Belgrade Insight, No. 17

Friday • June 13 • 2008

1

NEWS NEWS 9

ISSN 1820-8339

771820 833000

Inside: Belgrade Insight’s Festive Eight-Page Guide to the Season

01

Issue No. 1 Dec. / Friday, 13, 2008 Festive Issue No. 17, Friday, 19,June 2008 - Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009

Crisis?

What Crisis?

Lure of Tadic Alliance Splits Socialists

While younger Socialists support joining new, pro-EU government, old felt the effects of the globala slump.

Milosevic loyalists threaten revolt over the prospect.

Though there may be fewer Christmas gifts under the tree this year in the rest of the world, the city’s retailers say they haven’t

Socialist leader Ivica Dacic remains the Serbian kingmaker

faces extinction unless it changes. to Serbia’s late president, Slobodan However, a strong current also Milosevic, and reformists who want Christmas shoppers on snapping up bargains attoa become pre-Christmas in Delta City flows in the opposite direction, led the party a modernsale Euroense negotiations a new govby party veterans enraged by the pean social democrat organisation. ernment have divided the ranks prospect of a deal with Tadic.

After eight years of stagnation, of theBy Socialist which holds VanjaParty, Petrovic goods, the average holiday shopBut, it seems that shoppers Markovic, a founderfor of the Socialists returned to centre stage the balance power between the per in ofBelgrade keep buying in Belgrade has bought much less than willMihajlo the time party,being. recently warned of a crisis afteryear, winning 20 of theto250 in the main blocs and has yet to announce last Bosko Trmcic, of according a seats survey if Dacic Ministry opts for theforpro-European parliament in the May 11 elections. which they support.

Statistics, the country’s National Retail Serbia’s f youside were in will Belgrade last year by bloc,that abandoning the Socialists’ “natWith the pro-European and nation“It looks as if the Socialists he expects consumption which showed that said during December, you maywill re- Federation, plummet much later than it has peralmost cent ofevenly shoppers had toural” member how acrowded the led city’s ideological partners. alist 47 blocs matched, move towards government by over rest ofathe world. supporter Though by in the shops and malls were analyst when Mithe not Markovic, prominent the finished Socialiststheir now gift haveshopping the final say the Democrats,” political discretionary spending statistics the second week of December.

A pre-New Year sales started. of Milosevic during the 1990s, is on the fate of the country. lan Nikolic, of the independent CenNovember and December massive 41 million people haven’t for year,Studies, thoughsaid. many seen as representative of the “oldNikolic believes the Socialists, led treThis of Policy “Butstores such have started their sales already, the yet started shopping at all. Moreo- haven’t yet been published, he timers” in the party who want to stay

by Ivica Dacic, will come over to a move might provoke deeper divishopping districts and malls seem ver, according to another survey added that he doesn’t expect to truemuch to the change former regime’s policies, Tadic, if only out of a pragmatic desions and even split the party.” see from this time published by America’s Research nowhere near as packed and the evenyear. though these almost ruined the sire to ensure their over political Simultaneous held Group and UBS, 40 survival. per cent last shopping hysterianegotiations we saw during good. groupsay of younger Socialists with2007 the pro-European andseems nationalshoppers they will spend Socialists “We areforexpecting a slight fall the holiday season to of “The this year. in November’s figSome younger Socialist officials gathered around Dacic seems to be in consumption be ist missing. blocs have drawn attention to a less situationNikolic is much theadding same ures, the frustration financial crisis hasn’t However, have but voiced over the conin The the majority”, said, deep rift inside thewhilst Socialists.retailers UK, where believe iconic the brands, the country yet their as it own has across world“old-timers” seem to be in inthatthe tinuing impasse within these reformists party affected This the divides loyal

By Rade Maroevic in Belgrade

T

I

meltdown, predicting some of the worst Christmas sales in decades, Belgrade analysts and retailers say OF change that thereTHIS hasn’tISSUE been much Insight in salesBelgrade volume when compared to IS SUPPORTED BY: filast year, adding that the global nancial slump hasn’t yet affected Belgraders’ spending.

In the US, despite heavy discounts and limited-time deals on

such as Woolworths, have slipped into receivership and retailers have been frantically scrambling Insight toBusiness re-negotiate lease contracts and payment terms. According to a Confederation of British Industry survey, 67 per cent of retailers reported lower sales in the first two conomists are warning that proweeks of December, compared to longed uncertainty over Serbia’s the same period last year. future could scare off investors, lead

Costs Mounting

E

to higher inflation and jeopardise prosperity for years to come.

“This year has been lost, from the standpoint of economic policy,” says Stojan Stamenkovic of the Economics Institute in Belgrade. page 5

the European Union,” Trmic said.

“This fall happened in the EU over two months ago, and I’m Neighbourhood Matters not sure when it will happen in Serbia. It will, just not yet,” he added.

Trmic said that November discretionary nearly alhile spending the footballisworld watchways smaller than October, and he es events unfold at the Euroexpects that the numbers this year pean Championships in Austria and

Football Rebellion

W

Switzerland, Bosnia is experiencing a soccer rebellion, led by fans, players and former stars who are enraged by what they see as corrupt leaders of the country’s football association leaders. page 10

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 security for the Socialist leader.

In addition, the Socialists are barby ministries, Sophie Cottrell gaining Photo for other including capital investments, Kosovo and education, Belgrade media reported. will be slightly lower, but not sigTadic has denied talk of horsenificantly. trading with22 theper Socialists, In 2007, cent ofmaintainSerbian ing that ministries onlyon to household incomewould was go spent those committed to working the discretionary goods.

By thefor third quarter of 2008, discretionary government’s “strategic goal”. spending had nudged ahead by 0.5 At the same time, Dacic seems reper cent to 22.5 per cent. luctant to call off negotiations with agree with analysts theRetailers nationalists. that the financial crisis hasn’t af“If we don’t reach an agreement fected holiday shopping. with the DSS and par“Currently weRadicals, don’t thehave ty leadership decidediscounts, on future any pre-NewwillYear steps”, Dacic announced, following but nevertheless, we haven’t felt that shoppers arecountry’s spending the first session of newany parless thanonthey were spending last liament Wednesday.

year,” Pintic, manager Source: said BalkanLidija Insight (www.balkaninsight.com) of Mango at Delta City.

Jelena Bukazic, manager of the Esprit store in Delta City, echoed Pintic, saying “We have started to discount because we do this every year and not because of the financial crisis. There really hasn’t been a change and people are spending as much as they do every year during this time.”

POLITICS EDITOR’S WORD

Vuk Jeremic’s confrontational diplomatic style has Belgrade slipping down the league table of future European Union R. members

By Mark Pullen and is antagonising Serbia’s Balkan neighbours.

Political Predictability

Many of us who have experi3 enced numerous SerbianPage elections rate ourselves as pundits when it BELGRADE comes to predicting election reAssults we and enterpost-election the festive season, moves. the city’s residents are preparing for We feel in-the-know because Christmas, though the holiday’s traour experience of elections in Serditions have changed over the years. bia has shown us that (a.)Page no single 4 party or coalition will ever gain the & ABOUT majorityOUT required to form a government, and (b.) where politicaltonegotiations Thinking about go for skiwillthis never beBelgrade quickly concluded. ing year?

Insight gives a realistic Bulgaria’s most Even view whenof the Democrats popular ski resort, Bansko. 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).

Drawn-out negotiations are also the norm. One Belgrade-based Page 10 Ambassador recently told me he was also GOING alarmedOUT by the distinct lack of urgency among Serbian politicians.

“The country is at a This week, our music correspondent standstill and Ia don’t understand reviews So Sabi, West Africa-influenced a staple their band logic.which If theyhas arebeen so eager to ofprogress Belgrade’s music scene for nearly towards the EU and enten years. courage investors, 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.

Tennis and swimming provided a beacon of light for Serbian sports, as most team sports took a back seat in 2008.

Page 14

NEIGHBOURHOOD Our Brussels correspondent examines the prospects for the Balkans at the EU and in NATO during 2009.

Page 8

Source: www.weather2umbrella.com

2

advert

Friday, Dec. 19, 2008 - Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009

politics

Friday, Dec. 19, 2008 - Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009

‘Undiplomatic’ Jeremic Irritates Brussels The Foreign Minister’s confrontational diplomacy has Belgrade slipping down the league table of future European Union members and is antagonising Serbia’s Balkan neighbours.

S

Country in Brief Serbian Railways ‘Threaten Kosovo Sovereignty’

By Branka Trivic in Belgrade

erbia’s Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic has become increasingly popular at home with his unyielding stance on Kosovo, but Brussels is slowly losing patience with his defiant rhetoric, and is now threatening to push Serbia to the end of the EU accession queue.

Originally seen as a dedicated proEuropean due to his Western education and long years living abroad, the 33-year old confounded expectations with his uncompromising stance and hard-headed intransigence on breakaway Kosovo.

Instead of pragmatism, he has opted for confrontational “personae non grata” edicts to Western and regional diplomats whose countries recognized Kosovo, and melodramatic statements that reinforce an image of Serbia as a victim of “big power” politics.

“The time has come to say: ‘Enough is enough,’” he declared recently, accusing Brussels of creating ever more obstacles for Belgrade on Jeremic: More popular at home than abroad its path to the EU. This aggressive style of commu“When you talk to EU diplomats reach to allow the EU to lift the visa nicating with European interlocutors prompted Germany’s DPA news today about the visa issue for exam- regime,” Kacin said. “The ball is in agency to comment that in a time of ple, they basically expect only one the court of the Serbian government, peace, Serbia seemed almost at war country from the Balkans to get visa- not the EU.” Knowing Jeremic from the time free travel in the next six months, and with the rest of the world. that’s Macedonia. Serbia is not being when he was Serbian President Boris Tadic’s adviser, Doris Pack, a Germentioned,” Knaus said.

“If you talk about candidacy, they man member of the European Par“I suspect the Serbian government have their own, different expect one country to get it: Mon- liament, also thought his statements not Serbia. This is a differ- were designed primarily for Serbian set of priorities. That’s legiti- tenegro, ent situation from even five months internal consumption. mate, but it’s not right to de- ago. Serbia is the last in the row, beShe recalls Jeremic addressing the clare the EU an enemy of Serbia hind everybody else”, he added.

European Parliament following Koson those grounds when the EuJelko Kacin, EU Parliament Rap- ovo’s declaration of independence on ropean Commission is actually porteur for Serbia, says Jeremic’s February 17.

“Sitting in front of all of us, he reconfrontational style with the West is the biggest ally of Serbia.” intended for Serbia’s domestic politi- peated and repeated: ‘I am ashamed as a European… I am ashamed as a Jelko Kacin, EU Parliament cal theatre.

“I suspect the Serbian govern- European’, which at the end was toRapporteur for Serbia ment have their own, different set of tally ridiculous,” she says.

She added that far from being a priorities, so that’s legitimate, but it’s Balkan Insight sources in Brussels not right to declare the EU an enemy victim, “Serbia has the same condisay Serbia’s EU drive appears to have of Serbia on those grounds when the tions as other countries and it has to lost steam in the past six months, and European Commission is actually the deliver”.

“Foreign Minister Jeremic is very hold the foreign minister responsible biggest ally of Serbia”, Kacin said.

“We are always looking for a win- well aware of what is lacking and he for the slowdown.

Western diplomats, speaking off win situation, so making oneself a should not blame us,” she said.

One EU official, among many, the record, were critical of Serbia’s winner and the other party a loser, who has denied Jeremic’s claim that from the EU viewpoint, is both unrecent course and tone, saying BelSerbia’s EU accession has been “frograde was trying to shift the blame diplomatic and unpalatable.”

He adds that Jeremic appears to zen”, is Josep Lloveras, head of the for its failures and using the EU as want to provoke the EU to react to European Commission delegation in a scapegoat.

“It may be helpful for domestic his confrontational rhetoric, so that Belgrade.

“I understand the frustration in Serbian needs but he [Jeremic] is an he can then point the finger at BrusSerbia over the Stabilisation and Assels as an enemy.

He said he found absolute disaster when it comes to promotion of Serbia outside,” a Brus- Jeremic’s recent statements to Stern sociation Agreement not being ratified,” he said, “but sending the mesmagazine shocking. sels official said. sage that the EU accession process A German diplomat agreed that is frozen risks demotivating people Jeremic’s statements were starting “It may be helpful for domestic when it comes to EU integration,” to harm the image of his country Serbian needs but he [Jeremic] he said. abroad, while a Belgian counterpart Analysts close to EU headquaris an absolute disaster when it said it was “absolutely unacceptable ters predict that Jeremic’s aggressive to … misuse the EU for internal pocomes to promotion of Serbia diplomacy will have a boomeranglitical needs.” outside.” effect.

One told Balkan Insight that Some say that Serbia, which six Jeremic was only bringing forward months ago was regarded as the anonymous Brussels official the day when the EU would say that number one candidate in the region for Serbia to join the club, Kosovo after Croatia, has not only lost that would need to be there, too. That was position but has fallen to the bottom “I can’t understand why Jeremic not the position the EU held only a of the pile of EU regional aspirants.

There is growing frustration is accusing the EU of maintaining few months ago.

As if antagonising the EU was among Serbia’s friends and govern- a visa regime for Serbian citizens not enough, Jeremic seems to be dowhen Serbia was the first country in ments that were strongly in favour of its EU candidacy are now backing South-Eastern Europe to which the ing his best to annoy the neighbours off, says Gerald Knaus, of the Euro- EU offered the so-called roadmap too. He expelled the ambassadors of – benchmarks that Belgrade has to Macedonia and Montenegro when pean Stability Initiative.

3

The operation of a train service from Serbia proper into Kosovo’s Serb-dominated north is another act of interference by Belgrade in Kosovo’s sovereignty, Kosovo’s Transport Minister says.

Fatmir Limaj said that such actions damage the interests of Serb citizens and pledged that the Ministry of Interior will work with the European Union’s law-and-order mission, EULEX, in dealing with the issue.

On Sunday, a train crossed from Serbia and terminated in the north Kosovo north of Zvecan, some 38 kilometres inside Kosovo’s territory.

Bankruptcy Fear for Serbian Municipality

Source: www.eu2008.si their capitals recognised Kosovo, and was reportedly instrumental in pushing the government to launch a genocide suit against Croatia at the International Court of Justice over the ‘Storm’ operation that ended the 1991-95 war between Zagreb and rebel Serbs backed by Belgrade.

Meanwhile, the government is drawing closer to Russia, its old ally over Kosovo, sealing the relationship with a deal to sell a majority stake in the state oil company NIS in exchange for being included in the route of the South Stream natural gas pipeline.

“I understand the frustration in Serbia over the Stabilisation and Association Agreement not being ratified, but sending the message that the EU accession process is frozen risks demotivating people when it comes to EU integration.”

Josep Lloveras, European Commission delegation in Belgrade The European Union is not happy about the project because it undermines its plans to diversify its gas supplies with its own Nabucco pipeline, which will bypass Russia in favour of gas supplies from other countries.

Liberals in Serbia’s governing coalition also opposed the deal, calling the €400 million sale price for NIS laughable, and cited a lack of firm guarantees from Moscow that the pipeline will ever be built.

But Jeremic was one of the biggest supporters of the sale, sources say. He reportedly defended the move on “geopolitical and geo-strategic grounds” and said Serbia would surely need Russia’s support in the international arena in the future.

Source: www.BalkanInsight.com

Presevo municipality in Serbia’s south could go bankrupt following a decision by a local court that the Islamic community must be paid €300,000 in compensation for their property which was nationalised in 1958.

Nader Sadiku, the mayor of Presevo says that the verdict could completely block the work of local government for two months.

Blagojevich Case Raises Eyebrows in Serbia The case of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is not just making headlines in America but is also top news in Serbia, the country of Blagojevich’s ancestors.

Pictures of Blagojevich have been dotting the main pages of Serbian newspapers since the FBI accused him of attempting to sell the Senate seat of United States President-elect Barack Obama.

Serbia Expects UN Court Backing over Kosovo Serbia expects the top UN court, the International Court of Justice to deem Kosovo’s declaration of independence illegal, Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic claims in an interview.

“I expect the International Court of Justice to decide during 2010 and to judge the unilaterally proclaimed independence of Kosovo illegal,” Jeremic told state-run Tanjug news agency.

4

belgrade chronicle

Friday, Dec. 19, 2008 - Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009

Serbian Christmas Customs, Past and Present Since the fall of communism, Serbian Orthodox Christmas traditions, firmly rooted in history, have undergone a renaissance.

The City in Brief Robbers Leave With €33,000 Two unknown persons robbed an exchange office in New Belgrade on Wednesday, escaping with about €33,000.

According to unofficial information reported by Belgrade daily Blic, one of the thieves walked into the exchange office and put a gun to the temple of one of the workers, who had no choice but to put all of the money he had into a plastic bag that the assailant was holding.

The worker who was robbed did not wish to comment to the media.

Firefighters Teach Students Fire Safety

Badnjak, a branch of an oak tree, is burned during prayers for health and happiness

By David Galic

S

erbs celebrate Christmas according to the old Julian calendar, which is why it falls two weeks later than Catholic Christmas, on January 7.

Religion declined in significance in socialist times, but the role of the Orthodox Church grew in the wartorn 1990s, uniting Serbs stranded across the former Yugoslavia. Most Serbs now see the Orthodox Church as a core part of their identity and look forward to the holidays as a chance for family reunions, gatherings with expatriate friends, and elaborate feasts.

The 40 days preceding Christmas are traditionally a time for fasting and reflection, a spiritual cleansing that for some is also a useful minidiet before the gastronomic excesses of the holiday.

“Before Christmas, people buy lettuce, onions and also pickled cabbage for sarma. We also sell a lot of dried red peppers, which are usually stuffed with rice,” said Dragan, who sells vegetables at the Zeleni Venac market.

But this is also an occasion for playful customs within the family: A festive game of “ransom” is played on the three Sundays that fall before Christmas. On the first Sunday, the parents must try to tie their children up and if successful, ask for a ransom to free them, which usually entails a hug or a kiss. It gets more serious in the next two weeks when the kids must first trick the mother and then the father, with children usually sneaking into their parents’ rooms while they are sleeping and trying to tie their feet to the bed posts.

If they manage it, the children are rewarded with sweets, presents or

even ‘ransom money’ which the parents use to pay for their release.

On Christmas Eve, people usually go to church for the Christmas mass, a ceremony rich in Byzantine pomp and ancient symbolism, while others huddle in groups outside the church, drinking tea or hot toddies made with plum brandy.

When meeting acquaintances after midnight, it is tradition to greet them by saying “Hristos se rodi,” (Christ is born), to which they will reply “Vaistinu se rodi” (Indeed He is born).

“The polozajnik brings blessings to the home. He is announcing the birth of Christ, and the family accepts his announcement.”

Father Dragan Terzic of the Holy Archangel Gabriel Church Back at home, straw is set under the table to represent the manger in which Jesus was born. On Christmas morning, the father would traditionally go into the woods and bring back a “badnjak,” or Yule log, that would be burnt while praying for health and happiness, a tradition rooted in the pagan customs of the pre-Christian Slavs. Nowadays, in Serbia’s big cities, a bunch of oak twigs is most commonly bought at the local market, and families gather to burn their badnjak in their courtyards along with friends and neighbours.

After weeks of fasting mostly on fish and pulses, people look forward to the rich Christmas Day feast, planning elaborate dishes of roast meat, often suckling pig or lamb, cooked on a spit, and more recently also turkey or duck.

“For Christmas Eve, a lot of people buy dried fruit – apricots and figs,

Source: www.montenegro.citymax.com

as well as walnuts, hazelnuts, and almonds, used for snacks or to make cakes,” said Ljiljana, a merchant in the market.

Another staple of the Christmas meal is the “cesnica.” In most regions in Serbia it is a loaf of bread similar to the cookies and cakes served to guests on slavas (saint’s days), but in the province of Vojvodina, most typically in the Srem region, the cesnica takes the form of a syrupy pastry similar to Turkish baklava.

Regardless of its form, a coin is placed into the cesnica while it is baked, and whoever gets the piece with the coin is said to have exceptionally good luck in the New Year.

Earlier, the tradition was that Christmas gifts were exchanged on Saint Nicholas Day on December 19, to honour the generous 4th century Bishop of Myra who gave all his wealth to the poor. Eventually the Serbian equivalent to Santa Claus, Bozic Bata, came into the gift-giver role, leaving presents for the family on Christmas Eve, although many people exchange gifts

on New Year’s Day in keeping with a Yugoslav-era preference for secular holidays.

Another key Serbian custom is the tradition of the “polozajnik,” the first person to enter the family’s home on Christmas Day. He or she does not have to be of the same faith, nor a close friend or family member, and could even be a total stranger.

The polozajnik’s entry into the home is meant to symbolise Jesus Christ’s entrance into the world, additionally serving as a reminder that everyone is a traveller of the world, one of God’s creatures.

“Slavic hospitality is renowned historically, and this has been transferred to modern times as well,” said Father Dragan Terzic of the Holy Archangel Gabriel Church in Belgrade. A crown of baked bread, representing the body of Christ, is prepared and given to the polozajnik when they enter the home.

“The polozajnik brings blessings to the home,” Terzic said. “He is announcing the birth of Christ, and the family accepts his announcement.”

Primary school students in the Belgrade municipality of Rakovica put out fires on Thursday with the assistance of the local fire brigade.

The event was focused around a contest in which students were asked to create a picture or story about “Firefighters in Action.”

Fourth grader Aleksandra Micic, who won the contest with her drawing, said that the events made her want to be a firefighter too.

Local firefighters showed students how to properly use fire extinguishers.

Free Internet for Schools The government has signed a deal with internet provider, Telekom, to offer free internet to primary and high schools in Serbia.

Education Minister Zarko Obradovic said that the move will help promote computer literacy.

The deal will provide 1,851 schools with internet access. According to the most recent statistics, only 11 percent of school children in Serbia use the internet regularly.

Students Send Gifts to Kosovo Kids A group of students from the Belgrade Law Faculty has organised donations for Serb children living in Kosovo enclaves.

The action is called “Smiles for Gifts”. The organizers of the action hope to be as successful as last year, when 700 children received gifts.

All those interested in helping can bring their gifts to the main hall of the Law Faculty.

UNHCR to Prove Aid for Refugees

Traditionally, straw is laid on the floors

In the next two years, the UNHCR will make efforts to provide more political support and financial help to Serbia for the integration of refugees.

According to government statistics, some €140 million is needed to help 97,000 refugees, who cannot be placed by either the UNHCR or the international community.

UNHCR stated that it would do all it can to help those who are in the most dire of circumstances – living in collective centres and private Source: http://imageshack.us homes.

belgrade chronicle

Friday, Dec. 19, 2008 - Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009

Belgrade is All Set to Party This New Year

B

The celebrations may be less lavish this year

S

Belgrade’s New Assembly Speaker

ocialist Aleksandar Antic, was recently elected as Belgrade’s new assembly speaker after Branislav Belic, who held the post before him, resigned citing personal reasons.

Antic said that the “councilors and public will be able to expect a higher level of democracy and culture within the city assembly.”

Belic told journalists that he made the decision several weeks ago, and that he informed Mayor Dragan Djilas of it, who showed “understanding and acceptance of his decision to resign.

He said that he accepted the job in the summer in order to help constitute the assembly, adding

S

Source: http://lh4.ggpht.com

that he would remain a city councilor.

Belic was named president just before the deadline for constituting a city government expired in the summer, at a time when there was uncertainty over whether the Socialist Party of Serbia would join Pro-European parties to form a coalition or the nationalist bloc led by the Radical party and former prime minister Vojislav Kostunica’s Democratic Party of Serbia.

The assembly’s December 15th session included more dismissals and new appointments, with directors of two Belgrade healthcare centres being sacked following “misuse of office” allegations.

B

Belgrade Tourism Organisation official Jasna Dimitrijevic told local daily Press that interest from people in Bulgaria, Greece and Macedonia has increased since the announcement that famed Serbian rocker Goran Bregovic would be entertaining the crowds this year on a large stage set up in front of the national parliament.

About 11,000 tourists are expected from the region alone, but more exact numbers will not be known until after the New Year, when tallies from hotels and hostels arrive, since most are travelling to Serbia independently and not through agencies.

The press report that occupancy rates are high in the hotels, over 90% in some cases and that most hostels are also either completely full or expect to be in the week preceding the New Year celebration.

Mayor Announces Metro Plans

elgrade Mayor Dragan Djilas said that a Russian delegation would visit Serbia in January to discuss the possibilities of building a metro in the Serbian capital.

He also said that the Russians would additionally discuss the supply of vehicles for the city’s public transport system, Belgrade daily Glas Javnosti writes.

After meeting with Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, Djilas said that Russia has shown great interest in participating in large infrastructure projects in Serbia.

Regarding the plans to build a metro in Belgrade, Djilas said that consultations would be held with experts from many European countries

to determine what kind of system would be best for Belgrade, adding that politics should be put aside in order to find the best solution.

The China Development Bank will be opening headquarters in Belgrade soon, and are also interested in financing a metro system, Djilas noted, adding that the most appropriate method to finance such a scheme would be at an intergovernmental level. The China development bank has provided similar infrastructure loans elsewhere on advantageous terms.

Djilas said that a metro project would cost several billion euros in the first phase alone and would provide opportunities for a large number of domestic construction companies.

Belgrade’s Stari Grad Municipality is Doing Business Better

tarting a business in Serbia can be a time consuming and frustrating process, taking 23 working days and 11 separate procedures, which, according to a World Bank survey, is almost twice as long and involving almost twice as many separate procedures as the OECD average.

This places Serbia 101st in a list of 181 countries ranked by the survey.

In an effort to address this problem, the Stari Grad Municipality of Belgrade, which includes the most central neighborhoods of the city, has reorganised its business systems, making the administrative processes involved in starting and operating a business quicker and more efficient.

The municipality has centralised its systems and business owners have

Homeless Shelter to Expand its Facilities

T

elgrade has long had the reputation of a party city, and every year large number of foreigners come to the Serbian capital to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Slovenians seem to be the most numerous every year, with some 8,000 expected in Belgrade for this year’s festivities. There are also numerous tourists coming from France, Germany, the UK, Bulgaria and Greece, and also from neighbouring countries such as Macedonia, Montenegro and Bosnia.

Despite budget cuts, made in response to the international economic crisis, reducing the scope of the planned festivities this year, Belgrade’s hospitality industry is not predicting that the turnout by foreigners on Belgrade’s streets and in its clubs and bars will be affected.

he homeless shelter on Belgrade’s Kumodraska street, has received the go-ahead from the urbanism and construction secretariat to expand its facilities from the current 940 to 3,400 m2.

The shelter has 104 available beds and currently houses 122 people.

This number is expected to increase as temperatures plummet.

Since all the beds are usually occupied during the winter, many just

come to eat or take a shower and then leave, because they have nowhere else to go.

“It is good that after five years of fighting, something like this has happened,” shelter director Dragoslav Grinvald told daily Blic.

He added that though it would take time for the project to begin, the approval of the secretariat is a step in the right direction. Grinvald said that if the project begins construction in early 2009, it could be completed by the end of the year.

The city assembly must now adopt the secretariat’s decision before plans for the construction can unfold.

Social and Child Safety Secretary Vladan Djukic confirmed that all necessary licences have been given for the project and that the project should be completed on time.

“Two more floors are being built, which will expand the shelter and a yard is in the plans as well,” Djukic told Blic.

one central point of contact.

Previously, dealing with the municipality could involve trips to many different offices to solve even the most minor of issues.

The municipality has received ISO 9001 certification for its system, an internationally recognised programme guaranteeing quality and consistency standards and was recently named as the “municipality of

the future” by the Club of Economic Journalists and the Chamber of Commerce’s Centre for Small and Medium-Sized Companies, in recognition of its efforts.

Aleksandar Djordjevic, an expert for ISO standards told Belgrade daily Blic that a human resources strategy has been drafted that aims to further improve the work of the municipality.

White Lion Cubs Born in Belgrade Zoo

Belgrade zoo’s new additions are expected to draw crowds

R

are white lion cubs were recently shown to the public for the first time at the Belgrade Zoo. The cubs are the first of their kind born in Serbia.

The Belgrade Zoo expects the two cubs to become a very popular attraction, as there are reportedly less than 200 living in captivity worldwide.

According to zoo officials, the mother of the two cubs, which were

born last week, is also a white lioness, while the father is a regular lion. White lions are genetically rare, but they are not a different species or albino.

White lions are unique to the Timbavati Area of South Africa, and are both considered holy by locals and prized kills for poachers in Africa.

According to a 2004 study, there were only 30 white lions in the African wild.

5

Profile of the Week

Vuk Jeremic

By Slobodan Georgijev

V

uk Jeremic was an intriguing choice when he became Serbia’s youngest foreign minister last year at age 32. He was tasked with leading the country’s diplomacy at a time of crisis over the secession of Kosovo and Belgrade’s halting progress towards European Union membership. He comes from a well-connected family that held positions of power both in Yugoslavia and during the Milosevic years. He studied in Cambridge and Harvard, and worked in investment banking His first foray into public life was when he founded the Organisation of Serbian Students Abroad , but he made a name for himself in Serbia after the fall of Milosevic in 2000, when his mentor Boris Tadic, then Telecommunications Minister, made him into one of his advisors. After a spell in the Defence Ministry, he followed Tadic to the presidential palace in 2004 as a senior advisor. He was appointed foreign minister in 2007, a controversial move due to his age and lack of formal diplomatic experience. Nationalist parties were suspicious and questioned his dedication to Serbia’s national interests, while Washington and Brussels were heartened by his pro-Western image.

He has since managed to surprise both sides and force them to reassess their preconceptions.

He has led Serbia’s diplomatic efforts against Kosovo’s independence with single-minded intensity, criss-crossing the globe to renew ties of friendship with Third World countries that became useful allies in a key United Nations vote. He does not shy away from grand statements, and his defiant rhetoric seems intent on testing the limits of the West’s patience.

“We will never recognise Kosovo and if we are in a position to have to choose between Kosovo and the EU, we will choose Kosovo,” he said this autumn.

This gung-ho approach has not won him friends in Brussels, and sources say Tadic has been receiving hints for Jeremic to tone down his statements.

“The time has come when we have to say it’s enough,” Jeremic said recently to the EU. The posturing might grate with some urban sophisticates wary of another round of self-isolation for Serbia, but has made him popular with nationalists, his appeal underscored by tabloid reports of an alleged assassination plot by a Kosovo Albanian group.

A survey this month showed Jeremic to be Serbia’s second most popular politician with a positive rating of 34 per cent, trailing only president Boris Tadic.

6

business

Friday, Dec. 19, 2008 - Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009

South Stream Turns into Southern Dream The politics surrounding the pipeline seem to be as important to regional countries as the gas that may eventually flow through it.

By Stanimir Vaglenov

F

rom Italy, across the Balkans, to Bulgaria, local communities appear eager to join Russia’s ambitious gas pipeline project, despite the risk of growing energy dependency on Moscow.

“We have enough ecological problems even now,” says Ivan Gebrev, an hotelier in Pasha Dere, near the Bulgarian Black Sea city of Varna. “If the South Stream pipeline is laid here, it will be the end of our business.”

A day earlier, the beach at Pasha Dere, near where the South Stream gas pipeline is expected to surface, was polluted by a spill. Gebrev sees this as ominous. “It’s not the first time this has happened,” he says, gloomily. “But no one is ever fined.”

The gas pipeline is meant to transport natural gas from Russia to Italy via Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, Hungary and Slovenia. While its fate is a hot topic amongst governments and businesses, communities along the 5,000 km route are slowly absorbing the implications.

Some fear environmental damage, but most see it as an economic boon.

The project has strong political as well as economic connotations.

For Russia, the driving force, South Stream is a counterweight to the Nabucco pipeline, backed by the United States and European Union to deliver natural gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe, bypassing Russia.

Balkan countries find themselves caught between two geopolitical powers. Many Western experts and some Balkan politicians, too, say Russia has routinely threatened to alter the route to push hesitant governments into line. The current deadline for South Stream to come on stream is 2013-2014, coinciding with the planned launch of Nabucco.

“This pipeline will be used as a political counter-weight to NATO’s defence shield.”

Assen Agov Democrats for Strong Bulgaria The Russian-Georgian war in August 2008 dealt another blow to Nabucco, because Georgia forms a key link in the Nabucco chain. Although the Russians were careful not to bomb the pipeline, the conflict exposed its vulnerability. Indeed, some analysts now argue that the main aim of Moscow’s operation in the Georgian province of South Ossetia was to disrupt the alternative pipeline project.

“After the military conflict with Russia, Georgia could not remain on the energy map as a reliable route for oil and gas transit,” Pavel Baev, of the International Peace Research Institute, in Oslo, says.

Bulgaria – Russia ’s Trojan Horse My journey along the pipeline took me to Sofia, where authorities solidly support Russia’s plans. Although 90 per cent of Bulgaria’s gas supplies already depend on Gazprom,

NIS building in Novi Sad Sofia committed to South Stream in 2007. The agreement states that Bulgargaz Holding, the state company established to run the project, will own 50 per cent of shares and cover 50 per cent of research costs. Opposition politicians accused the government of treason. “This pipeline will be used as a political counter-weight to NATO’s defence shield,” Assen Agov, a deputy for the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria, complained.

Russia has been open about using its traditionally good relations with Bulgaria. “(Bulgaria) is interesting to us as an EU member,” the Russian ambassador, Vladimir Chizhov, told weekly Kapital in November 2006, a month before the country joined the EU. “Bulgaria is in a good position to be our special partner, a kind of Trojan Horse of our own in the EU.” The government, however, remains unapologetic and supporters of the project estimate an annual profit of more than €300 million in transit taxes. “If Bulgaria hosts both pipelines, it will receive twice as much in transit taxes, as well as a lower price for the gas it uses, due to the competition,” says Mihail Korchemkin, of the US-based think tank, East European Gas Analysis.

For Vojvodina, its about survival Some 500 km to the west, opinion in the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina is equally enthusiastic. “People here are poor,” says Vladimir Grigic, a local in Banatski Dvor, home to Serbia ’s largest gas storage facility, owned by Serbia’s energy company, Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS). “They hope the project will be good for employment.”

Zorana Mihajlovic Milanovic, a former energy adviser to the government says South Stream “would

Photo by Stanimir Vaglenov make Serbia less dependent and better able to use its position in the Balkans.” “But the agreement between Russia and Serbia is less beneficial to us than the ones Moscow signed with other countries,” she adds.

The deal sees Gazprom acquiring 51 per cent of NIS for €400 million, with the Russians committed to investing another €500 million by 2012. The Serbian government tried hard to renegotiate the terms, but the Russians did not budge.

Following South Stream’s probable route to the west, we reach Slovenia. Talks between Slovenia and Russia have so far gone well.

“If South Stream passes through Slovenia, it will increase the country’s importance [to European energy infrastructure],” Manja Vidic, from the Institute for Strategic Studies, says.

Russia’s power of persuasion We now head to Italy, headquarters of the other main player in the South Stream project, the oil and gas company Eni. It appears there are many routes to northern Italy, a fact Gazprom is well aware of.

“Gazprom discussed a new version of the pipeline route following disagreements with Austria,” the Russian daily Nevskoe vremya, reported in April. Bulgaria was prodded into line in July, after Russian media reported the pipeline might circumvent Bulgaria, passing through Turkey and Greece instead. Details are vague but a dispute appears to have started over ownership of the pipeline in Bulgaria.

More recently, in October, there were reports that Gazprom might include Romania in the project and exclude Bulgaria.

Sergei Blagov, an expert from the Jamestown Foundation, reports in Eurasian Daily Monitor: “Gazprom

is tempting the maximum number of countries, playing them off against one another” In Milan, Eni’s management declined to meet us. Addressing ecological concerns, a statement said:

“The problem is the West doesn’t know what it wants.”

Steve Levine, author of “The Oil and The Glory” “Eni and Gazprom will carry out the project using the most advanced technologies with full respect to the strictest environmental criteria.”

The only negative comments come from bloggers based in the southern towns of Brindisi and Taranto.

There, the coast is already polluted, they say. “I am not surprised Eni is so popular in San Donato Milanese, they see only their beautiful offices,” the Taranto blogger, Massimo Gepetto, says, sarcastically. “Those people should come over and see what Eni does with its refineries and pipes.”

Greece, delighted; America less so Further along, in Greece, we arrive at Igumenitsa, a small port town on the west coast. Met by milky fog and light clouds, we spot the dark silhouettes of a storage depot on the hills. This unlovely feature of the landscape is bound to expand if and when South Stream arrives, but there doesn’t appear much concern locally.

“Only a few people here have good jobs in tourism, so we can’t rely on this alone,” says Sokratis Matreas, a car mechanic.

Greek participation, besides further subverting EU hopes of main-

taining common policy on energy, perturbs the US. Recently, Matthew Bryza, Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of State, warned Greece it was heading towards total energy dependence on Russia.

It remains possible that South Stream will not materialise, and according to Korchemkin, “It could be a game, intended to ensure Russia is brought into the Nabucco project.”

But the European Commission categorically excluded the possibility, citing its strategic goal of diversifying energy sources. “It is of great interest to stick to the strategic goal of diversification,” the Commissioner for External Relations, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, said.

She noted that while Russia would remain an important supplier of energy for the EU, other countries needed to be developed. On the same day, the EU discussed increasing gas supplies with Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey, promoting their role as potential suppliers of Nabucco.

While American officials are cautious, some US commentators openly describe the South Stream pipeline as a threat to Western and US interests.

Steve Levine, author of a book on Caspian Sea energy, The Oil and the Glory, told Radio Free Europe that the US needed to lean harder on Serbia, Hungary and the rest. The West ought to “tell Russia we’re going to keep these [pipelines] on hold till we get a couple of things.” But, Levine added: “The problem is the West doesn’t know what it wants.”

This article was produced as part of the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence, an initiative of the Robert Bosch Stiftung and ERSTE Foundation, in cooperation with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network.

business

Friday, Dec. 19, 2008 - Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009

Serbia Torn Between Economic and Political Interests The planned sale of NIS to Russia’s Gazprom exposes deep political and ideological divides

T

By Vanja Petrovic and Ellie Tzortzi

he infighting in the Serbian government over a long-debated energy deal with Russia has exposed the cracks between proWestern technocrats and old-school ideologues, raising questions about the coalition’s conflicting priorities.

The original pact, signed in January, saw Belgrade agree to give Gazprom Neft, the oil arm of Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom, a majority stake in oil monopoly NIS in exchange for Serbia’s inclusion in the South Stream pipeline project and the building of a gas storage facility at Banatski Dvor.

Gazprom Neft was due to pay €400 million for 51 percent of NIS and invest €500 million by 2012.

Economy Minister Mladjan Dinkic, who in the past has called the sale price for NIS ‘insultingly low’, publicly left the negotiating team working on the deal last week, accusing his cabinet colleagues of jeopardizing the national interest by rolling over to Russian demands.

“Now the Russians agree to sign one binding agreement only, the one concerning ‘NIS’,” Dinkic said in an open letter, “so the papers regarding the gas pipeline and the storage facility…are not biding for them.

Thus, if we sign the agreement for the sale of ‘NIS’, Serbia gets no guarantees that the remaining two projects will happen.”

The deal has been controversial in Serbia ever since its inception in late 2007, with analysts painting it as politically motivated, a misguided payback for Russia’s support of Serbia over the issue of Kosovo, the former Serbian province which seceded in February with Western backing.

“It is hard to say what the main motivation is for this deal,” said Dusko Vasiljevic of the CEVES think tank. “It is a fact that the privatisation is very important, that it is necessary, but why this [deal] was offered to the Russians is unclear. Politics play a key part. At the moment when it was signed, with Kosovo happening, the deal was not entirely rational.” “[Dinkic] obviously wanted to highlight that he opposes this deal,” Vasiljevic said, adding it was obvious that the parties of the governing coalition -- the pro-Western Democratic Party of President Boris Tadic, the populist Socialist Party, and Din-

Mladjan Dinkic has resigned from the negotiating team Photo by FoNet kic’s G17 Plus technocrats – could not agree on key issues.

“This can also be seen over the issue of pensions, where they don’t have a clear agreement,” Vasiljevic said. “It is affecting the stability of the government because tensions are clearly high in the coalition right now.”

Miroslav Prokopijevic, an analyst with the Free Market Centre think tank, said the controversy was already damaging relations within the governing coalition.

“It could be a big step towards new elections, which would not be good for the pro-European forces,” he added.

Energy analysts say that despite its antiquated technology, NIS is an attractive company that could conceivably fetch a good price at an auction.

The leading oil company in the Balkans and the last of the region’s state owned oil firms to be put up for sale, NIS has an estimated book value of between $1 billion and $1.5 billion and dominates the Serbian market with a network of 500 petrol stations.

Investors are particularly interested in its refining monopoly, in place

up until 2010, which was granted to allow it to recover from the damage caused by the NATO bombing of its refinery in Pancevo in 1999.

“When you look at it from the perspective of NIS, the firm is being sold for a price lower than what could otherwise be achieved,” said business consultant Milan Kovacevic. “This agreement [with Gazprom] was clinched without sufficient regard for domestic interests, but instead with geopolitics in mind. “ “The motivation from the Russian side is to buy a company with significant refining capacity. From the Serbian side, they thought it would help us get the pipeline, but this is not necessarily the case. Lately, it’s becoming clear that the [three-part] package is falling apart and the only thing that will be immediately achieved is the sale of NIS.” Misa Brkic, economic editor of the Politika daily said the controversy was brewing partly because of the secretive way the deal was being negotiated, and also because the global financial crisis was adding to the feelings of uncertainty.

Market Watch: BELEX Falls Below 500 for the First Time

Zvonimir Petrovic In the period between December 12th and 18th, total turnover on the Belgrade Stock Exchange amounted to slightly over 836 million dinars, realised through 1,597 transactions.

The daily turnover declined four days in a row, only to drastically jump to 351 million on December 18 mostly thanks to renewed interest in AIK

banka shares. The BELEX indices continued their slump this week – the BELEX15 dropped by 7.03 per cent to 488.7 points, going for the first time below the 500 point threshold, while the composite index, BELEXline, was 4.52 per cent weaker at 1,093.59 points. The top traded issue over the period was AIK banka from Nis, with a turnover of 331.8 million dinars.

The construction company, Ratko Mitrovic, and the pharmaceutical producer, Zorka Pharma, were second and third ranked, at 39.2 million and 35.2 million respectively. Ratko Mitrovic topped the gainers’ list with a 23.65 per cent price increase, followed by confectionary producer Bambi and furnace manufacturer Alfa Plam, which rose

11.11 per cent and 7.24 per cent. On the down side, Metals banka was the first on the top losers list, plunging 20.68 per cent in the reviewing period. Technical gas producer Tehnogas (-20.00 per cent) and civeil engineers Putevi Uzice (-17.65 per cent) saw significant price declines this week as well.

Foreign investors’ participation made up a healthy 49.8 per cent on average of total turnover, with pretty much equal share in buy-side and sell-side transactions.

Government FX bonds realised over €1.8 million, €838.9k on December 18 alone.

Zvonimir Petrovic is an analyst with FIMA Fas Ltd. in Belgrade.

“Countries don’t know how to conduct business,” he said, “and these two countries are acting like Tito and Lenin, being very secretive and quiet NIS will be sold to the Russians, but it’s not clear whether the other projects will be realised. I don’t believe even the Russians know – first they need to do a study, then they will know whether they can start building, and the economic crisis is so great that it’s very difficult to plan anything this big.”

The pipeline was originally due to begin operations by the end of 2015, but so far there have been few concrete details, and a feasibility study is still on the drawing board.

Despite the uncertainties and the reservations from Belgrade, the Russians are not budging, pointing to their many options for their route if Serbia bows out, and to NIS’s immediate need for an injection of cash to revamp operations.

NIS officials have said the firm needs an investment of up to €2 billion in the next three years to be able to compete with big oil companies after Serbia’s market is liberalised.

Unless this investment comes, the firm’s refineries will not be able to reach European Union quality standards, and it may eventually lose its dominant market share.

But the practical details of funding and modernisation seem to take a back seat to a strong ideological push from within Serbia, which raises the still unresolved question of East versus West.

The energy deal could potentially play into that, as the monopoly in supply, imports and refining it would create “contradicts the Stabilisation and Association Agreement [with the European Union],” cautions Prokopijevic.

Sources in the government say the Russians want the energy deal to be handled exclusively by officials belonging to the minor coalition partner, the traditionally Russian-leaning Socialist Party. Even if ministers from the much stronger and decidedly proWestern Democratic Party privately feel the accord is not the best idea for Serbia, they are in a tight spot because of Kosovo and a lack of similar gestures of cooperation and interest from the EU, which is still seen as a far-away prospect by many Serbs.

“Global relations are in play here,” Brkic said. “It is not NIS and Gazprom signing a deal, it is Serbia and Russia.”

7

Companies & Markets IMF Approval of Serbia Deal Delayed Radovan Jelasic, Governer of the National Bank says that approval of the loan facility agreed with the IMF will have to wait until the IMF Board meet in early January.

The €520 million facility was due for approval on December 19th but the board meeting has been moved to January for “technical” reasons.

The loan arrangement is conditional on Serbia’s agreement to some fairly tough macroeconomic policies including the maintenance of inflation in a 4 percentage point band.

New ECB Loans Agreed The government and the European Investment Bank, EIB, have signed contracts worth €120 million for development of infrastructure (€50 million) and for the modernisation of hospitals and clinics (€70 million).

The deal will allow for an additional 6,000 hospital beds at four key centres across Serbia and the rebuilding and repair of schools, and cultural premises.

The government expects to have agreed a further €250 million, this time for the development of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, in March next year.

Turkish Airways and Air India Interested in JAT At least two foreign airline companies are interested in strategic partnership with “JAT Airways”.

Their interest is thought to be related to the “European Open Skies Agreement” which will allow JAT much wider access to airports across Europe on its introduction in 2009.

Both carriers are increasing their international routes at a time which sees many of the more dominant players cutting back their capacity as lucrative business passenger volumes fall away.

Serbia Investigates Wind Energy The government’s Assistant Energy Minister Dejan Stojadinovic, says Serbia has the potential to produce 2.3 billion kilowatt hours of electric energy from wind power.

Elektroprivreda Srbije is examining the possibility of long term contracts which would guarantee the purchase power from renewable sources.

8

neighbourhood

Friday, Dec. 19, 2008 - Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009

New NATO States but no Visa-Free Travel Our Brussels correspondent examines the prospects for the Balkans at the EU and in NATO during 2009.

Olli Rehn: Regional progress steady but uneven

By Gjeraqina Tuhina in Brussels

T

wo new flags will be flapping in the breeze outside NATO’s Brussels headquarters next spring, marking the next wave of the enlargement of the Northern Atlantic alliance.

The two flags will belong to countries that come from a once very troubled corner of Europe, the Western Balkans.

After Albania and Croatia were invited to join NATO last April, at the alliance summit in Bucharest, their formal accession will be ratified in spring of 2009.

Officials at NATO say they are well satisfied with the candidates’ progress and are certain that by next spring, NATO will have two new members.

“With the ratification process underway, we are certain Albania and Croatia will take part as NATO members in our next summit, which will be held in the first week of April,” Carmen Romero, NATO deputy spokesperson, said.

The initial plan was for NATO to include three new states, but Macedonia fell by the wayside. Its application stumbled following a veto from Greek officials who argued that the country needed first to resolve its dispute with Greece over the use of the name “Macedonia”. Only then will Athens allow it to continue on the path towards Euro-Atlantic integration.

The failure to receive an invitation to join NATO and fix a date for

a start to accession talks during 2008 was a severe blow to Macedonia but NATO is standing by its Greek member’s wishes.

“As we said in Bucharest, we will issue a membership invitation to Macedonia as soon as a mutually acceptable solution to the ‘name’ issue has been reached,” Romero stressed.

The same rules apply in the European Union, where Greece has a strong ally in France. The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, in the beginning of 2008, made this clear, saying that in the “name” dispute, he was supporting Greece.

“The steady, although uneven, progress achieved in the course of 2008 lays the foundation for further progress during next year, therefore 2009 could be quite an eventful and important year when practically all the countries… take new steps forward on their path towards the EU.” Krisztina Nagy, Spokesperson for the EU enlargement commissioner Macedonia is not the only country in the region that has troubles with EU member states.

Though widely seen as the most advanced country in the Western Balkans, Croatia has a serious headache with its neighbour Slov-

We fly for your smile.

Source: www.emportal.co.yu enia over a disputed short stretch of coastline.

The dispute could conceivably prevent Croatia from opening any further chapters in the accession talks.

Croatia had aimed to conclude the negotiation process by next year and become the 28th member of the EU in 2010, a timescale acceptable to the the European Commission, as it emphasized in its last progress report.

The EU, meanwhile, expects that next year some other Western Balkans countries will take a step closer to Brussels institutions.

“The steady, although uneven, progress achieved in the course of 2008 lays the foundation for further progress during next year, therefore 2009 could be quite an eventful and important year when practically all the countries… take new steps forward on their path towards the EU,” Krisztina Nagy, spokesperson for the enlargement commissioner, Olli Rehn, told Balkan Insight.

One country to keep an eye on in this regard is Montenegro. Its government applied for EU candidate status in the dying days of this year.

Despite warnings from EU officials that the move might be premature, once the application was submitted in Paris on December 15, Brussels decision-makers welcomed it.

“Montenegro has reached a historical milestone, marking the country’s important engagement with common European values and fundamentals”, Rehn said in Paris.

Montenegro’s move will most likely trigger other applications in 2009. Albania is likely to seek the same status very soon. “If we see Montenegro applying, and the European Commission continues to insist that Serbia can become an EU candidate country next year, we cannot sit still anymore and remain behind,” one diplomat from Tirana told Balkan Insight.

Serbia, however, has some homework to do before it can achieve this goal. Its Stabilisation and Association Agreement, SAA, remains “frozen”, with the Dutch government insisting it can be activated only once Serbia is deemed to have fully cooperated with the Hague war-crimes tribunal.

This would involve Serbia arresting and handing over the fugitive former Bosnian Serb general, Ratko Mladic, accused of being behind the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, as well as other atrocities committed in Bosnia in the early 1990s.

The clock is against Serbia’s engagement hopes, as Rehn pointed out in mid-December, when he stressed that the timeframe remained feasible only “under the best possible circumstances”. “Every day that passes makes this more difficult”, Rehn warned.

Serbia can at least take comfort in the fact that it is well ahead of Kosovo, the former Serbian province that declared independence in February.

Brussels is relieved – and takes credit for the fact – that Kosovo’s independence on February 17 did not have more dramatic repercussions than it did.

“When it comes to… the Western Balkans, in 2008, the Cassandras were again proven wrong”, Krisztina Nagy noted.

“At the beginning of the year, many feared instability in the region related to Kosovo’s status process,” she recalled, “but once again, the clear European perspective worked to help keep the region on the European track”.

Kosovo, however, is all but excluded from EU-Balkans-related processes for the time being. Next November, the EU will release a “study” of Kosovo’s level of improvement. Initially planned as a “feasibility study”, the traditional form of analysis prepared for every

country that wishes to eventually join the EU, the term was downgraded to that of “study” following objections from EU member states that have not recognized Kosovo’s independence.

Kosovo is also out of the visa liberalisation process, owing to the fact that not every EU country has recognised the country’s independence or its passports.

The visa-free regime, a concrete gesture from Brussels that would have had a direct impact on the lives of every citizen in the region, has to wait for at least another year.

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia are part of so-called “visa liberalisation dialogue”. While setbacks in EU processes are usually the result of the countries’ own lack of progress, this is probably the first time that Western Balkans countries are not the only ones to blame for a delay.

Dialogue on visa liberalisation started in the first half of 2008 with the aim of concluding within 14 months, so that citizens could have visa-free travel at the beginning of 2009.

But the EU presidency, France, delayed the process, resulting in the postponement of the dispatch of expert missions to every country in the Western Balkans that would later prepare the evaluations.

It has now been decided that the initial missions will start in the first quarter of 2009, and that there will be at least two and sometimes three trips to every Western Balkans country.

“With the ratification process underway, we are certain Albania and Croatia will take part as NATO members in our next summit, which will be held in the first week of April.”

Carmen Romero, NATO deputy spokesperson Even if these missions accelerate their work, and even if their findings reach the Council on time, the whole procedure has then to pass through the European Parliament.

But with new elections for the European Parliament scheduled for May, the present parliament will end its work in spring 2009, and the new MEPs will not start work until October.

This makes a deal on visa-free travel impossible in 2009, with Macedonia, an EU candidate since 2005 that has also fulfilled all the necessary benchmarks for visa liberalisation, having only a ghost of a chance to access the arrangement in 2009.

Some EU diplomats, however, are saying they believe Brussels has already been “unfair” to Macedonia. So, one cannot exclude the possibility that with sufficient political will Macedonia may be allowed to speed up the process and finish the arrangements by the end of next year. If that occurs, Macedonian citizens may be part of so-called “white Schengen list” by the beginning of 2010.

Source: www.BalkanInsight.com

neighbourhood

Friday, Dec. 19, 2008 - Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009

9

Freed Gitmo Detainees Back in Bosnia

Families awaiting the detainees’ return Source: www.BalkanInsight.com

T

hree of five Guantanamo Bay detainees, who were recently freed by a United States judge, have been returned to Bosnia after seven years of imprisonment at the camp.

The three Algerian-born men who have Bosnian citizenship, Mustafa Ait Idir, Hadj Boudella and Mohammed Nechle, arrived at Sarajevo airport aboard an unscheduled flight on December 16th. The other two Guantanamo prisoners, who have Bosnian residency but not citizenship, could soon be joining them.

“Try to understand how happy I feel. For seven years I was held at the end of the world, in the worst place in the world,” one of the three freed men, Mustafa Ait Idir, said.

The release of the three men came after a United States federal judge, Richard J. Leon of the US District

S

Slovenia to Block Croatia’s EU Bid

lovenia will veto new talks for Croatia to join the European Union because of a long-standing border dispute between the two countries, Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor says.

“Slovenia has reservations concerning seven (EU accession) chapters, since the documents presented by Croatia could prejudge the common border,” Pahor told journalists after meeting the heads of all parliamentary parties, who agreed to the veto.

“And concerning another four chapters we also have substantial reservations,” he said ahead of an EU Intergovernmental conference in Brussels on Friday, where Croatia was hoping to open 10 new negotiating chapters in view of joining the European Union.

A

Court in Washington, ruled that the five naturalised Bosnian former Islamist fighters were held unlawfully for nearly seven years and ordered their release. A petition for a sixth man was denied after evidence allegedly proved his “links with AlQaeda.”

The six men are among a group of Guantanamo inmates who in October won a Supreme Court ruling which said that a 2006 law unconstitutionally stripped the prisoners of their right to contest their imprisonment with habeas corpus lawsuits.

The men first came to Bosnia between 1992 and 1995 to fight in the Bosnian war on the side of Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims).

The US government claimed that all six men had been planning to travel to Afghanistan to join “Al-

Qaeda” and take up arms against US and allied forces there. Yet in five out of six cases, the government “failed” to provide corroborated evidence to support its claim, said Judge Richard J. Leon in his ruling.

Immediately following the ruling, the five prisoners entered the release process and the first three, Mustafa Ait Idir, Hadj Boudella, Mohammed Nechle, were sent to Bosnia on Tuesday.

The case of the so-called “Algerian Six” has been haunting Bosnian authorities, who – under strong American pressure – arrested the group in October 2001 on suspicion of plotting to bomb the US and British embassies in Sarajevo. However, after a three-month investigation by Interpol, and by Bosnian and US authorities, the Supreme Court of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina found no evidence to support terrorism charges and on January 17, 2002 it ordered their release.

Instead, as soon as the men left Sarajevo Central Jail on the morning of January 18, they were handed over to US custody. On the same day they were transported to Tuzla in northeast Bosnia and then to a US military base in Incirlik, Turkey, before arriving at Guantanamo Bay on January 20.

The Human Rights Chamber of Bosnia and Herzegovina has claimed that the Bosnian government broke its own, as well as European law, by allowing the US to take the six men to Guantanamo.

Zagreb, which began talks to join the 27-member bloc in October 2005, has opened 21 of the mandatory 35 policy negotiating chapters required for membership.

Zagreb had hoped to open 10 more negotiating ‘chapters’ with Brussels and close five on December 19. This requires the approval of all 27 member states and is vital for the success of its plan to wind up the European Union talks by the end of 2009.

Slovenia, warned that documents and maps among the papers Croatia submitted to the European Commission were prejudicial in the territorial dispute, and threatened to allow Zagreb to open and close only a few chapters.

The two former Yugoslav republics have been unable to agree on a

sliver of land and Adriatic Sea border since they jointly proclaimed independence from socialist Yugoslavia in 1991. Slovenia joined the European Union and NATO in 2004.

France, keen to push Croatia forward during its current EU presidency, had proposed a compromise whereby Zagreb would sign a document saying it was in no way trying to enforce any border solution in its EU talks.

Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader last week however indicated he was not very optimistic.

Though diplomats say that Croatia has a number of reforms to undertake before joining the EU, they warn that the row with Ljubljana is the most imminent danger and has wider implications for the rest of the Balkans.

Macedonia Prepares Record-Breaking ‘Sarma’

round 160 female volunteers from the central Macedonian town of Prilep are trying to break the Guinness World Record for preparing ‘sarma’, a Turkish dish made of cabbage rolls filled with rice.

The current record holder is the Serbian town of Novi Sad whose citizens prepared 6,400 sarma rolls, though Guinness notes that the volunteers in Prilep are planning to make up to 80,000 sarmas.

“We have about a tonne of cabbage and 60 kilograms of rice. Each woman is set to prepare about 500 sarma rolls,” Ane Laskoska, one of the organisers of the event told local daily, Dnevnik, recently.

She notes that the preparation will be properly documented so that the judges from the Guinness Book of

World Records are able to reach their decision.

The dish, popular all over the Balkans and in many other parts of the world is usually made of minced meat, rice, onions, and various spices rolled in grape, cabbage or chard leaves.

But the local sarma variety is made without meat or any fat and is traditionally made in preparation of the holiday dedicated to Saint Nicolas, the patron saint of the town.

One sarma can have no more than ten grains of rice.

Prilep’s mayor Ljupco Risteski also joined the women and rolled a few sarmas himself. He instructed the municipality to start preparing documentation in order to protect the traditional Prilep Sarma as the town’s authentic dish.

Johnson hopes EULEX fully “grok” the situation

‘Grokking’ EULEX COMMENT

by Casey Cooper Johnson in Pristina

I

would like to welcome our newest members to the Kosovar community, the brave men and women of the EULEX law enforcement mission.

I imagine that for all of you EULEX newcomers, your arrival in Kosovo might seem a bit strange at first. Not to worry, this is a common phenomenon amongst EU people coming to serve democracy-building in Kosovo.

We all fondly recall the 2005 comment of your boss, Javier Solana, about the vast amounts of EU money spent on Kosovo, and the relatively modest results: “If I were from another planet, I would not understand.”

I just finished reading the classic novel by Robert Heinlein, “Stranger in a Strange Land.” It is an insightful and heartwarming tale of Michael Valentine Smith, a human raised by Martians and brought back to Earth as a young man. After a careful study of the new EULEX mission in Kosovo, I now fully “grok” (completely understand in mind, body, and spirit) that EULEX is Kosovo’s “Stranger in a Strange Land.”

But don’t believe me. Grok for yourself.

Michael Valentine Smith came to Earth from Mars’ highly sophisticated and advanced civilization.

EULEX comes to Kosovo from an equally advanced civilization.

Michael possessed superhuman powers to levitate and teleport. For Kosovars, traveling freely around Europe is akin to teleportation or levitation.

Michael discovered he had inherited vast riches and was infinitely wealthy. Compared to the 250 euros average monthly salary in Kosovo, your EU salaries will elevate you to instant billionaire status here. Martians, however, have no concept of money, and thus Smith was a very liberal spender. You too, of course, are encouraged to liberally spend your wealth during your stay in Kosovo.

Martians possess a remarkably high level of discipline, so that police and courts are unnecessary. EULEX also promotes discipline and selfcontrol, though they may need to

Photo by FoNet

provide police and courts to back that up for a while.

Michael Valentine Smith also possessed the power to “discorporate” people (remove them from Earth) by simply act of will. A couple of years ago, Romanian UN Police officers also “discorporated” two Kosovar protesters on the streets of Pristina, before returning to their planet, where they were awarded with intergalactic medals of honor. We humbly beg the EULEX Police officers to refrain from “discorporating” us at their will.

Michael founded a church and gathered many followers who wanted to share in the “miracles” of his “grokking”. For Kosovars, we have “grokked” that we all want to join the miraculous church of the European Union.

Martians wear no clothing, and thus, Michael and his followers were often completely naked. He also encouraged his followers to share in an enlightened practice of non-monogamous sex and free love. You will not find this happening in Kosovo, EULEX, so keep your pants on.

Finally, Michael Valentine Smith met his bodily end, much like Christ, willingly walking naked into an angry mob of citizens who disapproved of his revolutionary ideas and so stoned, shot, and beat him to death. Wow! Well, on this point as well, I think you need not worry. Even though thousands of Albanians and Serbs have been protesting over the deployment of EULEX forces in Kosovo, albeit for opposite reasons, it is difficult to reason that Rule of Law and EU Integration are “revolutionary” concepts.

And EULEX is definitely not Christ.

So relax, guys, we may protest a bit, but we won’t stone you.

In conclusion, we earthlings of Kosovo are a hospitable civilization, and welcome the Martian EULEX visitors with open arms. We want to “grok” your Rule of Law and to ultimately join you in the interplanetary coalition of Europe when we have further evolved. In the meantime, attempt to learn some of our Earthling Kosovar language, share water with us in the local bars, and be patient with our progress toward the ninth level of Martian enlightenment, after which we will finally be ready for induction to the Union of Europeans.

And if you have any spare time in between infiltrating the mafia, arresting bombers and indicting organ traffickers, do take the time to read, “Stranger in a Strange Land.” You will “grok” us Kosovars much deeper.

Source: www.BalkanInsight.com

10

out & about

Friday, Dec. 19, 2008 - Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009

Skiing in Bansko, Bulgaria: A Great Value Ski Getaway

Singing, wining and dining in Bansko

T

Fantastic mountain scenery, but don’t look down

A

s you drive south of Sofia, you see wide fields, hills covered with trees and bushes, and a dozen unremarkable villages that, seen from the road, look a bit ugly. Then, you turn east and suddenly you are heading towards the dramatic peaks of the Pirin Mountain. Half an hour later, the sternest amongst the Bulgarian mountains has engulfed you completely, snow shines on its tops in front of you, and the dark silhouettes of pine trees anxiously stretch out against the sky.

The road winds up to Bulgaria’s most modern ski resort, a bustling town with dozens of hotels springing up each summer and nearly 100,000 skiers coming every winter. The skyline makes it hard to believe Bansko was once a sleepy little town, where Bulgarians would come to drink heavy red wines, eat heavy meals and sing heavy songs, sinking into heavy romantic-nationalistic dreams. Apart from the splendid beauty of the mountain, this is what makes locals ignore the overdevelopment and keep coming – for a snowy, truly wintery weekend, or for a week closer to the sky, high up Pirin’s shiny peaks.

Perhaps after all the construction is finished, Bansko will be no less attractive than many of the mediumsized Alpine ski-resorts, but for the time being, it takes a bit of an effort to see its charm. Don’t give up easily and you may find that making the effort is worth it.

One of Europe’s Cheapest Ski Destinations Bansko remains one of the cheapest ski resorts in Europe. Although the constant construction and crowds don’t make it entirely enjoyable, low prices compensate the tourist looking for an affordable ski destination.

Photo courtesy www.balkantravellers.com

Price lists for lift passes, wardrobe, ski and snowboard schools, parking and other services for the 2008/2009 winter season are really competitive, and a six day ski pass and full equipment hire can be had for just over €200.

The Pirin Mountain The Pirin National Park is one of the largest in Europe.

The rugged mountains, with some 70 glacial lakes scattered throughout them, are home to hundreds of rare species, many of which are, according to UNESCO, “representative of the Balkan Pleistocene flora,” who also tell us that the “mountains also have diverse and unique landscapes of great aesthetic value.” But, with all that towering scenery outside your window, you won’t need UNESCO to convince you of that.

Pirin’s highest peak, Vihren, stands at 2,914 metres above sea level and is best accessible from Bansko.

You can reach its foot by car, driving up to the lodge of Vihren. To reach the top, you will certainly need rock-climbing experience, equipment and a guide.

Spa A spa treatment in Bansko may not always be as decadent and luxurious as one you’d get in Thailand, but many of the town’s pricier hotels are trying to refine their offer to reach a similar level of pampering.

A rose petal bath is unlikely to be on the menu, but there is a great chance that your masseuse will have studied medicine and are highly professional at what they do.

Hotels that offer spa facilities and treatments include the Kempinski Grand Arena, Narcis Spa Hotel, Ban-

o understand Bansko and to enjoy it, you need to get used to some of the peculiarities of Balkan nations first. One of them is the people’s love to sit at the dinner table for long hours, in heavy smoke, drink persistently until they fall in a dizzy melancholy, and then start singing to chase it away!

It doesn’t always work, especially for those amongst the listeners – the songs tend to be slow and sad and sometimes the dinners end with everyone crying at the table without really knowing why.

But curiously enough, the next morning those same diners will almost certianly describe the previous night as a wonderful and pleasant one, and most likely so would you.

Many foreigners find a certain charm in the heavy, somewhat obsessively emotional nature of the locals.

But leaving aside the sentimental, Balkan songs, another one of Bansko’s charms is its regional cuisine. It includes dishes with puzzling names, such as starets (‘old man’) and babek (‘old woman’) – both variations of cooked intestines – as well as a number of wonderful vegetable relishes and pickles, prepared in the back yards of the restaurants during the autumn months.

sko Spa and Holidays Hotel and the Lucky Bansko Aparthotel.

A Short Guide to Bansko’s Specialties:

Avoiding the Crowds

Banski starets: a thick sausage containing sizeable chunks of minced meat. It is not clear whether this is the region’s signature product, but it is certainly the one you’ll find most

It’s difficult to avoid the crowds in Bansko, but still possible with a bit of planning. The peak season is in January and February, but the snow often lasts until the end of April, and sometimes even May. For trekking around the mountain in solitude, you could try to access it via Dobrinishte, towards the Bezbog Peak.

You’re unlikely to find a quiet supper in Bansko – not just because of the tourists, but also because of the traditions - the noisier a place is and the louder the music, the better its reputation.

Some restaurants offer homecooked food in a family atmosphere, albeit a noisy family (a good pick is Baryakova kushta, 07443 44 82, 3 Velyan Ognev St.). You could also try the neighbouring town of Dobrinishte, which has an excellent restaurant – Makedonska kruchma (07447/ 22 74, 0888 792 299, 1 Georgi Temelkov St.).

When it comes to reserving a hotel, Bansko gets pretty crowded in January and February. You could either try one of the smaller boutique hotels, or look for a place to stay out of the town. One of the newer and promising ones seems to be Katarino, 10 km away from Bansko on the way to Razlog.

There are many ways to visit Bansko, and your experience will partially depend on the way you organise your trip. Just try not to look at some of the more ugly over-development and keep your eyes firmly fixed on the ski runs and the mountains and you may discover a place you will truly enjoy.

Source: www.BalkanTravellers.com

easily in other parts of the country sold as a delicacy from Bansko.

Lyutenitsa and kyopoolu: these two vegetable relishes – the first dominated by peppers and tomatoes and the second by aubergines – are offered by every restaurant in town.

They are, without exception advertised as homemade, although alas, that is rarely the case. Usually you can recognise the authentic product by the grainy structure and smoky taste from the open grills.

Kurvavitsa is a local version of black pudding, prepared by the town’s restaurants. Some add a touch of wild mint making it truly spectacular.

Katino meze is a stew is made of two to three types of meat (almost always containing pork and beef), fried in small pieces, then cooked slowly in white wine with leek, onions, peppers and mushrooms.

Another filling main dish is Kapama. This is a combination of rice and sour cabbage, and pieces of whatever meat the chef might have found in the fridge. It is cooked for a really long time – up to five hours, and when properly prepared, it is one of the most delicious specialties the region has to offer.

Chomlek is the champion of Bansko’s slow-cooked foods – it takes at least ten hours to boil. The dish is made from shin of veal, mixed with newpotatoes, leak, garlic, red wine and spices. All the ingredients are mixed and sealed in a clay pot, which is then left for half a day on the stove.

Smenka is a local name for a meaty local bacon joint which usually comes roasted on the grill.

Banitsa s’lokum is a sweet variety of a very popular Bulgarian pastry, banitsa. Unlike the standard banitsa, which is salty, this one is soaked in syrup and contains pieces of Turkish delight and candied fruits.

Source: www.BalkanTravellers.com

Photo courtesy of www.balkantravellers.com

the belgrader

Friday, Dec. 19, 2008 - Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009

11

Dining Out

Dju Dju

Good sushi, good service but does anybody know?

By “Trencherman”

I

t was wet and miserable and we’d walked almost the whole length of Strahinca Bana looking for a good place for dinner when we spotted Dju Dju just off to one side. “Korean & Japanese cuisine” read the sign, so in we went.

Any restaurant where they hand you a copy of Belgrade Insight as you arrive must be a pretty good place.

Clearly, they have style and class.

This basement restaurant has obviously had some money spent on it over the years. The decor is clean, with exposed brickwork overhead and lots of white and cream. Some very expensive, and unused, hibachi tables bear witness to a time when the world thought Benihana was the apogee of cool.

The place was devoid of atmosphere. There were just two other groups of diners on a Saturday night at around 9. A party hidden around a corner and two western businessmen, passing the time.

When in Tokyo, order saki. In Dju Dju however, we were unlucky – not

available. The waiter redeemed himself admirably however, by offering us an Umesu saki, made from plums, which was really rather good indeed. The wine list was over-priced and unadventurous so we followed the Umesu over the course of the evening, with more of the same, some passable white wine by the glass and a beer or two.

The menu is not huge, but ticks the boxes on most diners’ lists. A small range of soups, sushi and sashimi, tempura, teppanyaki, some rice dishes and keeping the Korean end up, quite a few dishes with Kimchi.

After much deliberation we ordered sushi, tempura and some more substantial dishes to follow.

The nigiri were well presented, the rice appropriately sticky and the tuna and salmon were perfectly fresh. The Tekamaki wrapper was a little chewy but otherwise good. California rolls were excellent, rolled in sesame seeds with a great filling. Enough ginger, wasabi and soy sauce were provided for us to go wild with the condiments.

The tempura was a big disappointment. Tempura batter should be light, crisp and thin. It should be made to order with ice-cold water and minimal beating. This tempura was thick, soft and greasy, it reminded me more of a poor British fish and chip shop.

Things picked up again with the next course – pork with Kimchi was spicy, the vegetables crunchy, the

Dju Dju: come for the food but don’t expect a lively atmosphere pork thinly sliced. The teriyaki beef fillet was tender and well cooked, the sauce a fine combination of sweet and savory. The yakimeshi rice we ordered to accompany the meat dishes was well prepared, mixed with sautéed vegetables, nicely sticky without being lumpy, and lightly spiced.

The one-man Maitre D. and waiter was not rushed off his feet and was attentive and friendly.

If a restaurant is not busy on a Saturday night in December, then warning bells should ring loud and clear for the owners. Perhaps the restaurant just needs to shout a little louder about itself, perhaps Belgrade is just not ready for Japanese food, perhaps everyone’s tried the tempura.

Tempura aside, the food was good and the prices relatively modest. The

Source: www.flickr.com sushi, although limited in range, was definitely at least as good as any in town, and the main dishes were well prepared.

Price Guide: 2250 – 2750 for three courses and drinks.

Dju Dju Corner of Strahinica Bana and Rige od Fere 16, 011 218 2276

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.

Li

Pomodoro

Pogodjena Patka

Strangely subtitled “Restaurant of Chinese-Serbian Cuisine” you’d think that they majored in some sort of strange hybrid food.

Sweet and Sour Sarma anyone?

Fortunately the menu is traditionally Chinese and the only Serbian characteristics of the dishes are the large portions.

This small Italian bistro does pizzas. Forget the pasta and the other main dishes, they do pizza. In fact we reckon they do some of the best pizza’s in town.

Have a salad and desert if you’ve got room, but really it’s all about the pizza.

The appropriately named “Hit Duck” specialises in game including duck and wild boar dishes, but also has a fair selection of international dishes on offer too. A relative novelty in Serbia, this place has a large salad bar so you can create the side dish of your choice.

One of the most highly regarded seafood restaurants and the pride of the Zemun quay, Saran is one of the best places in the city to experience traditionally prepared seafood dishes.

It is said to serve the absolute best fish stew in the city, as well as other seafood specialities and has a comprehensive wine list.

One of the last remaining privatelyowned traditional Serbian bistros (kafanas) in the capital, “6 and 400” boasts some of the most gracious service in the city. There is a non-smoking section located on the side of the bistro where one can eat in peace, especially in the evening, when the main dining room is almost always full.

Dimitrija Tucovica 1 011-3440154

Hilandarska 32 011-3342897

Djure Danicica 13 011-3340460

Kej Oslobodjenja 53 011-2618235

Ruzveltova 26 011-2422502

Oktopus

Kondir

Sassafras

Santiago

Kristal

Located in a run down part of town, along from the station, we guarantee you’ll be looking over your shoulder for muggers as you leave. But it’s popular with the locals, the seafood is good, the interior is classy and the service is accomplished.

This place is a spacious ethnic restaurant located in the old Belgrade neighbourhood of Dorcol offering traditional Serbian meals from the grill at very reasonable prices.

It’s popular with large groups and wedding parties.

This cosy bar and grill claims to be the only place in Belgrade to offer an authentic Philly Cheese Steak and offers other specialty burgers to keep nostalgic Americans happy.

A range of south and central american dishes make the menu here.

Santiago is small, the service is personal and they mix a mean mohijto. Also open for breakfast, when they serve up a wide range of interesting omelettes.

An classy restaurant in the heart of downtown Belgrade which prides itself on meeting HACCAP standards! Nevertheless, the authentic and well presented Italian dishes are highly recommended.

Brace Krsmanovic 3 011-2622509

Djure Djakovica 39 011-3290046

Cara Urosa 011-2637889

Majke Jevrosime 20 011-3237953

Kolarceva 1 011-3038280

Saran

6 I 400

12

the belgrader

Friday, Dec. 19, 2008 - Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009

Going Out

So Sabi

This West Africa-influenced band has been a staple on the Belgrade music scene for nearly ten years.

MUSIC REVIEW

by David Galic

T

he story of So Sabi frontman Raul Alberto Dias is not one of a typical musician in Serbia.

Dias is from the small West African country of Guinea-Bissau and came to Serbia in the early 1990s, when it was common for students from Africa to study in the former Yugoslav republics.

However, not many decide to stay, especially not to pursue a career in music.

The band started in 1999 as an acoustic band featuring mainly percussion and vocals, but has expanded to include a full band with guitars and keyboards. They base their music on sounds from Dias’ homeland, mixing African, Spanish and Portuguese styles and arranging them with an ear for pop structures that gives audiences both an authentic world music vibe and catchy, danceable tunes with tumbling African and Latino beats.

On special occasions the band is also joined by backing vocalists and a horn section, helping to crank out

African-style Merengue and other Latin dance beats that have their roots in West Africa such as Samba, Rumba and Calypso.

Raul’s songs are often sung in his native Portuguese-based Creole language, but the band has expanded its repertoire and added songs in English and Serbian as well to cater to their audience.

With several recordings under their belt, So Sabi’s strength lies in their live show, which you can experience at the annual costume party of the Technical Students’ Club, KST, on December 27, and at a New Year’s Eve show at the Bazeni club and restaurant in Obrenovac, on the outskirts of Belgrade.

If you already have plans for the winter season, So Sabi plays the Club-Cafe Plato - just off the city’s

main pedestrian walkway Knez Mihailova - every Saturday night, and will do a special three-night stint at the club to ring in the New Year for the first three evenings of January.

As for plans to release a new album, Dias said that new material is ready for recording in 2009, and will

Going Out

More and more clubs in Belgrade are catering to the growing popularity of Salsa, Tango and Rumba.

By Andrej Klemencic

C

lub Havana opened in 1992, at a time when Serbia was living in political turmoil. The club survived the stormy years of the wars to emerge as a hip place towards the

most likely be released by their current label, the state-owned PGP RTS. “The music will not change much in terms of style, but the sound will be better. We are a lot more experienced now, and you will hear that on the record,” Dias told Belgrade Insight.

Asked why he decided to stay in Belgrade, Dias laughed half-heartedly, since the chances are that he is asked the same question numerous times each day. His answer however, seemed genuine and honest in all its simplicity.

“I feel at home here,” Dias said.

My Picks

Havana

Latin vibes at Havana

Source: www.sosabiband.com

So Sabi: “World Music” at its best

modate over 800 people, making the summer version of the club one of the biggest in the city. Latin Themed evenings are, of course, the mainstay of the club’s programme: a mix of Latin dances, Salsa, Reggaeton and Tango depending on the day, with occasional evenings of Merengue and Bachata.

When dancing, you can enjoy the breeze of fans that came all the way from Cuba, going some way to redress the lack of air-conditioning in a space filled not only with cigarette, but also cigar and pipe smoke.

As expected of a Cuban club, there is an extensive list of cocktails and the Mojito and Daiquiri are among the best you will taste in town. Mojito in Havana is made in accordance to the original recipe from La Bodeguita del Medio in Cuba.

Prices are moderate to high. Havana opens at five in the afternoon, but don’t expect anyone to show up before 10 p.m. However, the place is most popular on Sundays when I suggest you arrive at around midnight. Havana is becoming very popular among tango worshippers, as the Photo by Andrej Klemencic dance gains popularity in Belgrade dancing circles. end of the 1990’s, becoming a favourHavana stands out as a good ite spot for actors, fashion designers, overall mix of Latin elements, with musicians and sportsmen. Many of good drinks and an excellent ambithese celebrities are still regulars. ence. Even if Salsa, Reggaeton or The club’s Cuban-style interior Tango are not something you would stands out in the city’s club land- seek out regularly, it is highly unscape: an all-wooden room with a likely that you’ll not enjoy the posidance stage for 50 people and a long tive atmosphere of a place visited by bar with side tables, where around a mix of generations and styles.

200 people crowd on busy weekends.

The large outdoor garden in the back Havana (open again as of April) can accom- Nikole Spasica 1

Sallumeria Menatti: Authentic Italian

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

By Rian Harris Need specialty food items for your holiday table?

One of my favorite places to shop in Belgrade is Sallumeria Menatti.

The first thing you’ll notice when you walk in is the enormous case full of prosciutto, salami, smoked turkey, chicken and ham. Much of it is from Italy, but they also offer domestic products from Zlatibor.

In the back, there is another beautiful sight: imported cheeses such as Brie, Gorgonzola, Pecorino, Emmen-

Source: www. www.menatti.co.rs taler and Gruyere. Menatti also offers hard-to-find items such as truffles, smoked salmon, pine nuts and pesto.

They have several shelves of imported canned vegetables, pasta, sauces, jams and cereals, plus another dairy case where I recently found prepared dough that makes divine croissants.

Their wine selection is also quite good.

On a typical trip, I pick up some Italian smoked turkey (which the staff will slice thinly to use for sandwiches), a block of Montagnolo (a triple cream soft-ripened blue cheese from Bavaria that is one of the yummiest cheeses I have ever tasted), and a few bottles of Beaujolais (they have the 2008!)

If you’re in around lunchtime you can take advantage of their prepared food selection, including sandwiches, salads, olives and quiche. Or, if you’re planning a party, Menatti does catering and gift baskets.

Sallumeria Menatti Svetozara Markovica 62, 011 3612778 Mon. to Fri. 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Sat. 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

advert

Friday, Dec. 19, 2008 - Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009

13

Advertorial

When you believe…

Usually in December we tend to look back on the past year.

Despite all economic indicators predicting a turbulent and tough year ahead worldwide - every hardship becomes easier if viewed as challenge.

It is a perfect time to mark success stories that do exist in our city: one of them is Airport City Belgrade business park, steadily growing in New Belgrade and still the biggest foreign investment in real estate. Over the last few years, three phases have been completed, in total 70.000m2 of the finest office space, with an enviable tenant mix which is a sure sign of ACB’s reputation.

At Airport City, we look forward to 2009 with caution but also with optimism: the new building is complete after just seven months and is ready for new clients to move in, in January 2009!

It covers an area of 1,700m2 and will offer 10,000m2 of prime business space.

The next, most demanding, phase of the complex in terms of investment and construction has started. After its completion this “City within a City” will once again change its looks with two high towers facing Omladinskih brigada street.

Belgrade visitors have already recognised Airport City as one of Belgrade’s landmarks and the 4,000 employees and their visitors coming here every day have the benefit of the finest working environment in the city.

ACB’s ongoing development continues to offer local subcontractors and companies that have chosen ACB as their business address a stable and profitable environment.

The project’s architectural beauty and ACB’s strong brand continue to attract major foreign companies. “ We have a great team of experts from Africa, Israel and Tidhar that have provided know-how. Through

Photo by Miki Trajkovic, December 2008 the skill of the local workforce and ness environment, we have become with equipment and materials of the the only choice for international highest quality and our long and de- business in Serbia. tailed knowledge of the Serbian busiWe have implemented the American

dream, both with the new building and its predecessors. When you believe in yourself, you can do everything” says Adir El Al, CEO of Airport City.

14

sport

Friday, Dec. 19, 2008 - Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009

A Year of Mixed Fortunes for Serbia’s Sport Tennis and swimming provided League and reached the European a beacon of light as most team Champions League last eight. It was sports took a back seat in 2008. a difficult year for a once trophy-lad-

By Zoran Milosavljevic

I

f it wasn’t for Serbia’s three tennis prodigies and American-born swimming hero Milorad Cavic, one might say with a degree of certainty that 2008 would have been a forgettable year for Serbian sport.

The following recap reflects how some of Serbia’s individual athletes excelled in the past 12 months, while most of the country’s teams had to be content with just qualifying for major events or watching them on television.

Soccer – Only a late flurry of World Cup qualifying wins under new coach Radomir Antic gave the national team’s fans sanything to cheer about after Serbia missed out on EURO 2008 and then crashed out of the Olympics. The country’s top two clubs, Red Star and Partizan, disappointed in the UEFA Cup, with corruption scandals and arrests of top soccer officials adding insult to injury in 2008.

Basketball – Serbia failed to qualify for the Beijing Olympics but made amends by reaching next year’s European Championship in Poland, while the country’s champions Partizan Belgrade won the regional NLB

AJ Too Good Basketball - Serbian basketball champions Partizan Belgrade are perilously close to missing out on a place in the Euroleague last 16, after a 73-59 defeat to Armani Jeans Milan left them with a 3-5 record in their preliminary group.

This depressing result means Partizan now have to beat Greek rivals Panionios in Belgrade and possibly also defending champions CSKA Moscow away, a truly mammoth task under any circumstances.

Milan, on the other hand, rekindled their hopes of squeezing into the second round with a third win in their last four matches thanks to Luca Vitali and Thomas Jobey, who scored 14 points each.

David Hawkins added 12 points while Lithuanian forward Mindaugas Katelynas had 10 and 9 rebounds.

Miserable shooting from the field and the foul line cost Partizan dearly as they fell behind by 10 points early on.

Although they cut the deficit to 34-31 late in the first half, a series of turnovers in the third period allowed the Italian team to pull away to 63-48 in the closing stages.

The final margin of some 14 points underlined Partizans current disappointing form.

en sport, trying to recover from mismanagement and talent outflow.

Tennis – The true source of joy for all sports fans in Serbia, young and old alike, after Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open in Melbourne, Ana Ivanovic captured the French Open at Roland Garros and Jelena Jankovic ended the season as the world’s best player, leading the women’s WTA rankings. Serbia also secured a berth in the Davis Cup World Group and face holders Spain in the first round of the competition in February. Djokovic rounded off a brilliant year by bringing a top-level ATP tournament to Serbia in 2009.

Volleyball – A quarter-final Olympic exit showed Serbia are on the decline, as their revamped side struggled to fill the boots left by medal-winning predecessors. A second-place finish in the World League showed there was still plenty of potential to grab more silverware in the future.

Handball – The game was off the map until the men’s team qualified for January’s World Championship in Croatia and stunned Russia in a EURO qualifier, rekindling memories of a glorious past within the former Yugoslavia. The women’s team bowed out of the European Championship in Macedonia with three group stage defeats.

Swimming – A phenomenal year for Serbia, thanks to its Americanborn hero Milorad Cavic, who won a gold medal at the European Championships in Eindhoven and a silver at the Beijing Olympics, before he captured gold and silver at the European Short Course Championships in Croatia. The 24-year old achieved all that despite not having a place of his own in Serbia, whose authori-

Novak Djokovic has plenty to savour from 2008. ties have finally rewarded the country’s best swimmer of all time with a €90,000 cash bonus.

Water Polo – All good things come to an end and so did Serbia’s domination of the sport. A top-place finish in the annual money-spinning World League was followed by a silver medal at the European Championships and a hardly deserved bronze in the Olympics,

News in Brief Swimming – Serbia’s Milorad Cavic won the 100 metres butterfly gold medal at the European Short Course Championship in Croatia, breaking the European record in the process, and also claimed the silver medal in the 50 metres event. French swimmer Amaury Leveaux finished 0.03 seconds ahead of Cavic in the 50 metres butterfly and also shattered three world records during the fourday competition in Rijeka.

Olympics – Serbia’s former NBA star and national basketball team stalwart Vlade Divac will run for President of the country’s Olympic Committee, the Serbian Basketball Federation (KSS) said after naming the one-time L.A. Lakers and Sacramento Kings centre as the body’s candidate for the post.

Basketball – Serbian and regional champions Partizan Belgrade beat Cibona Zagreb 69-56 to stay top of the regional NLB League and improve their record to 10-1, thanks to an impressive performance from Uros Tripkovic. The shooting guard led the way with 26 points, pouring in eight three-pointers from nine attempts.

Soccer – Rafal Bogunski scored a second half winner as Poland beat Serbia 1-0 in a friendly international, with both nations fielding understrength teams for the encounter in

the Turkish coastal resort of Antaliya. Striker Dragan Mrdja missed Serbia’s best chance for an equaliser.

Water Polo – Partizan Belgrade registered their second straight win in the European Champions League with an 8-7 away win against Hungarian rivals Vasas Budapest, following a 22-5 home rout of Marseille in the opening round. Serbia’s former World Cup winner Vladimir Vujasinovic led all scorers with three goals for Partizan.

Photo by FoNet

marred by a brutal fight between the team’s stalwarts Denis Sefik and Aleksandar Sapic. Serbia’s leading player Danilo Ikodinovic survived a horrible motorcycle crash but the injuries he sustained ended his glittering career.

Rugby – A minor sport in Serbia with a huge potential to pick up and win more fans provided it gets more attention and funding. The country’s

Rugby Union champions Pobednik Belgrade finished runners-up in the regional league after losing to Croatia’s Nada Split in the final while the Rugby League national team established itself on the European map.

Zoran Milosavljevic is Belgrade Insight’s sports writer and also a regional sports correspondent for Reuters.

Live Sports on TV Friday, Dec 19: Alpine Skiing: Women’s Combined Downhill (Eurosport 10.45 a.m. and 1.30 p.m.).

Men’s Super G (Eurosport 2 at 12.15 p.m.); Rugby Union: French Top 14 – Dax v Clermont (Eurosport 2 at 8.30 p.m.); Soccer: Champions League and UEFA Cup Draw (Eurosport 12.00 noon), Anderlecht v Genk (Sport Klub 8.30 p.m.), Naval v Guimaraes (Sport Klub + 9.30 p.m.), San Lorenzo v Tigre (Sport Klub + 00.15 a.m. Saturday); NHL Ice Hockey: Buffalo Sabres v LA Kings (Sport Klub 1.30 a.m. Saturday).

Saturday, Dec 20: Alpine Skiing: Women’s Downhill (Eurosport 2 at 10.45 a.m.), Men’s Downhill (Eurosport 12.00 noon); Basketball: NLB Regional League – Red Star Belgrade v Buducnost Podgorica (FOX Serbia 4.00 p.m.), Split v Hemofarm Vrsac (HRT 2 at 4.00 p.m.), NBA Regular Season – Orlando Magic v LA Lakers (OBN at 1.00 a.m. Sunday); Professional Boxing: Evander Holyfield v Nikolay Valuyev (HRT 2 at 10.35 p.m.); Soccer: Birmingham v Reading (Sport Klub 1.45 p.m.), Bolton v Portsmouth (RTS 2 at 4.00 p.m.), Lecce v Bologna or Sheffield United v Crystal Palace (Sport Klub 6.00 p.m.), West Ham v Aston Villa (RTS

2 at 6.30 p.m.), Grenoble v Le Mans (Sport Klub + 7.00 p.m.), Real Madrid v Valencia (FOX Serbia 8.00 p.m.), San Lorenzo v Boca Juniors (Sport Klub + 9.30 p.m.) NHL Ice Hockey: Detroit Red Wings v LA Kings (Sport Klub 1.00 a.m. Sunday) Sunday, Dec 21: Alpine Skiing: Men’s Slalom and Women’s Super G (Eurosport 9.45 a.m. to 1.45 p.m.); Handball: Red Star Belgrade v Partizan Belgrade (RTS 2 at 7.00 p.m.); NFL: Tennessee Titans v Pittsburgh Steelers (Sport Klub 7.00 p.m.), Minnesota Vikings v Atlanta Falcons (Sport Klub 10.15 p.m.); Soccer: World Club Cup Final in Japan (OBN at 11.30 a.m.), De Graafschap v Ajax Amsterdam (Sport Klub 12.30 p.m.), PSV Eindhoven v Feyenoord (Sport Klub + 2.30 p.m.), West Bromwich v Manchester City (RTS 2 at 2.30 p.m.), Atalanta v Juventus (OBN at 3.00 p.m.), Various Italian league matches (Sport Klub 3.00 p.m.), Torino v Napoli (Avala 3.00 p.m.), Arsenal v Liverpool (RTS 2 at 5.00 p.m.), Villarreal v Barcelona (FOX Serbia 7.00 p.m.), AC Milan v Udinese (Avala 8.30 p.m.).

Note: All channels reserve the right to change their schedules

directory

Friday, Dec. 19, 2008 - Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009

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

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

ESTATE AGENTS

INTERNET HOTSPOTS

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

123 wap Vase Pelagica 48 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 Coffee dream Kralja Petra 23 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

EVENTS & CATERERS 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

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

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

GYMS, LEISURE & SPORTS CENTRES

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

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

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 Dr. RISTIC HEALTH CENTRE Narodnih Heroja 38 Tel: 011 2693287 www.dr-ristic.co.yu zcentar@dr-ristic.co.yu 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

15

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

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

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

ALLIED PICKFORDS SERBIA Zarka Obreskog 23 Tel: 011 8487744 www.alliedpickfords.co.yu movers@alliedpickfords.co.yu AGS Belgrade Niski autoput 17 Tel: 011 3472321 www.agsmovers.com belgrade@agsmovers.com

SUN FACTORY MEGASUN Maksima Gorkog 82 Tel: 011 3440403 sun.factory.megasun@gmail.com ORNELA MEGASUN Njegoseva 56 Tel: 011 2458398 ornelakbl@eunet.yu Studio miolift Beograd, Trg Nikole Pašica 8 Tel: 011 3033211, 064 2351313 Aleksandar team Bulevar Despota Stefana 34a Tel: 011 3225632 www.aleksandar-team.co.yu Sun look Makedonska 5 Tel: 011 3343810 www.sunlook-bg.com

OPTICIANS

TICKET SERVICES

MOVERS

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

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 LEXICA TRANSLATION AGENCY Beogradska 35 Tel: 011 3222750 www.lexica.co.yu office@lexica.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 Super Vero Milutina MIlankovica 86a Tel: 011 3130640 IPS BOOK & MUSIC STORE Beoizlog, basement, Trg Republike 5 Tel: 011 3281859 Plato Knez Mihailova 48 Tel: 011 625834 SKZ Kralja Milana 19 Tel: 011 3231593 Stubovi kulture Knez Mihailova 6 Tel: 011 3281851, 011 632384 The Oxford Center Dobracina 27 Tel. 011 631021 We welcome suggestions for inclusion in the directory.

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

16

advert

Friday, Dec. 19, 2008 - Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009