Max Payne 12:40, 14:50, 16:50, 18:50, 20:50 & 22:50Mirrors 21:10 & 23:20you Don’t Mess with the Zohan 18:30Mamma Mia! 14:00, 16:10, 18:20, 20:30 & 22:40Turneja (The Tour) 13:40, 15:50, 18:00, 20:10 & 22:20

TUCKWOOD CINEPLExKneza Miloša 7, tel: 011 3236517

Star Wars: The Clone Wars 17:00Mirrors 16:30, 18:50, 21:15 & 23:30Nije kraj (Will Not End Here) 19:00 & 23:00Milos Brankovic 21:00 Max Payne 15:45, 18:00, 20:15 & 22:30

The House Bunny 15:30, 17:45, 20:00 & 22:15Turneja (The Tour) 15:30, 18:00, 20:30 & 22:15

CONCERTS TARJA TURUNEN

A Finnish soprano and songwriter, best known as the former lead vocalist of sym-phonic/power metal quintet Nightwish, is coming to Belgrade on her European tour.

Student Cultural Centre (SKC)Kralja Milana 48October 27, 21:00Tickets available at SKC ticket office

JOHNNy WINTER

American blues guitarist, singer and pro-ducer, Johnny Winters, struts his stuff.

Sava Centar, Great HallMilentija Popovica 9October 28, 21:00Tickets available at SC ticket office, Trg Republike 5

QUEEN & PAUL RODGERS

What remains of this world-renowned band arrive in Belgrade on their European tour.

Belgrade ArenaBulevar Arsenija Carnojevica 58October 29, 20:00Tickets available at Belgrade Arena ticket office and Bilet Service, Trg Republike 5

BRIMSTONE HOWL

This American band playing blues and punk influenced rock and roll, is coming to Belgrade on their “We Come in Peace” tour.

Student Cultural Centre (SKC)Kralja Milana 48October 30, 22:00Tickets available at SKC ticket office

THEATRESMADLENIANUMGlavna 32

Les Miserables

A musical based on one of the best-known novels of 19th century, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. It follows the lives of several French characters over a twenty year pe-riod in the early 19th century that starts in the year of Napoleon’s final defeat.

October 27, 19:30Tickets available at Madlenianum ticket office, Trg Republike 5

TERAZIJE THEATERTerazije 29

Some Like it Hot

Musical play based on the 1959 comedic film by the same title.

October 25, 19:30Tickets available at Terazije Theater ticket office, Trg Republike 5

TERAZIJE THEATERTerazije 29

Chicago

A musical directed by Kokan Mladenovic. The story is a satire on corruption in crimi-nal justice, and the concept of the “celebrity criminal”. The musical is based on a 1926 play of the same name by reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins and is about actual crimes she had reported on.

October 30, 19:30Tickets available at Terazije Theater ticket office and Bilet Service, Trg Republike 5

EXHIBITIONSGOETHE - INSTITUT BELGRAD

Knez Mihailova 50Mon, Wed, Fri, 12:30 - 16:30Tue to Thu 12:30 - 18:30

German Jazz

A traveling exhibit on history of jazz in Germany. Geared at the interested pub-lic and experts at once, the exhibition is rounded-off with photographs from private and public archives.

October 24 - 31

GALLERy OF SCIENCE AND TECH-NOLOGy OF SASA

Djure Jaksica 2Mon - Sun 10:00 - 20:00

Life in Serbia on the Eve of Electrification

The exhibition reconstructs a representa-tive scene of the ambience of an urban house from the 1820s.

October 16 - December 10

GALLERy OF THE SERBIAN ACAD-EMy OF SCIENCE AND ARTS

Knez Mihailova 35Tue, Wed, Fri 10:00 - 20:00Thu 10:00 - 16:00

Vinca - The Prehistoric Metropolis

The exhibition of the Neolithic culture of Danube region.

October 24 - December 5

CLUBBINGThe clubbing scene has moved back to town. We present you this weeks highlights:

CLUB PLASTIC Djusina 7

Big BudAll that bass, Rahmanee, Side1 & Necone

October 24, 23:00

ANDERGRAUND Pariska 1a

Jan Nemecek Live! & Milos Pavlovic, Ewox

October 24, 23:00

MISS MONEyPENNyAda Ciganlija BB4

DJ Paki

October 24, 22:00

ANNUAL EVENTS24TH BELGRADE JAZZ FESTIVAL

The Belgrade jazz festival is manifesta-tion of a special meaning to the City of Belgrade. “Jazz Emotions” is the motto of this year’s festival, which will be held at vari-ous locations in Belgrade.Artists from USA, France, Italy, Brazil, Netherlands, Israel, Lebanon, Portugal and Serbia will perform at this year’s festival.Various locations

October 24 - 27Tickets available at the Dom Omladine ticket office, Makedonska 22

For more information, please visit bel-gradenet.com/belgrade_jazz_festival.html

16TH CINEMANIA

A yearly film festival held in Belgrade’s Sava Center and the Novi Sad Arena, showing premiers of new movies and highlights from the past year at discounted prices.

Sava CentreMilentija Popovica 9October 29 - November 5Tickets available at SC ticket office and Bilet Service, Trg Republike 5

BALLETTERAZIJE THEATERTerazije 29

Earth

A ballet directed and choreographed by Joe Alegado, an American choreographer and dance teacher. His choreography has been performed by companies in Germany, Slovakia, Spain and the US.

October 24, 19:30Tickets available at Terazije Theater ticket office, Trg Republike 5

Friday, Oct. 24 - Oct. 30, 2008

Slic

Knez Mihajlova is full of top-name designer shops, but where can you go to find

something unusual and local? Slic is a tiny, basement level shop that offers creative and totally unique pieces by up and coming designers. You’ll find clothing, shoes and accessories. The store will also put you in touch with a designer if you’d like to commission something.

True, some days you might stop in and find nothing that suits you, especially since the shop carries just one of each item, but another visit might yield the perfect piece. On a recent trip, I found a bubble skirt that was lovingly crafted from vel-vet, organza and lace ribbon by Ka-tarina Vukovic. While perhaps a lit-tle too hip for the office, it is perfect for a night out. At 4,000 dinars, I thought this one-of-a-kind item was well worth the price, plus you’re supporting local talent.

Slic is located on Palmoticeva 23, behind the Parliament building. They also recently opened a second space at Knez Mihailova 21A in the Mille-nium Center. Mon - Fri, 12-8 p.m. Sat, 12-6 p.m.011 3236429www.slic.co.yu

Rian Harris is the First Secretary of public affairs for the US Embassy in Belgrade.

By Rian Harris

Belgrade has a lot to offer as far as shopping goes, but where can you find that unique item that will completely set-off that per-fect outfit?

Slic: great value designer wear Photos by Sophie Cottrell

15directory

TAXI SERVICES

Beo Taxi 011 9801Blue Taxi 011 555999 Joker Taxi 011 3971174Lux Taxi 011 3033123Pink Taxi 011 9803Taxi Bell 011 9808Yellow Taxi 011 9802

BEAUTICIANS

MIOLIFT STUDIOTrg Nikole Pasica 8Tel: 011 3340554 www.centarlepote.co.yu NENATerazije 42, 1st floorTel: 011 3619115, 011 619577WELLNESS CENTAR ZORICADobracina 33, Bulevar Despota Stefana 71, 2nd floorTel: 011 3285922, 011 3243940, 063 356001 www.zorica.co.yuSPA CENTARStrahinjica Bana 5Tel: 011 3285408www.spacentar.co.yuoffice@spacentar.co.yu

BUILDERSENJUBBulevar Mihajla Pupina 20Tel: 011 2601673www.enjub.co.yuinfo@enjub.co.yu

COSMETIC & HEALTH SERVICESKOMNENUS Kraljice Natalije 19Tel: 011 3613677 www.komnenus.comoffice@komnenus.comANTI-AGING CENTARNikolaja Ostrovskog 3Tel: 011 2199645www.aacentar.com EPILION dermatological laser centreAdmirala Geprata 13Tel: 011 3611420, 011 3615203 www.epilion.co.yu, info@epilion.co.yu

DENTISTSBIG TOOTH Mite Ruzica 10aTel: 063 8019190 www.big-tooth.comdr.ilic@beotel.yuFAMILy DENTISTBulevar Dr Zorana Djindica bbTel: 011 136437 www.familydentist.co.yuordinacija@familydentist.co.yuBELDENTBrankova 23Tel: 011 2634455APOLONIJAStevana Sremca 13, Tel: 011 3223420DUKADENTPariske Komune 11Tel: 011 3190766

ESTATE AGENTSAS-yUBC ESTATEBul. Mihajla Pupina 10aTel: 011 3118424, 063 371 879as.yubc@sbb.co.yuEURENT Dobracina 21Tel: 011 3038662 www.eurent.co.yuinfo@eurent.co.yu

EVENTS & CATERERS

VILLA CATERINGKrunska 69, BeogradTel: 011 3442656, 3835570, 063 207976www.villa-catering.comoffice@villa-catering.com

PARTy SERVICE Tel: 011 3946461GODOSavski kej bbTel: 011 2168101BUTTERFLy CATERINGTel: 011 2972027, 063 7579825office@butterfly-catering.rsALEKSANDRA-ANAIS Tel/fax: 011 4898173 063 7775889 office@aleksandra-anais.co.yu CATERING CLUB DBTel. 065 8099819Fax: 011 2980800cateringclubdb@eunet.yuCATERING PLUSPalmira Toljatija 5 Tel: 011 2608410 office@catering.co.yuDIPLOMAT CATERINGJosipa Slavenskog 10Tel: 011 3672605diplomatcatering@icomline.netEURO CATERING Prve pruge 211080 ZemunTel/fax: 011 3190469office@eurocatering.co.yu

FLORISTS

MALA VRTNA RADIONICA Spanskih boraca 22g Tel: 011 3130300www.mvr.co.yumvr@verat.net CVET ExPRES Rajka Od Rasine 28Tel: 011 2545987 INTERFLORAVojvode Stepe 405Tel: 011 462687 TELEFLORASvetogorska 11Tel: 011 03030047/048

HAIR STYLISTSHAIR FACTORyKosovska 37/10Tel: 011 3227775www.hairfactory.co.yuvlada@hairfactory.co.yuExCLUSIVE UNISEx HAIR SALONEALEKSANDARBulevar Despota Stefana 96Tel: 011 2087602 www.aleksandar.weebly.comfsaleksandar@gmail.com

INTERNET HOTSPOTS123 wap Vase Pelagica 48Absinthe Kralja Milutina 33 Backstage Restaurant Svetogorska 19BAR Central Kralja Petra 59Bistro Pastis Strahinjica Bana 52BBizzareZmaj Jovina 25Café bar MODA Njegoseva 61Café Biblioteka Terazije 27Café Koeficijent Terazije 15-23Café Nautilus Turgenjeva 5Café Paleta Trg Republike 5Celzijus Dzordza Vasingtona 12Coffee dream Kralja Petra 23Café Pianeta 27. Marta 141Colonial Sun Bul. Vojvode Putnika 32-34Cuba Café Kneza Viseslava 63Extreme kids Cvijiceva 1Gradski Macor Svetozara Markovica 43Ice bar Kosovska 37Idiott Dalmatinska 13Insomnia Strahinjica Bana 66AIpanema Strahinjica Bana 68Journal Kralja Milutina 21Koling Klub Neznanog junaka 23Kontra Bar Strahinjica Bana 59 Langust Kosancicev venac 29Mart Caffe Krunska 6Monin Bar Dositejeva 9AMonument Admirala Geprata 14New york, New york Krunska 86Oktopus Brace Krsmanovic 3O’Polo Café Rige od Fere 15Pietro Dell Oro Trnska 2Pomodoro Hilandarska 32Que pasa Kralja Petra 13Rezime Centar Cafe Kralja Petra 41Veprov dah Strahinjica Bana 52Vespa Bar Toplicin venac 6Via Del Gusto Knez Mihailova 48

GYMS, LEISURE & SPORTS CENTRES

ExTREME GyM TC ABC Cvijiceva 1Tel: 011 2768255www.x3mgym.comextremegym@x3mgym.comLPG CENTARYU BIZNIS Centre, Bulevar Mihaila Pupina 10bTel: 011 3130806lpgstosic@eunet.yu, www.lpgsalon.co.yu

RELAx PLATOBeogradjanka Tower Masarikova 5, 5th floorTel: 011 3061765www.relaxplato.comGOLF CLUB BEOGRAD Ada Ciganlija 2Tel: 063 8963816 PARTIZAN SHOOTING CLUB Tel: 011 2647942, 064 801 9900Fax: 011 2647261www.partizanshooting.rs info@partizanshooting.rsHIPPODROME BELGRADEPastroviceva 2Tel: 011 3546826

LEGAL SERVICESILS LTD. IN ASSOCIATION WITH CLyDE & COGospodar Jevremova 47Tel: 011 3038822www.clydeco.co.ukclyde@clyde.co.yu HARRISONS SOLICITORSTerazije 34Tel: 011 3615918 www.harisons-solicitors.com KARANOVIC&NIKOLICLepenicka 7Tel: 011 3094200www.karanovic-nikolic.co.yuinfo@karanovic-nikolic.co.yu

MASSEURS

BEAUTy CENTAR Traditional Thai Massage CentreKnez Mihajlova 2-4Tel: 011 3030003www.menta.co.yumenta_bg@ptt.yu

MOVERSALLIED PICKFORDS SERBIAZarka Obreskog 23Tel: 011 8487744www.alliedpickfords.co.yumovers@alliedpickfords.co.yuAGS BELGRADENiski autoput 17Tel: 011 3472321www.agsmovers.combelgrade@agsmovers.com

OPTICIANS

EUROOPTICBulevar kralja Aleksandra 278Tel: 011 2415130www.eurooptic.co.yuOPTIKA BEOGRAD A.D.Cara Urosa 8-10Tel: 011 2629833

PRINTERSDIGITAL PRINTING CENTARCvijiceva 29Tel: 011 2078000www.dpc.co.yu office@dpc.co.yuDIGITAL ARTTel: 011 3617281

HEALTHCAREBEL MEDICViktora Igoa 1Tel. 011 3065888, 011 3066999,063 206602www.belmedic.comBEL MEDICKoste Jovanovića 87Tel. 011 3091000, 065 3091000www.belmedic.comDr. RISTIC HEALTH CENTRENarodnih Heroja 38Tel: 011 2693287 www.dr-ristic.co.yuzcentar@dr-ristic.co.yuLABOMEDICABulevar Kralja Aleksandra 193aTel: 011 3088304www.labomedica.netklinika@labomedica.netPRIVATNA PRAKSA PETROVICKralja Milutina 10Tel: 011 3460777DOM ZDRAVLJA “STARI GRAD” Obilicev venac 30Tel: 011 635236 DOM ZDRAVLJA “VRACAR” Kneginje Zorke 15Tel. 011 2441413

PLUMBERSHAUZMAJSTORFrancuska 56Tel: 011 3034034 office@hauzmajstor.co.yuHIDROTEKLjutice Bogdana 2Tel: 011 2666823kontakt@hidrotek.co.yu

SOLARIUMSSUN FACTORy MEGASUNMaksima Gorkog 82Tel: 011 3440403 sun.factory.megasun@gmail.comORNELA MEGASUNNjegoseva 56Tel: 011 2458398 ornelakbl@eunet.yuSTUDIO MIOLIFT Beograd, Trg Nikole Pašica 8 Tel: 011 3033211, 064 2351313 ALEKSANDAR TEAM Bulevar Despota Stefana 34a Tel: 011 3225632 www.aleksandar-team.co.yu SUN LOOK Makedonska 5 Tel: 011 3343810 www.sunlook-bg.com

TICKET SERVICESBILET SERVICETrg Republike 5IPS & MAMUTMEGASTOREKnez Mihajlova 1Tel: 011 3033311www.ips.co.yu

TRANSLATORSTODOROVIC AGENCyTel: 011 2188197BELGRADE TRANSLATION CENTREDobracina 50/11Tel: 011 3287388www.btc.co.yunatasa.ralic@btc.co.yuLExICA TRANSLATION AGENCyBeogradska 35Tel: 011 3222750www.lexica.co.yuoffice@lexica.co.yu

VETS&PETS

NOVAK VETERINARIAN CLINICVeselina Maslese 55Tel: 011 2851856, 011 2851923www.vetnovak.co.yunovak@ptt.yuVETERINARSKA STANICA LAZAREVIC Zrenjaninski put 30 Tel: 011 3319 015, 063 216 663Fax: +381 (0)11 2712 385OAZA Miklosiceva 11, Tel: 011 4440899

BOOKSTORES

AKADEMIJA Knez Mihailova 35 Tel: 011 2627846 ANTIKVARIJAT Knez Mihailova 35 Tel: 011 636087 BEOPOLIS Makedonska 22 Tel: 011 3229922 DERETA Dostojevskog 7 Tel: 011 3058707, 011 556-445 Kneza Mihaila 46 Tel. 011 3033503, 011 3030 514, 011 627-934 GECA KON Kneza Mihaila 12 Tel. 011 622073 IPS Mercator, Bulevar umetnosti 4 Tel: 011 132872 SUPER VERO Milutina MIlankovica 86a Tel: 011 3130640 IPS BOOK & MUSIC STORE Beoizlog, basement, Trg Republike 5 Tel: 011 3281859 PLATO Knez Mihailova 48 Tel: 011 625834 SKZ Kralja Milana 19 Tel: 011 3231593 STUBOVI KULTURE Knez Mihailova 6 Tel: 011 3281851, 011 632384 THE OxFORD CENTER Dobracina 27 Tel. 011 631021

We welcome suggestions for inclusion in the directory.Please send details to:belgradeinsightmarketing@birn.eu.com

Friday, Oct. 24 - Oct. 30, 2008

16 advert Friday, Oct. 24 - Oct. 30, 2008