Belgrade Insight, No. 15

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NEWS NEWS

Friday • June 13 • 2008

9 ISSN 1820-8339

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No.Friday, 1 / Friday, June 2008 Weekly Issue Issue No. 15, Dec. 5 -13, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008

Serbia End to Kosovo Zone Lure of Seeks Tadic Alliance SplitsBuffer Socialists

While younger Socialists their support joining a new, pro-EU government, old efforts on the Kumanovo Agreement.

Milosevic loyalists threaten revolt over the prospect.

Buoyed up by recent diplomatic victories, Serbia’s politicians and military are now focusing

Socialist leader Ivica Dacic remains the Serbian kingmaker

Defence Minister,inDragan forlate a change to the Kumanovo Agreement. faces extinction unless it changes. tohopes Serbia’s president, Slobodan

By Rade Maroevic BelgradeSutanovac,

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ense on a new govBy negotiations Rade Maroevic in have Belgrade ernment divided the ranks of theheSocialist which holds SerbianParty, government has the balance of power the launched a newbetween diplomatic offensive aimed lifting main blocs and has yet atto the announce of nearly decade-long restrictions on which side they will support. military movements inside and above “It looks as if the Socialists will a buffer zone along the Kosovo bormove towards a government led by der. These restrictions are widely seen theoutdated Democrats,” Mias and apolitical result ofanalyst a Western crackdown Serbian stronglan Nikolic,onofformer the independent Cenman Milosevic. tre ofSlobodan Policy Studies, said. “But such Following several deeper diplomatic a move might provoke divisuccesses over developments in Kosions and even split the party.” sovo, including the UN General AsSimultaneous negotiations held sembly’s support for a World Court ruling onpro-European the legality and of Kosovo’s with the nationaldeclaration of independence andtothe ist blocs have drawn attention a six-point plan drawn up in conjuncdeep rift inside the Socialists. tion with the EU and NATO on the This divides loyal deployment of the“old-timers” EU law and order

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Milosevic, and reformists who want been successfully combating the party to become a modernorganEuroised crime and human trafficking. pean social democrat organisation.

However, this is a challenging reAfter eight years of stagnation, quest for NATO. the“This Socialists returned to centrethan stagea is more of a political safety issue and much after winning 20could of thelead 250toseats in unrest in Kosovo Albanian political parliament in the May 11 elections. structures,” believes military expert, With the pro-European and nationDaniel Sunter, of the Belgrade based alist blocs Euroatlantic almost evenly matched, think-thank Intitiative. theThe Socialists now have the final say military-technical accord, dubbed Agreeon the fatethe of theKumanovo country. ment endedbelieves NATO’sthe78-day air war Nikolic Socialists, led against Serbia, which followed

by Ivica Dacic, will come overthe to bloody conflict between the then YuTadic, if only out of a pragmatic degoslav forces and Kosovo Albanian sire to ensure political survival. guerrillas.

Thetheir document included a time-table forofSerbian “The group youngerwithdrawal Socialists from Kosovo, andDacic a regime of border gathered around seems to be control, which has been enforced by in the majority”, Nikolic said, adding KFOR and the UN administration. that thesebuffer reformists believe the party The zone, dubbed the

“Ground Safety Zone”, stretches for 384 kilometers and covers an area ofBusiness 1,920 km2Insight . In 2001, it was the scene of an ethnic Albanian uprising, which ended after international mediator and current EU representative in Kosovo, Peter Faith, brokered the so-called Konculj conomists areAgreement. warning that proThe agreement also ordered Serb longed uncertainty over Serbia’s forces to withdraw from a five-kilofuture could scare off investors, lead to higher inflation and jeopardise NEIGHBOURHOOD prosperity for years to come.

“This year has been lost, from the Protests continue in Kosovo over the EULEX six point plan, which many standpoint of economic policy,” says see as an affront to Kosovo’s territo- Stojan Stamenkovic of the Economrial integrity. ics Institute in Belgrade. page 5

mission, EULEX, it is widely perceived that the Serbian government believes THIS it couldISSUE score an “easy poOF litical point” with this move.

Belgrade Insight In addition, military experts in IS BY: in Belgrade SUPPORTED say that cooperation the buffer zone between the NATO peacekeeping force in Kosovo, KFOR, and Serbian army troops has improved and joint patrol units have

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Costs Mounting

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However, a strong current also metre zonedirection, and created flowsground in the buffer opposite led abyno-fly zone, 25 kilometres party veterans enraged bydeep the in Serbia proper. Strict conditions prospect of a deal with Tadic. were “relaxed” following the fall of Mihajlo Markovic, a founder of Milosevic’s regime, and the no-fly zone was shrunk five kilometers. the party, recentlytowarned of a crisis Belgrade’s ground were then if Dacic opts for troops the pro-European allowed to enter the ground security bloc, abandoning the Socialists’ “natzone in coordination with KFOR. ural” ideological partners.

Since then, the situation on the Markovic, a prominent supporter ground has changed and Serbia has become a member of NATO’s Partof Milosevic during the 1990s, is nership Peace programme, and seen asfor representative of the “oldBelgrade’s relationship timers” in on-the-ground the party who want to stay with KFOR has improved to the point true to the former regime’s policies, that joint patrols have been formed even though these almost ruined the and cooperate in various situations.

Sunter, for who visited the buffer Socialists good. zoneSome and saw the joint unitsofficials in acyounger Socialist tion, points out that the results are have voiced frustration over the conpositive, adding that the level of tinuing theirhuman own crime hasimpasse dropped,within including

party over which way to turn.

“The situation in the party seems extremely complicated, as we try to convince the few remaining laggards 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 officials may oppose that move.”

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

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

Pensioners leader, Jovan Krkobabic, 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 Photoleader.

by FoNet security for the Socialist In addition, the Socialists are bartown of Mitrovica, William includNash, gaining for other ministries, told Reuters. ing capital investments, Kosovo and Serbia’s Defence Minister, Dragan education, Belgrade media reported.

Sutanovac, explained that the agreehasindenied of in horsementTadic signed June oftalk 1999 the trading withtown the Socialists, maintainMacedonian of Kumanovo needs comprehensive changes, mainly due to ing that ministries would go only to a those fact that Serbian Army ceased to the be committed to working for an enemy of NATO a long time ago, government’s “strategic goal”. making the existing arrangements “abAtinthe time, Dacic seems resurd” thesame current circumstances. luctant callfew off years, negotiations with “In thetolast the Serbian military has fully demonstrated that it the nationalists. is not of the an international “If an weenemy don’t reach agreement forces in Kosovo. We do not believe with the DSS and Radicals, the parthat there is any reason that the presty leadership will and decide on by future ence of our military flights our steps”,should Dacicdepend announced, aircraft on thefollowing [approvalthe of]first international Sutanovac session offorces,” country’s new partold Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti. liament on Wednesday.

However, Serbia’s initiative, Source: Balkan Insight (www.balkaninsight.com) reminds Sunter, also has internal political meaning. Namely, the government needs to show the Serbian public that it is more successful and better positioned internationally, than the previous administration, which was led by Serbian nationalists.

That is why Serbia is now asking NATO for this symbolic gesture.

trafficking, illegal deforestation, and organsied crime.

“It is a really warmMatters partnership, Neighbourhood and KFOR is full of compliments for the Serbian Army“, he insists.

“Under normal circumstances, it certainly would be time to lift this restriction,” retired world U.S. watcharmy hile thea football general es and former U.N. adminisevents unfold at the EuroPage 3 trator for the flash-point Kosovo pean Championships in Austria and Switzerland, Bosnia is experiencing BUSINESS a soccer rebellion, led by fans, players and whodue are enraged With theformer 2009 stars budget for de- look overly optimistic. Local anaby what see as corrupt bate and they ratification by theleaders par- lysts believe Serbia’s ruling politiof the country’s football association liament, the deepening economic cians need to balance the competcrisis seems already to be making ing demands of social policy and leaders. some of the budget projections fiscal probity. page 10

Football Rebellion

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EDITOR’S WORD POLITICS

Political Predictability

NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, insists that the

By Mark R.wants Pullen organisation to see EULEX’s mission operating across Kosovo.

Page 3 Many of us who have experiBELGRADE enced numerous Serbian elections rate ourselves as pundits when it You may have heard Serbian friends comes to predicting reand colleages talk aboutelection their “Slasults andweek post-election moves. va”.

This we explore the religiousWe andfeel cultural significance of the in-the-know because Slava. our experience of elections in SerPage 4 bia has shown us that (a.) no single party or coalition will ever gain the OUT & ABOUT majority required to form a government, and we (b.) explore political negotiations This week the popular tourist destination of Palic and and will never be quickly concluded. its nearby neighbour, Subotica, close Even when the Democrats to the Hungarian border. achieved their surprising result at last month’s general election, it quickly became clear that the result 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 registered political parties in Serbia).

Page 10 Drawn-out negotiations are also the norm. One Belgrade-based GOING OUTtold me he Ambassador recently We don’t pretend to the understand was also alarmed by distinct our music correspondent this lack of urgency amongand Serbian week, to prove our point, he reviews politicians. “The country is at a Banana Rave who play, apparently, standstill and I electro don’t house, understand new rave, disco, hiptheir logic.

If theyanything are so eager to hop and generally with an analog sound at heart, a driving progress towards the EU andbeat enand a partyinvestors, vibe. courage how come they go home at 5pm sharpPage and 12 don’t work weekends?”

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

Serbia may be about to lose two more of its football stars to Manchester United in the English Premier League.

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Source: www.weather2umbrella.com

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Friday, Dec. 5 - Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008

politics

Friday, Dec. 5 - Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008

NATO: EULEX Must Deploy Throughout Kosovo The Kosovo government faces a difficult time as both NATO and the EU are unwilling to compromise.

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ATO has welcomed the announcement that the EU’s law-and-order mission, EULEX will be deployed very soon but urged that its authority should extend across all of Kosovo.

“We want to see EULEX deployed throughout Kosovo,” NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said.

NATO Foreign Ministers reiterated, in their final communique after a two day meeting that, “The prompt deployment of the European Union’s Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) throughout all of Kosovo is an urgent priority.”

The European Union’s foreign policy chief Javier Solana spoke to NATO Foreign Ministers on Wednesday morning and confirmed again the intention that the EU mission will be present very soon throughout all of Kosovo’s territory.

According to Scheffer, this promise was welcomed by allies.

NATO “took note” of the adoption by the United Nations Security Council of a statement by its Presidency in support of the reconfiguration (essentially, the wrapping up) of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK. “We strongly encourage Kosovo’s authorities and Serbia to cooperate fully with all relevant actors during and after the period of the transfer of authority.”

The alliance called all parties to refrain from violence and in this context, a special appeal was addressed to Serbia.

“We call upon Serbia to influence the parties concerned in Kosovo to abstain from violence,” NATO Foreign Ministers stressed in their final document.

Regarding Kosovo, NATO confirmed their readiness to play a role in “the standing down of the Kosovo Protection Corps and the establish-

NATO spokesman Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, sees no prospect of compromise. ment of the Kosovo Security Force”.

EU officials have stated that the full deployment of the EULEX mission will begin on December 9, a week later than previously scheduled.

Last Wednesday the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Ban’s report on wrapping up the world body’s mission in Kosovo and beginning the handover to a EU mission.

The six-point plan for the deployment of EULEX, as Ban’s recommendations are called, were initially opposed by Kosovo, which unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February and has been recognised by most European Union

Hartmann’s Trial Set for February

Florence Hartmann

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he Hague Tribunal ordered the start of the trial of former Prosecution spokeswoman Florence Hartmann.

Under a decision made by judge Carmel Aguis, Chamber Chairman of the Tribunal at The Hague, the trial of Florence Hartmann is due to start on February 5, 2009.

In August 2008 the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY, charged Hartmann with contempt of Court, because she disclosed allegedly confidential data pertaining to the Appellate Chamber’s decisions in the case of Slobodan Milosevic, in her book “Peace and Punishment”, published in 2007, and an article on “Hidden Key Documents on Genocide” in 2008.

Source: www.daylife.com During the course of her appearance at a preliminary hearing, on November 14, Hartmann refused to enter a plea so the Court recorded that “the indictee pleaded not guilty to both counts contained in the indictment”.

According to the Tribunal’s decision, the Prosecution and Defence are due to submit, to the Chamber, “their lists of witnesses”, who will testify at the trial, and the subjects on which they will speak, indicating also to which counts their statements will refer.

Both parties announced earlier that they would need at least a day for the presentation of evidence, including statements by witnesses and introduction of material evidence.

member states, because the plan is based on UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

This resolution, passed at the end of the 1998-1999 conflict between Serb forces and Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority, refers to Kosovo as Serbia’s southern province, not as an independent state.

Serbia insists that the EU cannot deploy a new civilian mission in Kosovo to replace the UN administration unless the mission is neutral in status and does not put into action the plan of former UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari – which envisages internationally-supervised independence for Kosovo.

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Photo by FoNet Belgrade also insists that the mission must be confirmed by the UN Security Council, in which it has a strong ally with veto power – Russia.

The plan envisages the gradual replacement of the administrative UN mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, which has been in the province since 1999, with an EU civilian mission of police and court officials.

Pristina had presented its own rival four-point plan which calls for the deployment of EULEX, according to the plan stated in Kosovo’s independence declaration, the Kosovo constitution, and the Ahtisaari plan.

Source: www.BalkanInsight.com

Police Raid Home of Mladic’s Son

erbian police have launched searches at several locations on Thursday in the hunt for remaining war crimes fugitives and people who are suspected of helping them evade justice.

One of the locations was the home of Darko Mladic, son of Serbia’s most wanted Hague war crimes suspect, former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic.

Reporters on the scene, in front of Mladic’s son’s house said there were dozens of masked officers wearing balaclavas with two four wheel drive vehicles. The search continues at four other locations including three in Belgrade.

The Interior Ministry’s Police Chief Milorad Veljovic confirmed for state-owned television RTS that the Belgrade home of Darko Mladic is being searched but would give no further information on what or who they are looking for.

However a source from the office of Rasim Ljajic, Belgrade’s top coordinator with the United Nations tribunal at The Hague told Balkan Insight, it was not an arrest operation.

“I don’t think that he will be arrested today, but, these attempts aren’t just a show for the public.

If the police knew where he was, he would be snatched immediately,” he added.

Darko Mladic was taken into custody for interrogation on October 30 of last year and released after several hours of questioning.

The most recent such operation in an effort to locate war crimes fugitives and cut out their network of helpers was carried out in November, when police searched a factory in Valjevo, some 100 kilometres southwest of Serbia’s capital Belgrade, under the suspicion that the owner of the factory was offering financial and logistical help to Mladic.

Mladic stands accused of genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY, including the murder of up to 8,000 Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) civilians in Srebrenica during the 1992-1995 war.

Serbia’s other remaining fugitive, former Croatian Serb leader Goran Hadzic, faces 14 counts of war crimes allegedly committed against Croatian civilians between 1991 and 1993.

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Continued from page 1

Serbia Seeks End to Kosovo Buffer Zone Another analyst, Aleksandar Radic, added: “If NATO decides against Serbia’s request, the main motive will be the assessment that the Serbian army cannot be fully trusted in all possible developments of the situation in Kosovo. So, the decision will be based on a stance of whether NATO trusts the Serbian government or not”.

Pristina’s government, facing a controversial dispute over the arrest of alleged German agents and internal pressure arising from the planned deployment of the European Union rule of law mission, fears that Belgrade’s move might be the first step to a return of Serb forces to the region.

“I cannot stop them from dreaming, but their dream is dead for Kosovo,” Kosovo Prime Minister, Hashim Thaci, said recently.

The Kumanovo Agreement and the UN Security Council Resolution 1244, both mention the possibility of the return of “hundreds” of Serbian security officials to the province, but the sole decision-making power on this issue lies in the hands of KFOR commanders.

Sutanovac, has flatly rejected speculation that this initiative represents a cover-up for Belgrade’s allegedly secret plan for the return of its forces to Kosovo, saying that “the return of the army to Kosovo at this moment in time would not help stability in the region.”

It is hard to believe that NATO would give a green light to Belgrade, while tensions are still running high.

“Because of unresolved issues between Kosovo and Serbia, it may be one of those things that needs to be discussed and clarified, as opposed to being immediately accepted...The air restrictions are probably the most debilitating for the Serbian military and actually pose only a small threat to Kosovo. It may be possible to implement a phased re-introduction of troops on the ground, limiting the amount of military forces that could enter at any given time,” said Nash.

“There are no discussions in NATO about this initiative...We are aware of Serbia’s initiative. The NATO position is unchanged,” NATO spokesman, James Appathurai, said, just days after a meeting between Serbia’s Army Chief of Staff, Zdravko Ponos, and the Commander of NATO’s Joint Forces, Mark Fitzgerald, in Naples.

Source: www.BalkanInsight.com

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belgrade chronicle

Friday, Dec. 5 - Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008

It’s Slava Time in Belgrade

This centuries-long tradition is still going strong in Belgrade. Whilst to some this is just another excuse for a family party, it holds a deeper religious significance for others.

Orthodox priests lead the celebrations.

By David Galic

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he festive winter season last significantly longer in Serbia than in other countries, with a reason to gather and celebrate almost every week from mid-December to late January, this not including Christmas, two New Year’s parties and a slew of other holidays. For some, the Slava holds a religious significance. Others, meanwhile, see it as little more than an opportunity to party with friends and family.

Generally speaking, rarely does a month go by in Serbia without an occasion for families and friends to gather and enjoy each other’s company around tables of food and drink, thanks in part to the “slava”, or saint’s day, which every Serbian family celebrates.

The Slava is based on the Orthodox Christian custom of honoring the patron saint of a family. The origins of the holidays are sketchy at best, with some believing that Slavs adopted the saint during their Christianisation in the late 9th century, replacing the pagan god or protector that previously watched over the family.

The general consensus is that the Slava celebrates the day the first baptized family ancestor was christened.

The winter Slava season kicks off with St. Demetrius on November 8, and is followed by equally popular slavas like St. Michael on November 21, and St. Nicholas on December 19, wrapping up with St. John the Baptist on January 21.

The Slava is celebrated in nearly all Serbian households, regardless of whether or not the family are regular church-goers.

Source: srbix.de In today’s society, less attention is being paid to the religious significance of the Slava, leaving the focus of the holiday to food, drink and gathering friends and relatives in one place to celebrate and see each other and representing, in essence, yet another reason to stay home from work.

“Even though my family is not religious, the Slava is more of a national thing for us. It is not just a party, it has national significance, it is a tradition of the Serbian people, our culture and customs,” Pavle, 25, told Belgrade Insight.

The religious significance of the Slava pretty much fell by the wayside during the Communist regime, which frowned on organised religion.

Indeed, most party members did not celebrate Slavas at all. Since the fall of communism, however, there has been a slight renaissance in religion and the ensuing religious significance of the Slava.

“The regime did not think much of people who were believers. They were not diectly punished for their beliefs, but they were left out of society in the sense that they could not occupy any positions in public companies and state institutions. As a result, young people started separating themselves from these customs and traditions,” Priest Dragan Terzic of the Holy Archangel Gabriel Church told Belgrade Insight.

“When the regime ended, people saw that there was something else other than the party. They saw that religion and the Slava were intimate and personal choices that no one but themselves should have a say in,” Terzic said.

He added that after the regime, young people wanted to start celebrating Slavas again but did not know

how to go about it, because they had not learned about the customs from their relatives who were members of the Communist Party.

“However, they did see that it included a dinner,” Terzic said, which is why people who may not observe

Kolac for the Slava

the religious customs of the slava still invite people over for food and drinks.

Traditionally, the food and drink are there to offer guests who come to the home and wish the family a happy Slava.

Source: forum.vidovdan.org

“Someone once told me that they used to celebrate their Slava, but stopped doing so when they could no longer afford a pig for the feast,” Terzic said, adding that many miss the point of the Slava entirely, and that serving coffee and maybe a glass of brandy is sufficient, because the feast is a marginal part of the Slava traditionally and should not be pushed into the foreground of the holiday.

The saint’s day is passed down from father to son and the custom is that while the father of the family is alive, the slava must be celebrated under his roof, though sometimes exceptions are made and a son is allowed to celebrate his father’s Slava in his own home if he lives in a different country or continent and is not able to make the yearly trip.

Though the customs differ from household to household, depending on how much of a role religion plays, there are some ground rules that must be followed, including the serving of “koljivo” or “zito” which is wheat that is boiled and then sweetened with sugar or honey and usually served with nuts.

The koljivo is the first thing served to guests when they enter the home, and to Orthodox believers it represents the death and resurrection of Christ. Typically, the guest will cross themself before eating the koljivo, which also has a little wine in it, representing the blood of Christ.

The other staple of the slava table is the “kolac,” literally a cake, but more of a loaf of homemade bread, decorated sometimes with a cross, and other religious symbols.

Traditionally, the family would attend a church service in the morning to which the kolac and koljivo would be brought to be blessed by the priest, who would then be invited to bless the home and perform a short service commemorating relatives that have passed away.

The home service is not an often an option in Belgrade but is still a common practice in smaller villages.

For many, food is the centrepiece of the occasion and folk will have one of two kinds of Slavas. “Posna,” in which no animal meats other than fish are served, and “Mrsna,” at which anything goes, and pork is traditionally feasted on.

The Slava is “Posna” if it falls during the time of a fast, though in recent times this abstemiousness has become less a part of many “Posna” Slavas.

Cities and organizations also adopt Slavas to celebrate, or saints to watch over them. For example, Belgrade’s city Slava is Ascension Day, celebrated on June 1.

Terzic said that meaning is being brought back into the Slava slowly, noting that religious teaching and bible study in schools, which was restarted in 2001, has sparked new interest in the Church.

“The real results will be seen once the children in these classes become adults,” Terzic said, adding that in his opinion, not only will the Slava celebrations improve, so will society in general, concluding that “without faith there is no morale,” and that he is optimistic that more and more people will look to the church for guidance in all life matters, eventually.

belgrade chronicle

Friday, Dec. 5 - Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008

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Fare Hikes With No Improvements The city’s government has announced another increase in fares for public transport despite a lack of progress on promised improvements in service.

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ticket for a single trip on the bus, tram or trolley will shortly increase from 32 to 40 dinars.

However, none of the many announced changes and improvements in public transportation have become a reality, local paper Blic writes this week.

The announced plan to offer electronic payment methods has yet to become a reality. The tender for getting GPS and GPRS systems into the vehicles has fallen through, cameras in the vehicles are far from becoming a reality, and some trams and trolleybuses are over 30-years-old.

Public Transportation Chief Zeljko Djukanovic said that the price hike depends on the level of subsidy form the government for both the public transportation company, GSP, and private operators.

Though the situation in Belgrade is better today than it was a couple of years ago, there are still problems, and services are still far from ideal.

Surveys conducted by Blic show that Belgraders are still complaining about cold buses, dirty vehicles, and trolleybuses with holes in their Some of Belgrade’s buses are as much as 30-years-old. roofs.

Besides wanting clean and warm However, transportation in BelThough GSP has received 100 new buses over the last ten years, vehicles, travelers also want the grade is anything but reliable and not a single new tram has been buses to show up on time, and do not consistent, with people having to bought. The last having been deliv- want to wait long, especially in the wait between 5 and 25 minutes for cold weather. their bus to arrive, regardless of what ered in 1998.

Source: www.beobuild.rs time of day it is and how heavy traffic is at the time..

Although most major European cities now have information systems at bus stops diplaying interval

Two Die in Late Night Brawl

Where To Go For Those Christmas Essentials?

This weekend’s International Women’s Club Christmas charity bazaar will offer visitors a unique chance to get all those holiday essentials.

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wo people were killed when a massive brawl broke out in a Belgrade restaurant.

Police have since arrested many of the people who participated in the fight.

The fight broke out between two groups of young people at about 4 a.m. in the Zuta Greda restaurant in Vracar. Marko Zivojnovic, 20, and Marko Milanov, 21, died in the fight.

Local media report that the fight broke out after comments were directed towards a female sitting in the company of one of the groups.

Three other people sustained injuries in the incident.

After exchanging words and gestures, 11 people left the restaurant, three carring knives. The fight broke out when one the persons involved took out his knife.

Last year’s fair was a huge success and this year’s will be even bigger.

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oliday shoppers have an opportunity on December 7, to find interesting and unique gifts for their friends and family, while supporting a good cause at the same time, at the Eighth Annual Christmas Charity Bazaar organized by the International Women’s Club.

“This bazaar is our annual fundraiser and 100 per cent of the money we raise goes to support charities across Serbia,” IWC President Peggy Bates said.

The bazaar will be held at the Belgrade Sajam (Exhibition Centre) and will offer people in Belgrade a unique opportunity to experience the culture of over 30 participating countries, and also get a head start on their Christmas shopping, buying interesting and unique products from all around the world.

There will be booths set up at this year’s fundraiser by a record 170 corporate sponsors, featuring handcrafted items, music, cuisine, drinks, clothing and literature authentic to each of the

times and expected waiting time, Belgrade’s travelers should not expect to see such systems anytime soon.

“Everything you mentioned does not exist in Sarajevo either, and the prices are twice as high there,” Djukanovic said, stressing that everything depends on the city’s willingness to offer subsidies, and that if they are not forthcoming, prices will have to increase.

He also said that there has been progress made in quality, and that compared to six years ago, public transportation in Belgrade is exceptional.

Blic quotes experts that say that the true cost of providing the service is closer to 90 dinars for journey made.

GSP officials said that in neighbouring countries, tickets are up to three times more expensive and the only city that Belgrade can be compared to in quality is Sarajevo, but that all others offer transportation services that are much more advanced.

For example, Zagreb travelers can pay their tickets by sending an SMS and receive an electronic ticket, allowing one and a half hours of travel in the city.

The fight broke up once it became clear that Zivojinovic had been killed.

Milanov was still alive when the ambulance arrived, but he died on the way to the hospital.

Police have arrested 15 people in connection with the fight. Two were carrying knives at the time of their arrest.

“The motive is clear – it has become a practice in Belgrade – that one cross look can lead to a situation in which someone can lose their life,” Vlastimir Vulikic of the police forensic service told local news outlet B92.

Experts told B92 that statistics show that the amount of violent crime has decreased recently, but the brutality and seriousness of the crimes have increased.

Source: www.sajam.rs 30 countries represented at the bazaar.

Last year the IWC Bazaar raised €106.000, and attracted 5,000 visitors. The proceeds last year went to victims of domestic and genderbased violence, disabled persons, children living in poverty, the elderly and internally displaced individuals.

“Come and join us, celebrate the spirit of Christmas with those less fortunate,” Bates said, urging people to attend the bazaar and enjoy a day of culture and fun while helping The murder scene those in need at the same time.

Source: RTS

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business

Friday, Dec. 5 - Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008

Global Crisis Throws Serbia’s Budget Plans into Turmoil Estimates based on continuing high flows of foreign investment are rapidly being revised, as lavish pre-election promises come home to roost.

Ljajic has his work cut out.

By Miroslav Bojcic

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ntil recently, authorities in Serbia have expected investment money to flow into the country in huge quantities. But the world financial crisis has surprised them and exposed pinch-points in the Serbian economy, economists say.

Lavish pre-election promises, a large current account deficit, lack of funds to support the economy, a fall in world prices for the products that Serbia exports, liquidity issues and high interest rates – which the central bank is using to protect the dinar – all make the 2009 budget look distinctly unstable.

Vladimir Gligorov, of the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, says: “There is a risk that the country might lose its links to the rest of the world, which was what happened in the eighties.”

Economists agree that the crucial source of instability lies in the ruling coalition’s huge preelection promises, made to various different social groups. Now these must be put on hold as the government reins in public spending.

Before the last election in the spring of 2008 called in an atmosphere of sharp division between pro-European and pro-Russian blocs, the parties competed in making extravagant populist promises to the electorate.

Photo by FoNet Labour Minister, Rasim Ljajic, recently signed a collective agreement on bonuses and supplements for hot meals for public sector workers that will cost the country an extra €444 million.

“Before the polls, their calculation was obviously that as much money would be flowing in as one could hope for,” Gligorov said. “This has proved fundamentally wrong.”

Meanwhile, when Ljajic said that he intended to revise the collective agreement, “showing respect for the situation in the real economy”, public sector unions threatened to go on strike.

“Next year, the economy might grow by 3 per cent, but if the government succumbs to pressures to increase public spending, the growth rate might be cut to zero, which was what happened in the eighties,” local economist, Pavle Petrovic, says. “At the moment, the biggest threat is pressure to increase salaries.”

The Finance Ministry has revised its expectations of GDP growth down from 7.5 to 3.5 per cent, and the full year 2008 figure to 7.5 per cent. Inflation is projected to fall from two-digit figures today to about 8 per cent.

The ministry has set total spending for next year at 761 billion dinars, based on projected total revenues of 715 billion dinars, which means a budget deficit of 1.5 per cent of GDP. Budgets for local authorities and for the province of Vojvodina have yet to be adopted. A bone of contention there is the government’s suggestion that Vojvodina contribute 35 billion dinars, money so far designated as it “own revenues”, collected in fines for

traffic violations and so on, into the national budget.

Pensioners, meanwhile, who were granted an extraordinary 10 per cent rise last month, will not see pensions rise at all in 2009.

The government must also cut subsidies for public companies if it is to suppress inflationary pressures.

At the same time, funds for public infrastructure work must be found. Budget projections show that the financing of a crucial traffic artery, Corridor 10, will now largely have to depend on international financial institutions.

The principal generator of economic instability will continue to be the big current account deficit, totalling 18.4 per cent of GDP. “Serbia is the European recordholder in this respect, and only Bulgaria comes close to this figure,” Petrovic said.

The foreign trade deficit constitutes the main component of the current account deficit, and prices of key Serbian exports, including steel, copper and tyres, are falling.

The foreign trade deficit has been financed for years by foreign capital inflow and remittances but a significant decrease is expected in both categories in 2009.

Petrovic expects the flow of remittances from workers abroad to fall from €2 billion to €1.5 billion, while some bankers think this year’s amount may be halved.

As one local banker explained, if a Serb working in Austria earns €1,000 today, he

or she will need €800 to cover living costs, leaving about €200 in potential savings. “A reduction in personal income by only 10 per cent means a decrease in savings of 50 per cent,” the banker said. “If the total amount of remittances sent back to the country is only halved, that would be great.”

The economy’s liquidity is also questionable. Economists warn that a projected inflation rate of 8 per cent can only be sustained if

“Next year, the economy might grow by 3 per cent, but if the government succumbs to pressures to increase public spending, the growth rate might be cut to zero, which was what happened in the eighties,” local economist Pavle Petrovic says. “At the moment, the biggest threat is pressure to increase salaries.” exchange rate fluctuations are not too abrupt.

Petrovic notes that the central bank will not be able to defend the dinar solely by keeping interest rates high – its reference rate is 17.75 per cent, the second highest in Europe – as this may trigger a liquidity crisis, and a general failure to repay debts. He says the central bank should bring down interest rates as soon as pressure eases on the exchange rate.

Commercial interest rates, sometimes as high as 25 per cent, adversely affect business, particu-

larly small and medium-sized enterprises with no capacity to take foreign loans. This sector is the biggest employer in the country.

“During privatisation, a relatively large number of people managed to buy five or six companies with a roughly 2,000strong workforce on average,” one businessman explained.

“It is not unusual for the owners of these companies to run a debt of €20 million or so, which they have managed to service regularly. But with the growth in interest rates, their situation is becoming untenable.”

He says the state will be forced to intervene if the debt “chain” starts to snap, though it’s not clear how or where the government could find the funds that would be needed to alleviate such a largescale crisis of internal liquidity.

Reports that the government is mulling issuing guarantees to the central bank to cover the banking credits of companies in case of a massive liquidity crisis could not be confirmed.

Not all economists are equally gloomy, however. Statistics expert, Miladin Kovacevic, says the country will have no problems in covering the 2009 current account deficit.

He predicts that Serbia will receive 2.6 billion US dollars in foreign direct investment and another 3.6 billion in loans on the back of the government’s arrangement with IMF. Miroslav Bojcic is Serbian daily Borba’s economics editor.

What Do Business Leaders Want in the Budget?

Momir Jovanovic, chairman of the board, Neoplanta, Novi Sad

Nebojsa Atanackovic, Serbian Employers Union

“The agricultural sector needs support, which has been lacking in past years, unlike the situation in other European countries. Incentives to exporters are also needed, irrespective of the type of export.

No one seems worried by our poor rate of exports and huge imports.”

“Budgetary allowances for economy, reductions in taxes on salaries and wages, and a delay to VAT payments… should be priorities in the 2009 budget, as well as a cut in public spending for budget beneficiaries not involved directly in manufacturing. Public companies must become more efficient. The oil industry generates huge revenues all over the world, yet our own oil company, NIS, is in the red.”

Dragan Visnjic, sales director, Yu Point “The priority is to boost exports, because you can’t have economic growth, budget increase and repay foreign debts without it. Exports should be stimulated by tax cuts, including on personal incomes, or by a cut in VAT on raw materials used by companies in production.”

Rade Pribicevic, corporate affairs manager, Danube Foods Group “Public spending must be cut, and the stability of the currency ensured, as much as possible. Private companies do not expect direct state support but a favourable business environment. The announced unilateral abolition of tariffs on EU goods in 2009 is not helpful.”

Mirko Martinovic, planning and development director, PK Beograd “In the agriculture sector, we always say incentives for agriculture are needed, but from the state’s point of view, the most important thing would be to complete investments already made and start production using cheaper credits with reduced or subsidised interest rates. If the economy is not growing, the budget will be smaller and there won’t be any money for anyone.”

Vlada Manic, executive board member, Marfin Bank “The budget priority is the National Investment Plan, i.e. the completion of infrastructure projects like Corridor 10, the Belgrade ringroad and other vital traffic arteries. This means the budget must be development-oriented, not focused on social issues. Infrastructure will help the construction industry and many others. Everything else in the budget is public spending.”

Slobodan Petrovic, chairman, Salford “What the government can do within the framework of 2009 budget is alleviate the burden on the economy and support fundamental industries like agriculture. Given the past unrealistic exchange rate, and because European countries have subsidies and incentives for their agricultural sectors, prices for domestic agricultural products have become higher than those imported from the EU, which was why our imports in this sector are bigger than our exports. The economy needs help.

Instead, the government has signed a general collective agreement entailing additional costs for employers.”

business

Friday, Dec. 5 - Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008

D

Bankers Claim System is Healthy, Despite World Crisis

espite a plummeting dinar, massive cash outflows, declining foreign investment and projections for significantly lower overseas remittances, Serbia’s leading bankers remain confident that the system is in safe hands and that the second half of 2009 will see a recovery.

Serbia’s leading bankers, at a conference held on December 4th, claimed that the Banking system in Serbia is surprisingly stable and in good shape, when compared to systems of more developed economies.

They congratulated the National Bank of Serbia for applying extremely conservative consumer credit policies.

Serbia’s credit rating was good, they agreed, because the turmoil of the 90’s had made the market extremely sensitive, and more importantly, extremely cautious.

Governor of the National Bank of Serbia, Radovan Jelasic, claimed that although “foreign investment will slowly stop coming to Serbia because of the global financial crisis”, he was expecting more than €500 million in previously agreed investments from the European Bank for Reconstruc-

T

tion and Development and some German and Italian financial institutions in 2009.

Serbia will, in the Governor’s words, continue to act decisively, and he announced that he would increase the foreign currency reserve to 40 per cent from current 20 per cent of assets to increase liquidity.

In an attempt to damp down panic that has seen savers withdraw more than €1 billion in savings from bank deposits, both Jelasic and the Vice Chairman of Raifeissen Bank Serbia, Zoran Petrovic, were heavily critical of what they saw as a media inspired hype. Petrovic emphasised that there was no cause for alarm and said it was “unrealistic to expect that foreigners will keep investing money, if they see the citizens of Serbia do not trust their own banks”.

Petrovic predicted that the housing sector faced a difficult time with finance for home loans becoming more and more difficult to obtain and said that he “expected that a drop on the real-estate market would follow the crisis in the banking sector”.

Loans had increased at a rate of 8 per cent annually between 2001 and 2006 and now represented a figure close to 14 per cent of GDP. How-

Greatest Exports to Bosnia and Imports from Russia

he latest information from the state statistics bureau shows that Bosnia & Herzegovina was Serbia’s largest export market in the first nine months of 2008, and Russia the biggest exporter to Serbia.

Some €950 million in products were exported to Bosnia-Herzegovina between January and October of 2008, with exports to Montenegro taking a close second place. €2.5 billion in imports from Russia, were ahead of Germany and Italy, which were in second and third place respectively.

More than half of Serbia’s foreign trade was conducted with European Union member states.

A surplus was achieved in trade between Serbia and the former Yu-

goslav republics of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro and Macedonia, while there was a significant deficit in trade with Russia, which provides most of Serebia’s oil and gas.

Serbia’s foreign trade deficit in the first nine months of the year reached €8.23 billion, 36 per cent greater than in the same period of last year.

Imports to Serbia in the first nine months of 2008 were 34.6 per cent ahead of the same period last year.

Serbia’s largest exports include iron, steel, clothes, fruit and vegetables, while most imports to the country were in the form of fuel and fuel derivatives, automobiles, industrial machines and natural gas, local daily Blic reports.

Agricultural products are one of Serbia’s biggest exports.

ever, he predicted that in the current climate banks were likely to be less free with lending in this sector unless the state was prepared to offer some kind of guarantee.

Zvonimir Petrovic Stagnant indices and modest turnover in local equities marked the period November 28 – December 4.

The index of most liquid shares, the Belex15 was 1.7 per cent weaker at 541.45, while the composite index Belexline lost 26.88 points or 2.2 per cent, ending at 1,181.88 points on Thursday. Total turnover in this

Companies & Markets Delta Continues Bulgaria Expansion Picadilly, the Bulgarian grocery chain owned by Seriba’s Delta Holding, has opened it’s 17th store in Vidin, Bulgaria. The 2,500m2 store cost an estimated €2 million and is located inside the town’s largest mall.

Piccadilly CEO, Aleksandar Camparevic, said that the Delta Maxi group was aiming to be the market leader in Bulgaria and had invested about €16 million and created over 500 jobs during 2008.

Turnover in the first nine months of 2008 grew by 30 per cent over the same period in 2007. The group plans another 20 Piccadilly and smaller Piccadilly Express units by the end of 2009.

JAT Technika Saga Continues

Jelasic answering questions at the conference.

S

Photo by FoNet

Sale of Serbian Oil Giant to Russians in Doubt

erbia said it won’t sell its energy monopoly to Russia unless it gets firm guarantees from Moscow that it will build a strategic pipeline through the country.

The €10 billion South Stream natural gas pipeline to be laid under the Black Sea would carry Russian natural gas to Bulgaria and Serbia before branching out to points in Western Europe.

Moscow officials earlier this month pledged to complete the pipeline by 2015, two years behind the original schedule, despite the global financial crisis.

But Serbia’s Economy Minister Mladjan Dinkic told Belgrade’s B92 Television late on Sunday that those guarantees are only “verbal” and that Russia’s energy monopoly Gazprom has so far refused to sign a written contract to confirm it.

Gazprom is in talks to buy Serbia’s state oil company, NIS, and Dinkic warned that the government would block the sale unless Moscow gives firm guarantees the pipeline would be built.

He said Gazprom plans to conduct a feasibility study by mid 2010, and that only after that analysis would the

Market Watch: BELEX Continues its Downward Trend period slightly increased in comparison to the previous week, reaching RSD 594.4 million. Investors showed greatest interest for shares of Cacanska banka, which saqw trades of 68.7 million dinars. Second and third ranked among top traded issues were Metals banka and AIK banka shares, with 65.6 million and 52.3 million dinars traded.

Foreign investors’ participation was around 32.8 per cent on average, with foreigh investors more active on the sell-side. Metals bank recorded highest gain this week, advancing 44.3 per cent, with 17,410 shares traded. Flour producer Fidelinka and construction company Planum fol-

Despite the difficult macro-economic environment, and although speakers forecast a difficult first half of 2009 they expect conditions to improve in the second half of the coming year.

7

lowed, gaining 12.4 per cent and 5.8 per cent, respectively. On the down side, another bank was the first among the top losers – Credy banka, plunging 22.5 per cent. Pharmaceutical company Velefarm and Vranje-based manufacturer Alfa Plam were among top decliners losing 15.7 per cent and 15.3 per cent over the period.

Government FX bonds sales realised over EUR 2.1 million in the reviewed period, up 228 per cent on the previous week, while the most traded bond series was A2011, with turnover of €666,000.

In addition, many companies unveiled their business plans for the second half of the year.

Russian company decide whether to build the South Stream pipeline.

“In that case, we have to protect Serbia’s interests,” Dinkic said. “If there is no pipeline, there will be no sale of NIS.” Analysts have questioned whether Serbia should now be selling off one of its most valuable assets at an bargain price without the pipeline guarantees from Moscow.

Last year Serbia and Russia reached a tentative agreement under which Gazprom’s oil arm, Gazpromneft, will purchase a 51 per cent stake in NIS for €400 million and invest a additional €500 million in it by 2012.

However in July the Serbian government said it wanted to renegotiate the sale of NIS, arguing the proposed price was not sufficient. In August, the Deloitte & Touche auditors said that the total value of Naftna Industrija Srbije was €2.2 billion.

The South Stream project would stymie an alternative project, the Nabucco pipeline planned to carry natural gas westward from the Caucases. That project is backed by the United States and the European Union as a way to ease Europe’s energy reliance on Russia.

In another chapter in its ongoing on-off sale saga, the Privatisation Agency has appointed advisers, Meinl Capital Advisors, and Factis, to provide consulting services on the sale of JAT Tehnika.

Jat Tehnika currently provides services for a range of international carriers including Tranaero, CSA, and Jet2.com, but has struggled to find a buyer against a background of deep recession in the aviation industry.

The appointment of advisors may represent the last roll of the dice before the agency decides to halt efforts to privatise the business.

Grundfos Pumps Investment into Indjija Danish pump manufacturer Grundfos expects to create 500 jobs in a new €80 million factory to be based in Indjija, just outside Belgrade. Grundfos manufactures pumps for HVAC systems, domestic central heating and a wide variety of industrial uses.

Jagodina Seeks Manufacturers Dragan Markovic Palma, the mayor of Jagodina, has announced a tender for the lease of 200 ha of industrial land. Local media report that the land would be allotted free of charge on the basis of the number of new jobs and the value of each projected investment.

Markovic expects to attract around 20 investors but noted that the offer was open only to manufacturers and not to traders or service companies.

8

neighbourhood

Friday, Dec. 5 - Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008

Foggy Dawn for New EU Mission in Kosovo Confusion over the role and competencies of the EULEX mission have not been cleared up, just days before it is due to start work.

More than 10,000 people demonstrated against the EULEX mission.

By Krenar Gashi in Pristina

T

he European Union rule of law mission in Kosovo, EULEX, is facing a bumpy road before it starts operations.

The largest civilian mission ever launched by the EU, under the European Security and Defence Policy, ESDP, is facing local resistance now that the political troubles regarding its mandate have been dealt with.

The mission has been postponed for a week and will not start on December 2, as previously announced

by EU officials, including the EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana.

While EULEX is waiting to become fully operational throughout Kosovo on December 9, there is still confusion about who, ultimately, will be in charge in Kosovo. The seemingly undefined powers and authority of EULEX have also raised fears among Kosovo Albanians of the possible partition of Kosovo.

Veton Surroi, a former politician who now chairs the Club for Foreign Policy, said in a debate on Wednesday that nobody appeared to be in charge.

“The UN, the EU, the Kosovo government and Serbia’s government, through its parallel structures in Kosovo, are all trying to stretch their authority in Kosovo and this process is still ongoing,” he said.

Surroi described KFOR, the NATOled peacekeeping mission, as the only mission that appeared to know what it was doing in the country.

In the same debate, organised by Surroi’s club, the EU Special Rep-

We fly for your smile.

resentative in Kosovo, Peter Faith, maintained that the Kosovo authorities were in charge.

However, many in Kosovo don’t know what to believe, bearing in mind that the UN mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, will remain operational for some time, while a smooth transition of UNMIK to EULEX seems unlikely.

An EULEX spokesperson in Pristina, Victor Reuter, told Balkan Insight that the 27 members of the EU “have all agreed that this mission will be fully deployed throughout Kosovo; it has been clear from the beginning”.

The new EU mission will deploy some 2,000 staff to work with the Kosovo police, judiciary and customs and help reinforce the rule of law in the country.

The deployment of EULEX was complicated earlier by serious objections on the part of the Kosovo government, whose precise stance remains unclear.

Both the Kosovo Albanians and the Kosovo Serbs – who control the far north of the country – object to EULEX. The government objects to the fact that the mission will report to the UN, based on a six-point plan drawn up by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, and will be “neutral” on Kosovo’s status.

Serbs, on the other hand, object to the EU mission because they see it as confirmation of Kosovo’s independence.

Kosovo authorities now maintain that the government welcomes the EU mission as long as it is works in accordance with the new constitu-

Photo by FoNet tion, which emphasises Kosovo’s territorial integrity.

However, Prime Minister, Hashim Thaci, warned that if EULEX did not fully deploy throughout Kosovo – in other words, if it was not deployed in Serbian areas – this would compromise its mandate and image.

“This mission will be significant only if it deploys throughout Kosovo, in northern Kosovo as well, from the first day of its mission,” Thaci said.

Northern, Serb-dominated, areas pose the most problematic issue for the new mission. Parallel structures, established there by local Serbs and bankrolled by Serbia itself, control all relevant political, social and economic affairs, including security.

Marko Jaksic, vice-president of the Assembly of Municipalities of Kosovo and Metohija, one of the Serbian-run parallel bodies, which the UN does not recognise, heads a team that is organising a petition against EULEX. Local Serbian media reported that they had gathered some 70,000 signatures in a petition, named “Stop EULEX”.

Jaksic says that now the Serbian government has accepted the deployment of EULEX under the UN sixpoint plan, Kosovo Serbs cannot go against it. Instead, they intend to ignore the mission, maintaining that the only valid administration is UNMIK’s.

The UN Security Council gave the new EU mission the green light on November 26. The new mission will come under the umbrella of UNMIK, in respect of Security Council Resolution 1244, in 1999, which authorised UNMIK’s initial deployment in Kosovo.

The six-point plan, meanwhile, regulates the work of police and customs in Serb-controlled areas in the country. Some see this plan as endorsing the de-facto partition of Kosovo, as it foresees police chiefs in Serbian areas reporting not to the Kosovo police but to “the existing chain of command,” which is the UNMIK police.

The plan says that during EULEX’s deployment in Kosovo, “its deployment shall be completed in close consultation with all relevant actors, including the United Nations Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK. “EULEX is to operate within the framework of UN’s neutrality,” the plan adds.

Critics complain that the terminology is confusing and open to interpretation in different ways, especially in regards to terms such as “existing chain of command”.

Several Kosovo Albanian NGOs, including the radical nationalist Vetevendosje (self-determination) movement, gathered some 10,000 people in a protest on December 2, to say “No” to EULEX’s deployment.

Albin Kurti, Vetevendosje’s leader, warned of further protests and declared UNMIK head, Lamberto Zannier, “persona non grata” in Kosovo.

“Don’t trust our politicians,” Kurti told the crowd. He maintained that the six-point plan “endorses Serbia’s parallel structures in Kosovo”.

Avni Zogiani, an anti-corruption activist, accused the Kosovo leadership of not being honest with the public, having first rejected the plan for EULEX’s deployment, only to later change its mind. Protesters said the authorities in Kosovo were implementing Ban Ki-Moon’s six-point plan instead of rejecting it.

In the meantime, to cool passions, Lamberto Zannier has said the sixpoint plan may be “re-interpreted, and it will be up to EULEX to see how to further develop implementation of the plan”.

Shkelzen Maliqi, a well-known commentator in Pristina, said the root of all the confusion lay in the unclear transition from EULEX to UNMIK, for which he blamed both the Kosovo government and the international community.

Maliqi told Balkan Insight the unclear relationship between UNMIK and EULEX was not good for anybody in Kosovo, though Kosovo Serbs might see it as holding out hope that the UN, and not the Kosovo government, might remain the ultimate authority in Kosovo.

“Most countries contributing to EULEX have recognised Kosovo’s independence and sovereignty,” he noted.

Source: www.BalkanInaight.com

Kosovo Albanians voice their disapproval.

Photo by FoNet

neighbourhood

Friday, Dec. 5 - Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008

West Still Divided On New Approach to Bosnia Decision on future international engagement remains on hold as Europe awaits new US administration.

By Srecko Latal in Sarajevo

T

he big powers have agreed to extend the mandate of Bosnia & Herzegovina’s top international envoy, the High Representative, and the EU peacekeeping force, EUFOR, until 2009 at least.

However, these decisions effectively mean the international community has been unable to formulate a new approach to Bosnia.

Analysts said it is good that Europe had grasped the depth of the problem facing Bosnia & Herzegovina, and had accepted that its old approach, of which the Office of the High Representative, OHR, was a symbol, had run out of time.

The bad news is that European leaders had been unable to agree on what was to be done with Bosnia in future. However, keeping the OHR and EUFOR on life-support for a few more months should guarantee some stability and give the big powers extra time to prepare their new role.

That same concern, which has persuaded the Peace Implementation Council to extend the current High Representative Miroslav Lajcak’s mandate until next year, also prompted the UN Security Council on November 21 to extend the mandate of the 2,200strong EUFOR force for another year.

International absence While the US has withdrawn much of its military and political clout, Europeans have remained divided about the nature of Bosnia’s problem – and about possible solutions – relying on financial carrots to do the trick.

A succession of High Representatives, meanwhile, are widely considered to have become too entangled in Bosnia’s complicated political games, becoming part of the problems rather than the solution.

Different High Representatives tried different approaches, varying from the strong interventionism of Ashdown, to the hands-off approach of Christian Schwarz Schilling. But all seemed devoid of a long-term strategy, wasting time and energy on reaching short-term goals.

Zagreb _ Croatia’s Prime Minister, Ivo Sander, should condemn the three-hour police questioning of a man who started a Facebook group that criticised the premier, a leader of the opposition, Zoran Milanovic, said. The incident sets a “dangerous precedent” that endangers freedom of expression. Sanader later defended the police action, arguing the group featured Nazi imagery on its postings.

NATO ‘Eyeing Ex-Slovenia PM as Chief’

Draconian laws are making a difference. withdrawal of EUFOR troops, claiming the country was firmly on its EU path. Bosnia thus faced the prospect of being left in the hands of its quarrelling politicians, with a hobbled OHR and not even a symbolic international military presence.

Lajcak and a few other Western officials meanwhile launched a lastminute diplomatic offensive, pleading with world leaders to reconsider and renew their attention on Bosnia.

Way off the Precipice But Balkan experts agree Europe still has a long way to go before light will be seen at the end of the tunnel. More or less all local and international officials and experts – with the exception of the Bosnian Serb leadership – believe the country still needs a strong international military presence.

This means both EUFOR and NATO, as well as a clearly defined

Source: srpska.etleboro.com

“mobile force” that the EC and NATO are considering as a means to keep an eye on the stability of both Bosnia and Kosovo.

Most experts also agree it may be useful to retain governing powers in Bosnia. Even more important is the selection of Bosnia’s next EC governor and a clear definition of what their powers will be and how and when they are to use them. Renewed American engagement in the Balkans remains important for the region’s longer-term stability.

Another crucial element, which the West has largely ignored in the past, is to work more closely with grass-roots organisations. As the Solana-Rehn paper itself pointed out, “The status quo (in Bosnia) is unviable and likely to remain so until and unless the international community is prepared to change the parameters of its presence and approach.” Bosnians now wait to see whether those words will be acted on.

Reconciliation Body Mooted for Croatia and Serbia

Vuk Jeremic

4,000 Bulgarians ‘Do Not Know They Have HIV’

Croat PM Urged to Condemn Facebook Arrest

Historic breakthrough or OHR cover-up

Zagreb_ The President of the Serb National Council in Croatia, Milorad Pupovac says Croatia and Serbia need to seek new ways of reconciliation to end years of tense relations.

Pupovac told Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti that this could be achieved through his proposal for a Reconciliation Council between Serbia and Croatia, where representatives of parliament, the Serb Orthodox and the Catholic churches would be represented along with other influential figures.

Pupovac said he had a brief conversation with Croatia’s Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, and the Croatian Premier said he wanted to talk about the issue “in the days to come.”

“What he said made me feel optimistic regarding his approach towards this initiative. If you ask me, it will not be difficult to gain sup-

In Brief Sofia_About 4,000 Bulgarians do not know they are HIV-positive, Dr Tonka Varleva, the head of the Bulgarian anti-AIDS programme claims. Her comments came as Bulgaria marked World AIDS Day on December 1st, with the launch of a new awareness campaign dubbed “Every day is antiAIDS day.”

By utilising their broad governing powers, imposing laws and dismissing local officials, the OHR did no more than paint a tolerably convincing facade on a building that lacked foundations. That building started crumbling in 2006, after Schwarz Schilling effectively gave up use of the so-called Bonn powers.

According to sources close to the OHR, Lajcak delivered the final blow to its authority on October 19, 2007. In an apparent show of force, but without PIC approval, Lajcak imposed a new code of conduct on Bosnia’s Council of Ministers. The act outraged Bosnian Serb leaders and on October 21 they severed communication with the OHR and threatened to pull out from all state institutions.

The OHR never recovered. Although largely abandoned by the West, Lajcak persuaded the European Commission to accept a locally agreed deal on police reform, fulfilling the last remaining condition for the country’s continued EU accession process. On December 16, Bosnia duly initialed a Stabilization and Association Agreement, SAA. Local and international officials celebrated this “historic breakthrough.” But the celebrations were short-lived as the country lurched deeper into crisis, with the Bosnian Serb leader, Milorad Dodik, ridiculing local and Western officials, while Bosniak (Muslim) politicians demanded that the OHR punish such behaviour.

“Lajcak surrendered, that’s what happened,” Kurt Bassuener, a former OHR political adviser and a cofounder of the Democratization Policy Council, told Balkan Insight.

“The only value it has right now is as a placeholder but the EC still has not come up with a strategy,” he added. “You can’t just remove that central tent-pole, even if it’s rickety, without knowing what you are going to replace it with.”

Tensions deteriorated further ahead of the October 2008 general elections.

Nevertheless, France proposed the

9

port from both politicians and public personalities about who from the Croatian side should make up this council,” he said.

Asked about whether the lawsuits that the two countries have filed or will file against one another would jeopardise the position of ethnic Serbs in Croatia, Pupovac said that the lawsuits had “created anxiety with local Serbs, brought up painful memories and fears that were still to be overcome.”

“However, they have affirmed our beliefs that we should not allow wars, this time legal, which determine our destiny, to be fought over our heads,” Pupovac said.

Last month, Serbia’s Foreign Minister, Vuc Jeremic, said Belgrade would file a countersuit against Croatia for war crimes after the International Court of Justice ruled it can hear Zagreb’s ‘Genocide case.’

Jeremic said the countersuit would be filed before the International Court of Justice against Croatia for alleged war-crimes committed against ethnic Serbs in 1995’s Operation Storm offensive.

With its genocide suit against Serbia, Croatia has failed to accept the “hand of reconciliation” offered

by Serbia to “leave the past behind and focus on the common European future”, Jeremic said.

The United Nations’ highest court said earlier that it could hear a Croatian lawsuit filed against Serbia for genocide during the war in the early 1990s, which Serbia claimed the International Court of Justice had no jurisdiction over.

There is concern that the lawsuits could damage fragile relations between the two former Yugoslav neighbours.

Ljubljana _ Former Slovenian Premier Janez Jansa has been offered the post of NATO’s secretary-general, claims Ljubljana weekly, Reporter.

However, Jansa has denied reports that he is a candidate for the post.

Ethnic Minorities Join Macedonian Army Ranks Skopje _ Reforms to ensure that Macedonia’s ethnic communities are proportionally represented in the country’s army have been completed, said the country’s Defence Minister Zoran Konjanovski. Now, ethnic Albanians make up 22-23 per cent of the total army personnel, which roughly correlates to the share they make up of Macedonia’s total population.

Paper Recycling in Albania Gets Boost Tirana _ The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will invest in Albania’s only paper firm to help it produce recycled paper and set up waste paper recycling networks.

The investment would create a precedent with environmentally friendly production backed by an organised collection and recycling network.

Montenegro, Bosnia in Cooperation Pledge Sarajevo _ The Prime Ministers of Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro have agreed to improve cooperation and relations between the two neighbouring ex-Yugoslav countries. Ever since Serbia – at that time together with Montenegro – directly and indirectly supported Bosnian Serbs during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia, relations among these countries have been strained.

Croatian Passports ‘Sold for €1,000’ Zagreb _ Foreign newspapers, websites and billboards across Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia are full of adverts offering to sell Croatian passports, Croatia’s Slobodna Dalmacija daily reports. The paper says that passports from Croatian citizens, especially Serbs who fled Croatia after their rebellion came to a halt in 1995, are bought for €900 to €1,000 and sold on the black market.

10

out & about

Friday, Dec. 5 - Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008

Palic and Subotica

This border region boasts great scenery, a thriving art scene and a melding of Serbian and Hungarian cuisine.

What To Eat? Understandably, due to its multi-ethnicity, you’ll be able to choose from a variety of cuisines.

You’ll find Serbian cevapcici and sarma (cabbage leaves stuffed with minced beef or pork and rice), as well as Hungarian specialties like perkelt (beef stew with home-made noodles and sour cream), chicken goulash with noodles, bean soup, lamb-goulash with cabbage, and

Palic winter scene

By Pat Andjelkovic

T

his week we’re going a bit farther from Belgrade, north on the E75, to the resort of Palic and its northern neighbour, Subotica.

Palic lies 181 km north of Belgrade, and can be easily reached by the E75, travelling north. A near neighbour, Palic, is 22 km from the Horgos crossing to Hungary. It is probably the bestknown tourist resort in Serbia whose offerings include a Baroque park, a lake, mineral baths and examples of Secession-style architecture.

Only one kilometre in diameter, the core is filled with hotels, restaurants, beaches, tennis courts, a casino, and a zoo. In the summer, Palic Lake offers good conditions for water sports and swimming, and at this time of the year, you can walk or bike around its shores, then warm up in one of the local restaurants.

There are excellent tennis courts in Palic’s shady woods. Tennis Club Palic is the oldest in the Balkans.

There’s also a restaurant, which offers Italian dishes and salads, within view of the courts.

The lake covers an area of 3.8 km2, with an average depth of just two metres. A quaint tower remains as a symbol of times past when it served as a water tower, resort gate, and tram station. The lake’s origin remains hidden. It is known to have dried up on several occasions and a spa was created in 1840 when it was discovered that the lake water and mud was rich in minerals with alleged curative powers for such ailments as rheumatism and nerve diseases.

The path around the lake is attractive for walking and cycling. In the heart of the Grand Park is a pavilion that still hosts occasional musical events, a memorial fountain, and a summer stage, where an international film festival is held every summer.

Down the lake a little are a spa and picnic area.

Palic flourished at the end of 19th century when a number of glamorous villas were erected within the park.

Hotel Jezero was built in 1909, along with single-storey type villas in a Romantic style. Intricate facades were furnished with luxuriously carved wooden elements and multicoloured glazed Zsolnay tiles.

fish soup. Treat yourself to a selection of doughnuts, strudels, sweet noodles, or stewed fruit. Be sure to sample some local wines, for the sands of the ancient Pannonian Sea make excellent soil for wine growing. In fact, wines from nearby Palic are known as “sand wines” and the local wine making tradition is over 2,000 years old.

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

Photo by Pat Andjelkovic The Mala Gostionica restaurant several covered balconies, strange is, in my opinion, a good choice for shaped-roofs, and wild colours ranging from azure blue to orange, built lunch, dinner, or just a dessert. in 1904 in Art Nouveau style.

Nearby Subotica The great Baroque cathedral of Saint Theresa was erected in the 17th Palic, just 10 km from Subotica, century, and the Orthodox Cathedral has long been a historical crossroads of Saint Dimitrios, constructed in and a tourist spot at the same time. 1818, is another fine Baroque buildSubotica is a multi-ethnic commu- ing. The synagogue, constructed in nity, situated just a few kilometres 1902 in an Art Nouveau style in surfrom the border with Hungary and prising colours of pink, orange and since the 19th century, tourists have yellow tan, is shaped like a giant been attracted by the shady parks, cake, and is worth a special visit. Its charming hotels, and lakes. roofs are a mixture of Austrian and Eastern styles.

A Little History Sadly, the historic theatre, built in 1854, was demolished in 2007, deSome claim the name Subotica is spite having been declared a historic derived from the Serbian word for monument, placed under state protecSaturday, or Sabbath, while others tion and listed as a monument of spemaintain it comes from Subota Vr- cial cultural value. An international lic, treasurer to the Emperor Jovan campaign was organised in Serbia Nenad in the 16th century. Subotica and Hungary to save this building was once a tiny town in the middle of but to no avail, and its demolition has the medieval Hungary and remained severely damaged the appearance of part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire the city centre. until the end of the First World War, The City Library, just off the when it became part of the Kingdom main square, is an eye-catching ediof Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. In fice, built in 1890, whose doors are 1941, Yugoslavia was partitioned by flanked by two huge male caryatids Subotica fountaions pansies the Axis Powers, and Subotica again that support a balcony. became part of Hungary. Before the Second World War, 6,000 Jews lived in Subotica but many were deported during the Holocaust, mostly to Auschwitz.

Photo by Pat Andjelkovic

A Visual Delight Subotica is an architecture-lover’s dream, with many splendid buildings created in various styles. The city has the largest number of Art Nouveau buildings in Serbia.

The Town Hall is the city’s pride.

Finished in 1912, this Secessionist construction, noted for its size and bright red and white colours, is Subotica’s landmark. To build it, it was necessary to use huge concrete foundations under the sandy soil to support the main tower, an innovation at the time. At its entrance are scenes from everyday life in Vojvodina. On the first floor is a hall with massive Hungarian furniture decorated with folklore motifs. All along the stairs and halls are finely painted walls.

Outside in the Lenin Park stands Fontain and church in Subotica a surprising Gaudi-like edifice, with

Photo by Pat Andjelkovic

the belgrader

Friday, Dec. 5 - Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008

11

Dining Out

Kalemegdanska Terasa A delightful place for a meal on a long summer evening, this picturesque venue loses little of its charm when the cold weather forces diners inside.

By “Trencherman”

I

t’s not really fair, I suppose, but somehow food tastes better when it’s served in nice surroundings and particularly so when there’s a good view, too. So, Kalemegdanska Terasa has a little bit of a head start over almost every restaurant in town.Set inside the fortress at Kalemegdan with a view out over the Danube, it would be difficult for anyone to say their first impressions weren’t positive.

The terrace was, as you’d expect, given the cold weather we’ve been having lately, not working, and even the adjacent conservatory was not set for dinner. Nevertheless, the main dining room is impressive and the wood-beamed ceilings, stone walls and solid furniture allow you to believe that you might just be dining in an old castle.

On arrival, the Maitre D. greeted us with a smile and pointed us to a completely empty dining room. We

were far too early once again. We really will have to eat later to get the full restaurant experience in Belgrade.

Menus arrived smartly enough, followed almost immediately by aperitifs and some water. The menu is largely traditional Serbian with a few international dishes to round it out.

There are days, it seems, when, despite a good menu, I seem fated to pick the wrong items and today, it turned out, was one of them. I chose grilled mushrooms followed by leskovacka muckalica, a one-pot dish of pork, tomatoes, peppers and onion.

My companion chose a risotto of squash, pine nuts and prosciutto and a pepper steak.

I then spent the rest of the meal looking longingly at my companion’s plate. The risotto was perfect – not too stiff, not too sloppy; the rice, slightly soft outside but with an al dente kernel; the squash, cooked so that it maintained its structure but melted in the mouth; the pine nuts, adding a nutty texture to the dish and the slice of salty, grilled proscuitto complemented it well. The grilled mushrooms, well, they were the upturned heads of field mushrooms, grilled.

The steak was a huge piece of fillet, perhaps 400g in weight, cooked perfectly blue, as tender as could

Kalamegdanska Terasa, great for summer dining, just as good at this time of the year be. The green peppercorn sauce was mildly peppery with whole soft peppercorns, but with a slightly sweet taste. It came accompanied with some croquette potatoes, steamed broccoli and some overcooked carrot slices. The leskovacka muckalica, was tasty and warming, the meat was a little chewy, but it was, well, stew.

One of the highlights of the night was the wine. A Bovin Dissan, 2003, cultured, with a powerful nose, soft, rounded tannins, with a long, long finish. I was impressed with the 2005

that I had recently elsewhere, but the 2003 is classier still and was phenomenal value at 2,000 dinars.

Desserts of panna cotta with chocolate and caramel, and a chocolate mousse followed. The panna cotta was a little firm, but was creamy and not too sweet and the chocolate mousse was good if not exceptional.

Service was competent and friendly, without being overly so, and I was pleasantly surprised with the bill.

Source: www.omni-structure.com Although this restaurant thrives on a summer diet of tourists, its owners seem to have understood that repeat business and personal recommendation are the only true guarantees of financial stability in the catering trade, and despite my unfortunate choices from the menu, you certainly have my recommendation.

Price guide: 2,500 – 3,000 for three courses with a modest wine.

Kalemegdanska Terasa: 011 328 3011

We Recommend Every week we feature a selection of restaurants picked by our team. They give a flavour of what’s out there on the Belgrade restaurant scene and should provide you with a few alternatives to get you out of your dining rut. Our choices may not always have had the full Trencherman treatment but you can be sure that one of us has eaten there and enjoyed it.

Jevrem

Rubin

Vuk

Looking just like your granny’s house and serving her kind of food too, Jevrem, in the Dorcol neighbourhood, boasts a very pretty terrace on which to enjoy food on summer days. With live music on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, this spot is a haunt for tourists and local celebs.

If your idea of a nice lunch or dinner includes good beer solid traditional food and a nice setting, head over to Rubin. Set in the hills around Belgrade, when the weather is nice, you can step outside and enjoy the view.

Gospodar Jevremova 36 011-3284746

Kneza Viseslava 29 011-3510987

Langouste

Varijanta

Serving traditional Serbian cuisine, almost everything on the menu has some sort of meat in it, so, vegetarians – watch out. For 30 years, this restaurant, just off Knez Mihailova has kept up a tradition of serving authentic Serbian food that never gets boring.

One of the poshest places in town with prices to go with it. Langouste is not a cheap option by any means but serves some of the best seafood in town in some of the nicest surroundings.

White table clothes, lobster, cigars and a fancy patio make Varijanta a fine choice for a special date. Located outside of the centre, this is another seafood restaurant that has a comfortable and upscale atmosphere.

Vuka Karadzica 12 011-2629761

Kosancicev Venac 29 011-3283680

Visnjicka 113/a 011-2990316

Kod Kapetana

Metropolitan Grill

Absinthe

Balzac

Frans

Be careful. Absinthe has been the ruin of many. Fortunately there’s no need to actually drink the stuff here. The cocktail menu is extensive and the french inspired cookery is accomplished without being overly fussy.

Trencherman still raves about his visit to Balzac during the residency of chef Nevio Serotic, and although Serotic is back at home in Croatia, the food and service at Balzac are still amongst the best in town.

This long established restaurant serves Serbian food with a twist. Prices are on the high side but the dining room is plush and the service excellent. A favourite with the expat community, people just keep coming back for more.

Once you walk in, the somewhat cheesy décor tells you what type of restaurant this is even if the name passed you by! Another good seafood choice, the inside is nothing fancy, but the food more than makes up for it.

Inside the Hyatt Rengency, this posh restaurant majors on international cuisine. The hotel’s smart bar is open all hours, so, if the night carries on a little too long, you’re inside a hotel and a bed to crash on is not far away.

Kralja Milutina 33 011-3640625

Strahinjica Bana 13 011-3285906

Bulevar Oslobodjenja 18a, 011-2641944

Kej Oslobodjenja 43 011-2103950

Milentija Popovica 5 011-3011234

12

the belgrader

Friday, Dec. 5 - Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008

We Recommend

Saturday

Sunday

Yugoslavia wasn’t the only entity that fell apart in the 1990s. This band with its large array of musicians did as well. Most of them have since been pursuing their own careers in the music industry, but they are back together and on tour one last time.

Students Cultural Centre, Kralja Milana 48

As the sequel to the hugely popular Madagascar, Escape to Africa, this is the continuation of the journey of these crazy zoo-raised animals. This time, they are marooned in the heart of Africa and come face to face with their own species - scarier than you might think. They quickly learn that it’s a jungle out there.

Sava Centar, Milentija Popovica 9

Fit Reunion Tour

Friday

Simian Moble Disco

Simian Mobile Disco are the guys you want to hang out with if you want to dance tonight. Formed by two college kids, this team of DJs has been booked in clubs across Europe. They are coming to Belgrade to play at Club Plastic and to pump up Belgrade with their electronic beats.

Club Plastic, Takovska 34

Madagascar 2

Monday

Tuesday

You might know this pair from their music videos on MTV or maybe you remember them representing Bosnia & Herzegovina in the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest. Having failed to make it in New York and dropped out of music school before that, Elvir Lakovic has finally made it big in the music world and is coming to Belgrade prove it.

Sava Centar, Milentija Popovica 9

Based on the novel by Victor Hugo, this is possibly the most successful musical stage adaptation ever. A wild romp through the barricades of Revolutionary France with added love, death, crime, illegitimate children and a host of other intrigues. The London production became the longest running stage musical ever and continues to pack in the punters.

Tickets available at Madlenianum ticket office and Bilet Service, Republic Suqare 5

Miroslav Ilic

Laka

Wednesday

Miroslav Ilic

Yobo

If the new wave of music in Europe and in Serbia has become a little too risque for your tastes, Miroslav Ilic has your best interests at heart. He has been recording for four decades and still draws fans by the truckload.

The Serbian singer and songwriter has recently started speaking out against the promiscuity of today’s music.

Sava Center, Milentija Popovica 9

Those who take pride in listening to hardcore music and in being Belgrade locals have definitely heard of this “nu-metal” band.

Even though fans are still awaiting their most recent album, due to the lack of a publisher, they can still come out and enjoy Yobo tonight on their tour across Serbia.

Living Room, Kralja Milana 48

What’s On CINEMAS Roda Cineplex Pozeska 83A , tel: 011 2545260 Quantum of Solace 18:00 & 22:40 Body of Lies 20:15 High School Musical 3 15:30, 17:45, 20:00 & 20:15 Vicky Cristina Barcelona 18:30, 20:30 & 22:30 Jelenin svet (Jelena’s World) 16:15 Dom sindikata Trg Nikole Pasica 5, tel. 011 3234849 High School Musical 3 16:00, 18:00, 20:00 & 22:00 Turneja (The Tour) 16:00 Quantum of Solace 18:15 & 20:15 Bangkok Dangerous 22:30 Body of Lies 17:00, 19:00 & 22:45 Quarantine 16:15 & 22:15 Vicky Cristina Barcelona 16:15, 18:15, 20:15 & 22:15 Ster City Cinema Delta City, Jurija Gagarina 16 (Blok 67) tel: 011 2203400 Body of Lies 13:20, 18:20 & 20:50 Quantum of Solace 11:30, 13:40, 15:50, 16:50, 18:00, 19:00, 20:10 & 22:20 Bangkok Dangerous 16:10 & 23:20 High School Musical 3 12:50, 15:10, 17:30, 19:50 & 22:10 Deception 12:30, 14:50 & 21:50 The Rolling Stones 17:10 & 19:30 Vicky Cristina Barcelona 12:30, 14:30, 16:30, 20:30 & 22:40 Eagle Eye 13:50, 16:10, 18:50 & 21:10 Vicky Cristina Barcelona 12:30, 14:30, 16:30,

20:30 & 22:40 Eagle Eye 13:50, 16:10, 18:50 & 21:10 Tuckwood Cineplex Kneza Milosa 7, tel: 011 3236517 Quantum of Solace 16:45, 19:00 & 21:15 High School Musical 3 16:00, 18:15 & 22:30 Pineapple Express 23:05 Body of Lies 15:40, 18:05 & 20:40 Vicky Cristina Barcelona 15:30, 17:40, 20:00 & 22:05 Nights in Rodanthe 19:20 Eagle Eye 22:45 Quarantine 21:30 & 23:15 Warlords 23:20 Turneja (The Tour) 17:15

CONCERTS Berry French pop folk sensation, Berry, is coming to Belgrade to promote her debut album Mademoiselle.

Dom Omladine Makedonska 22 December 6, 21:00 Tickets available at Dom Omladine ticket office and Bilet Service, Trg Republike 5 In Honour of Saban Bajramovic Bajramovic was the undisputed king of Roma music.This spectacular concert is dedicated to the memory of the legendary musician.

Sava Centar, Great Hall Milentija Popovica 9 December 6, 20:00 Tickets available at SC ticket office and Bilet Service, Trg Republike 5

Thursday

Ivan Ckonjevic

As the third guitarist and final member of the Subotica band, Ana Never, Ivan Ckonjevic is no stranger to performing. Marko Radisic joins him as a self taught guitarist whose first love was Radiohead. These two, along with Andras Juhasz, come to Belgrade in a post-rock concert.

Biblioteka Milutin Bojic

Lover!

American rock band Lover! strut their stuff Student Cultural Centre (SKC) Kralja Milana 48 December 9, 21:00 Tickets available at SKC ticket office

‘La Traviata’ Verdi’s old favorite, packed with sing-along arias December 10, 19:30 Tickets available at National Theatre ticket office and Bilet Service - Republic Square 5.

Vrelo

BALLET

Serbian world-music band perform to promote their new album “Across the River”. In 2007, Vrelo reached the finale of the BBC’s annual competition The Next Big Thing, coming second, making them the Next, Next Big thing, we suppose.

Dom Omladine Makedonska 22 December 11, 21:00 Tickets available at Dom Omladine ticket office and Bilet Service, Trg Republike 5

National Theatre Republic Square 1a

FAIRS & FESTIVALS 23rd EXPO-ZIM If it’s got anything to do with winter you’ll find it here. Clothes, Ski’s sledges, new and secondhand Belgrade Fair, Hall 1 Bulevar Vojvode Misica 14 December 4 - 7, 10:00 - 19:00 Tickets available at Belgrade Fair ticket office November 26 - 29, 10:00 - 19:00 Tickets available at Belgrade Fair ticket office

OPERA National Theatre Republic Square 1a

‘Queen Margot’ Ballet to music composed by Goran Bregovic December 6, 19:30 Tickets available at National Theatre ticket office and Bilet Service, Trg Republike 5 National Theatre Republic Square 1a ‘Don Quixote’ Cervantes’ famous novel comes alive in this production.

December 11, 19:30 Tickets available at National Theatre ticket office and Bilet Service, Republic Square 5

CLUBBING Club Plastic Mint, Djusina 7 Simian Mobile Disco London, UK December 5, 22:00 Andergraund, Pariska 1a Gregor Tresher December 5, 22:00 Club xLagoom, Svetozara Radica 5 Ritmo IONO Music, Tel Aviv, Israel December 5, 22:00

the belgrader

Friday, Dec. 5 - Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008

13

Going Out

Znak Pitanja

Eat, chat, and relax at “?”. It’s not so much dining as a cultural experience.

By David Galic

I

f there is one restaurant in Belgrade that guarantees patrons an authentic, old-world experience, it is Znak Pitanja, literally, “Question Mark”. The restaurant, with the “?” sign above its door, is the oldest traditional restaurant, or kafana, in the capital, founded in 1823, during the reign of Prince Milan Obrenovic.

Once known as the “Inn near the Saborna Church,” it was changed to “?” as a temporary solution after the church authorities insisted on a change of name. The name, however, stuck.

The restaurant was slated for privatisation in 2005, but after a host of employees, customers, celebrities and civil organisations complained, it

Banana Rave MUSIC REVIEW David Galic

B

anana Rave are a collective of Belgrade DJs that have emerged on the city’s club scene this year as a growing attraction with their “anything goes” style and only one musical mission in mind – having a good time.

There is no firm definition of Banana Rave’s musical predilection, though they mostly dabble in sounds that can be considered new rave, disco, electro house, hip-hop and generally anything with an analog sound at heart, a driving beat and a party vibe.

“We are the sound of a boat siren, we draw on walls, paper and computers, we peek under girl’s skirts and we throw the best parties in the city,” said one of the four Ravers, speaking anonymously on the team’s behalf.

As to how it all started, “there was simply no one else playing this kind of music and we wanted at first to cater to ourselves, but it seems that a lot of people recognised themselves in this music as well,” the guys say

was declared a historical monument in 2007 and taken off the market.

The bistro offers authentic Serbian cuisine in a unique atmosphere, with most of the decor echoing its oldworld roots – low wooden tables and stools, pictures of early-20th century Belgrade, and waiting staff dressed accordingly in “retro” style.

As any visitor finds out within a few days of exploring the dining options in Serbia, most traditional cooking is not in any way vegetarian-friendly, consisting generally of meat from the grill and meaty stews. Such is the case in “?”, although salad dishes, cheeses and homemade breads are served along with one or two traditional dishes such as Svadbaski Kupus , a dish of pickled cabbage, in which you may be able to get the staff to substitute nuts for the more usual bacon lardons.

The food is good and the staff are courteous and well versed in English, not surprising, perhaps, considering the number of tourists visiting this historic place daily. The only potential nuisance is that the bathroom facilities are located in the backyard of the restaurant, requiring a short trek outside to reach them – though this

of the parties they throw, which are usually accompanied by interesting visual presentations wherever club conditions permit.

Besides playing sets of their own, the Banana Ravers also organise shows featuring like-minded musicians from Serbia and abroad, most notably a show in May with Vicarious Bliss, the French DJ and manager who has been instrumental in the success of some of the country’s most popular and influential electronic music acts as of late, such as Justice and Mr. Oizo, not to mention the now legendary Daft Punk.

Mamma Mia! FILM REVIEW

By Andrej Klemencic

I

f the Seventies sounds of Abba, disco lights and the smell of pine are to your liking, Mamma Mia is unlikely to leave you unmoved. Director Phyllida Lloyd makes Abba songs come to life on an enchanted island in the Mediterranean, where all is beautiful and blossomy. There, a girl with beautiful blond hair and shining American smile has grown up not knowing the identity of her father. As the day of her wedding approaches, she decides to steal her mother’s diary and share it with her two close friends.

Sophie, played by Amanda Seyfried, discovers her mother was intimate with three men in a very short period of time, so that any of them could in fact be her father.

Without her mother’s knowledge or consent, she sends each of the men a letter on her mother’s behalf, inviting them to the wedding. Since the film is a musical, one would expect the characters to be simple and the actors to be able to sing. If the first is certainly true, as we find an uncomplicated trio comprising a banker, an architect and a professional adventurer, the latter proves not to be the case. Pierce Brosnan seems to positively resent trying to hit the right note. Wearing a Hamlet-like grimace

“?”: authentic food and a relaxed atmosphere in this traditional kafana is only really a problem on a cold winter day.

In summer, the courtyard is open for business as well, as are the tables in front of the bistro, where a huge range of patrons can be viewed sit-

Friday, December 5, sees Banana Rave hosting and playing a show with yet another set of funky heavyweights, the British production duo known as Simian Mobile Disco.

The group started off as a psychedelic electronica outfit called Simian, but have recently been embraced by dance music fans for their remixes of artists such as Justice, leading them to take their DJing on the road, hence the Mobile Disco.

Their music is sparse and simplistic acid house/techno, focusing on a vocal loop and accentuating it with steady, pulsing bass and snappy synths, ultimately leading to infectious and irresistibly cheery dance music.

Asked what to expect, Banana Rave said that since it is a DJ set and not a live show, “a lot of variety can be expected,” adding that “there hasn’t been anything as current and fresh in Belgrade in some time”.

“It’s a real privilege to have them in an intimate club atmosphere of some 700-800 people.

This is an event not to be missed, we’ll be there for sure!” the Banana Rave spokesman concluded – a glowing recommendation if ever there was one. throughout the film, he does not quite blend into the happy tunes.

On the other hand, Meryl Streep, playing Sophie’s mother, Donna, has no problem making the melodies come alive. Equally at home in music are her two friends Rosie and Tanya, played by Julie Walters and Christine Baranski.

Seeing, and hearing, the female trio is good music. With Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard, it’s not so much the case. Perhaps this is why the male actors got the less demanding singing parts, while the musical talents of Streep and indeed the music of Abba, save the film and make it watchable.

The Greek scenery is a tad overexploited, - Donna is the owner of a little hotel perched on the edge of the cliff, overlooking the sea. The cicadas go well with the tunes, the sounds of Abba go well with the light atmosphere, indeed the only

ting. On any given day, you might run into tourists, students and professors from the nearby art college on lunch breaks or grabbing drinks after class, as well as scholars, writers and artists who sit and linger over drinks, repre-

Source: www.suvenirisrbije.com senting the last remnants of an old bohemian life in Belgrade “?” is one of the last bastions of this bohemian past, and continues to to have aplace in the heart of visitors and locals alike.

My Picks

Uppa Druppa

Every week Rian Harris tells us one of her favourite places to shop.

This week I bought a chocolate wool sweater with puffed sleeves and a wrap skirt with ribbons in a golden yellow for about 2,500 each. Lovely lacey camisoles are just 840.

Uppa Druppa Visnjiceva 4 Other locations Takovska 25 TC Piramida www.uppadruppa.co.rs

By Rian Harris

W

eather got you down? Then treat yourself to something fun and totally unique at Uppa Druppa. Owned by painter and designer Tanja Aleksic, Uppa Druppa offers youthful, one-of-a kind fashion at reasonable prices. You’ll find coats, dresses, tops, bottoms, shoes and accessories in creative colours, fabrics and styles. The staff are helpful, and with three locations to choose from, shopping there is a pleasure.

thing that jars is the way everyone starts dancing as soon as there is a hint of music.

The issue of a girl on the cusp of adulthood who is looking for her identity is well handled. If you are among the fans of the seminal Swed-

ish band, stay after the film finishes.

You will be in for a surprise.

Mamma Mia is as amusing and relaxing as it is shallow and overly suggestive. It is one of those movies that largely depend on the mood you’re in when you see them.

14

sport

Friday, Dec. 5 - Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008

Partizan Duo Poised to Join United Winger Zoran Tosic and forward Adem Ljajic look set to join the English and European champions when the transfer window opens in January.

By Zoran Milosavljevic

P

artizan Belgrade winger Zoran Tosic will be the latest in an increasingly long line of talent to leave the Serbian first division for the much greener pastures of the English Premier League, after Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager, went to some lengths to obtain a work permit for the 21-year old Serbian last weekend.

Tosic, who has made 12 appearances for Serbia but is yet to score for his country, seems poised to join United when the transfer window opens on January 1, but the question remains whether Ferguson is right to gamble on a player yet to be tried and tested at the highest level. Although Tosic was a key player in Partizan’s success last season when they won

the domestic league and cup double, his fragile-looking frame casts doubts about whether he can endure the physical exertions and torrid pace of the Premier League.

On the other hand, he has a sweet left foot which has proved lethal from free kicks many times. Hence, Ferguson might see him as an ideal replacement for the ageing Ryan Giggs on United’s left flank. Although United boast probably the strongest squad in English club football, a shortage of natural leftfooted players in their ranks has forced Ferguson to look for reinforcements.

He seems confident that he has found one in Tosic, apparently much more so than the player himself.

“It’s really fantastic that such a great coach speaks so highly of my abilities and I am overwhelmed that he has so much faith in me,” Tosic said after Partizan’s 1-0 UEFA Cup defeat to Belgian rivals Standard Liege last week, which ended their interest in Europe this season. “I am aware of what’s happening to me but I am trying to keep my feet on the ground and not think about it,” Tosic added.

“I want to win my few remaining matches in a Partizan shirt and make it a perfect farewell.”

But staying indifferent to interest from Manchester United is easier said than done. Tosic’s rapid drop in form in the last month or so coincided with the speculation that the European champions are after the winger and

his 17-year-old Partizan team mate, Adem Ljajic, who scored on his full debut in a 5-1 league win over OFK Belgrade, following his 10-day trial at Old Trafford in October.

Should both of them leave Partizan next month and join their more

established compatriot Nemanja Vidic at United, the Serbian champions will once again be back to square one in their efforts to build a side capable of making any sort of impact in Europe. However, the reported combined fee of £8 million (€9.4 million)

Adem Ljajic puts his quick feet to good use.

Red Star Lose Ground zale 2-8, FMP Belgrade 2-8, KK Zagreb 2-8, Vojvodina Novi Sad 1-9.

By Zoran Milosavljevic

T

he joy of basking at the pinnacle of the regional NLB basketball league was shortlived for Red Star Belgrade, as their 84-65 drubbing by Hemofarm Vrsac sent them two places down the table to third. In contrast, their bitter foes, Partizan Belgrade, went back to the top with an 81-52 whitewash of basement team Vojvodina Novi Sad. Red Star, who had earlier edged Partizan 81-80 in a thrilling derby, could not find their rhythm against Hemofarm and deservedly lost after shooting just 19.2 per cent from three-point range. The home team’s forward Bojan Krstovic led the way with 27 points and shot 4-of-4 from behind the arc, with centre Vladan Vukosavljevic chipping in with 18 points and five rebounds.

Elsewhere, Croatian champions, Zadar, demolished FMP Belgrade 8853 thanks to 26 points from their American shooting guard Julius Johnson, with Hrvoje Peric and Rok Stipcevic adding 14 each. Montenegrins Buducnost Podgorica scraped an 82-78 win at struggling KK Zagreb while former champions Olimpija Ljubljana ran out 77-68 winners at fellow Slovenians Helios Domzale.

Stanley Burrell poured in 22 points as Bosna Sarajevo outgunned Split 96-75 at home to take their record to 5-5 and Earl Calloway steered Cibona Zagreb, double European club cham-

Source: Partizan’s official web site

Serbia Sink Russia

Partizan is back at the summit pions in the 1980s, to a 74-58 away Podgorica 7-3, Bosna Sarajevo 5-5, of the regional NLB basketball rout of Slovenians Krka Novo Mesto. Split 5-5, Olimpija Ljubljana 4-6, Standings: Partizan 9-1, He- Krka Novo Mesto 3-7, Helios Domleague. mofarm 8-2, Red Star 8-2, Zadar 7-3, Cibona Zagreb 7-3, Buducnost

United are prepared to splash out is one Partizan can’t refuse if they are to avoid falling on hard times. That aside, the Serbian national team can only benefit from its two gems thriving in a more competitive environment than the one they grew up in.

T

he Serbian national handball team registered an historic win when they beat Russia 3529 in Nis last weekend to go top of their Euro 2010 qualifying group and break a 22-year long jinx against the former world champions. Momir Ilic scored 10 goals and Ivan Nikcevic added 6 to give Serbia their first win over the Russians since the former Yugoslavia overcame them in 1986.

The hosts dominated the match and opened up a seven-goal lead midway through the second half.

“We are overwhelmed, it was a terrific performance by the lads and it will give them confidence ahead of

the upcoming World Championship in Croatia,” Serbia’s delighted coach Jovica Cvetkovic said after a raucous crowd of 5,000 roared his team on to victory.

It puts Serbia in the driving seat to reach the finals as one of the top two teams from their qualifying group, but they still have to overcome what is likely to be a stiff challenge from neighbours Bosnia-Herzegovina, who stayed in contention with a comfortable 34-23 defeat of Switzerland.

Bosnia are at home to Serbia in their next fixture in March 2009, when Russia visit Italy, and Switzerland are away to the Faroe Islands.

Live sports on TV

Vojvodina were no match for Partizan

Photo by FoNet

Friday, Dec 5: Alpine Skiing: Men’s Downhill (Eurosport 5.00 p.m.), Women’s Downhill (Eurosport 6.30 p.m.); Soccer: Bayern Munich v Hoffenheim (Sport Klub 8.30 p.m.), Arsenal de Sarandi v Huracan (Sport Klub + 00.15 a.m. Saturday); NHL: Minnesota Vikings v Vancouver Cannucks (Sport Klub 2.00 a.m. Saturday).

Saturday, Dec 6: Basketball: Red Star Belgrade v Zadar (FOX Serbia 4.00 p.m.), Split v Partizan Belgrade (HRT 2 at 4.00 p.m.); Soccer: Schalke v Hertha Berlin (Sport Klub 3.30 p.m.), Cottbus v Stuttgart (Sport Klub + 3.30 p.m.), Blackburn v Liverpool (RTS 2 at 4.00 p.m.), Chievo v Roma (Sport Klub 6.00 p.m.), Manchester United v Sunderland (RTS 2 at 6.30 p.m.), Lazio v Inter Milan (Avala 8.30 p.m.), PSG v Le Mans (Sport Klub 9.00 p.m.), Barcelona v Valencia (FOX Serbia 10.00 p.m.); NHL Ice Hockey: Carolina v Philadelphia (Sport Klub 1.00 a.m. Sunday).

Sunday, Dec 7: Basketball: NBA Regular Season: Toronto Raptors v Portland Trailblazers (OBN at 11.50 p.m.); NFL: Tennessee Titans v Cleveland Browns (Sport Klub 7.00 p.m.), Pittsburgh Steelers v Dallas Cowboys (Sport Klub 10.15 p.m.) Soccer: Jagodina v Red Star Belgrade (RTS 2 at 1.00 p.m.), AC Milan v Catania (OBN at 3.00 p.m.), Various Italian league matches (Sport Klub and Avala 3.00 p.m.), Everton v Aston Villa (RTS 2 at 5.00 p.m.), Cologne v Hamburg (Sport Klub 5.00 p.m.), Betis v Espanyol (FOX Serbia at 7 p.m.), Sibenik v Hajduk Split (HRT 2 at 8.10 p.m.), Italian League Match (Avala 8.30 p.m.).

Monday, December 8: Soccer: Premier League Highlights (RTS 2 at 8.00 p.m.)

Tuesday, December 9: Soccer: Champions League (B 92 at 8.45 p.m.)

Wednesday: December 10: Soccer: Champions League (B 92 at 8.45 p.m.)

directory

Friday, Dec. 5 - Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008

TAXI SERVICES

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

BEAUTICIANS

BELDENT Brankova 23 Tel: 011 2634455 APOLONIJA Stevana Sremca 13, Tel: 011 3223420 DUKADENT Pariske Komune 11 Tel: 011 3190766

ESTATE AGENTS AS-YUBC ESTATE Bul. Mihajla Pupina 10a Tel: 011 3118424, 063 371 879 as.yubc@sbb.co.yu EURENT Dobracina 21 Tel: 011 3038662 www.eurent.co.yu info@eurent.co.yu

EVENTS & CATERERS

MIOLIFT STUDIO Trg Nikole Pasica 8 Tel: 011 3340554 www.centarlepote.co.yu NENA Terazije 42, 1st floor Tel: 011 3619115, 011 619577 WELLNESS CENTAR ZORICA Dobracina 33, Bulevar Despota Stefana 71, 2nd floor Tel: 011 3285922, 011 3243940, 063 356001 www.zorica.co.yu SPA CENTAR Strahinjica Bana 5 Tel: 011 3285408 www.spacentar.co.yu office@spacentar.co.yu

BUILDERS ENJUB Bulevar Mihajla Pupina 20 Tel: 011 2601673 www.enjub.co.yu info@enjub.co.yu

COSMETIC & HEALTH SERVICES KOMNENUS Kraljice Natalije 19 Tel: 011 3613677 www.komnenus.com office@komnenus.com ANTI-AGING CENTAR Nikolaja Ostrovskog 3 Tel: 011 2199645 www.aacentar.com EPILION dermatological laser centre Admirala Geprata 13 Tel: 011 3611420, 011 3615203 www.epilion.co.yu, info@epilion.co.yu

DENTISTS BIG TOOTH Mite Ruzica 10a Tel: 063 8019190 www.big-tooth.com dr.ilic@beotel.yu FAMILY DENTIST Bulevar Dr Zorana Djindica bb Tel: 011 136437 www.familydentist.co.yu ordinacija@familydentist.co.yu

Villa catering Krunska 69, Beograd Tel: 011 3442656, 3835570 063 207976 www.villa-catering.com office@villa-catering.com PARTY SERVICE Tel: 011 3946461 GODO Savski kej bb Tel: 011 2168101 BUTTERFLY CATERING Tel: 011 2972027, 063 7579825 office@butterfly-catering.rs Aleksandra-Anais Tel/fax: 011 4898173 063 7775889 office@aleksandra-anais.co.yu CATERING CLUB DB Tel. 065 8099819 Fax: 011 2980800 cateringclubdb@eunet.yu CATERING PLUS Palmira Toljatija 5 Tel: 011 2608410 office@catering.co.yu DIPLOMAT CATERING Josipa Slavenskog 10 Tel: 011 3672605 diplomatcatering@icomline.net EURO CATERING Prve pruge 2 11080 Zemun Tel/fax: 011 3190469 office@eurocatering.co.yu

FLORISTS

MALA VRTNA RADIONICA Spanskih boraca 22g Tel: 011 3130300 www.mvr.co.yu mvr@verat.net CVET EXPRES Rajka Od Rasine 28 Tel: 011 2545987 INTERFLORA Vojvode Stepe 405 Tel: 011 462687 TELEFLORA Svetogorska 11 Tel: 011 03030047/048

HAIR STYLISTS HAIR FACTORY Kosovska 37/10 Tel: 011 3227775 www.hairfactory.co.yu vlada@hairfactory.co.yu EXCLUSIVE UNISEX HAIR SALONE ALEKSANDAR Bulevar Despota Stefana 96 Tel: 011 2087602 www.aleksandar.weebly.com fsaleksandar@gmail.com

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

Veprov dah Strahinjica Bana 52 Vespa Bar Toplicin venac 6 Via Del Gusto Knez Mihailova 48

GYMS, LEISURE & SPORTS CENTRES EXTREME GYM TC ABC Cvijiceva 1 Tel: 011 2768255 www.x3mgym.com extremegym@x3mgym.com LPG Centar YU BIZNIS Centre, Bulevar Mihaila Pupina 10b Tel: 011 3130806 lpgstosic@eunet.yu, www.lpgsalon.co.yu RELAX PLATO Beogradjanka Tower Masarikova 5, 5th floor Tel: 011 3061765 www.relaxplato.com Golf Club Beograd Ada Ciganlija 2 Tel: 063 8963816 Partizan Shooting Club Tel: 011 2647942, 064 801 9900 Fax: 011 2647261 www.partizanshooting.rs info@partizanshooting.rs Hippodrome Belgrade Pastroviceva 2 Tel: 011 3546826

LEGAL SERVICES ILS Ltd. in association with Clyde & Co Gospodar Jevremova 47 Tel: 011 3038822 www.clydeco.co.uk clyde@clyde.co.yu HARRISONS SOLICITORS Terazije 34 Tel: 011 3615918 www.harisons-solicitors.com KARANOVIC&NIKOLIC Lepenicka 7 Tel: 011 3094200 www.karanovic-nikolic.co.yu info@karanovic-nikolic.co.yu

MASSEURS

AGS Belgrade Niski autoput 17 Tel: 011 3472321 www.agsmovers.com belgrade@agsmovers.com

OPTICIANS EUROOPTIC Bulevar kralja Aleksandra 278 Tel: 011 2415130 www.eurooptic.co.yu OPTIKA BEOGRAD A.D. Cara Urosa 8-10 Tel: 011 2629833

PRINTERS DIGITAL PRINTING CENTAR Cvijiceva 29 Tel: 011 2078000 www.dpc.co.yu office@dpc.co.yu DIGITAL ART Tel: 011 3617281

MOVERS ALLIED PICKFORDS SERBIA Zarka Obreskog 23 Tel: 011 8487744 www.alliedpickfords.co.yu movers@alliedpickfords.co.yu

LEXICA TRANSLATION AGENCY Beogradska 35 Tel: 011 3222750 www.lexica.co.yu office@lexica.co.yu

VETS&PETS NOVAK VETERINARIAN CLINIC Veselina Maslese 55 Tel: 011 2851856, 011 2851923 www.vetnovak.co.yu novak@ptt.yu Veterinarska stanica Lazarevic Zrenjaninski put 30 Tel: 011 3319 015, 063 216 663 Fax: +381 (0)11 2712 385 Oaza Miklosiceva 11, Tel: 011 4440899

Bookstores

HEALTHCARE BEL MEDIC Viktora Igoa 1 Tel. 011 3065888, 011 3066999, 063 206602 www.belmedic.com BEL MEDIC Koste Jovanovića 87 Tel. 011 3091000, 065 3091000 www.belmedic.com LABOMEDICA Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra 193a Tel: 011 3088304 www.labomedica.net klinika@labomedica.net Privatna Praksa Petrovic Kralja Milutina 10 Tel: 011 3460777 Dom Zdravlja “Stari Grad” Obilicev venac 30 Tel: 011 635236 Dom Zdravlja “Vracar” Kneginje Zorke 15 Tel. 011 2441413

PLUMBERS HAUZMAJSTOR Francuska 56 Tel: 011 3034034 office@hauzmajstor.co.yu HIDROTEK Ljutice Bogdana 2 Tel: 011 2666823 kontakt@hidrotek.co.yu

TICKET SERVICES

BEAUTY CENTAR Traditional Thai Massage Centre Knez Mihajlova 2-4 Tel: 011 3030003 www.menta.co.yu menta_bg@ptt.yu

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BILET SERVICE Trg Republike 5 IPS & MAMUT MEGASTORE Knez Mihajlova 1 Tel: 011 3033311 www.ips.co.yu

TRANSLATORS TODOROVIC AGENCY Tel: 011 2188197 BELGRADE TRANSLATION CENTRE Dobracina 50/11 Tel: 011 3287388 www.btc.co.yu natasa.ralic@btc.co.yu

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 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 We welcome suggestions for inclusion in the directory.

Please send details to: belgradeinsightmarketing@ birn.eu.com

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Friday, Dec. 5 - Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008