Belgrade Insight, No. 24

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NEWS NEWS

Friday • June 13 • 2008

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Issue 1 / Friday, 13, 2008 Weekly Issue No. 24,No. Friday, Feb. 20June - Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009

Lure of Tadic Alliance Splits Socialists

While younger Socialists support joining a new, pro-EU government, old Milosevic loyalists threaten revolt over the prospect. 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 Socialist leader Ivica Dacic remains the Serbian kingmaker deputy PM, with a brief in charge of security for the Socialist leader. faces extinction unless it changes. to Serbia’s late president, Slobodan

By Rade Maroevic in Belgrade In addition, the Socialists are barHowever, a strong current also Milosevic, and reformists who want gaining for other ministries, includflows in the opposite direction, led the party to become a modern Euroense negotiations on a new goving capital investments, Kosovo and by party veterans enraged by the pean social democrat organisation. ernment have divided the ranks education, Belgrade media reported. prospect of a deal with Tadic.

After eight years of stagnation, of the Socialist Party, which holds Tadic has denied talk of horseMihajlo Markovic, a founder of the Socialists returned to centre stage the balance of power between the trading withPhoto the courtesy Socialists, maintainthe party, recently warned of a crisis after winning 20 of the 250 seats in main blocs and has yet to announce of Dnevnik Protestors in Novi Sad demonstrate on the anniversary of Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence. ing that ministries would go only to if Dacic opts for the pro-European parliament in the May 11 elections. which side they will support. those committed to working for the bloc, abandoning the Socialists’ “natWith the pro-European and nation“It looks as if the Socialists will government’s “strategic goal”. ural” ideological partners. alist blocs almost evenly matched, move towards a government led by At the same time, Dacic seems reMarkovic, a prominent supporter the Socialists now have the final say the Democrats,” political analyst Miluctant to call off negotiations with of Milosevic during the 1990s, is on the fate of the country. lan Nikolic, of the independent Centhe nationalists. seen as territory.” representative of the “oldNikolic believes the Socialists, tre of Policy Studies, said. “But such in front of the International Court led of sovereign He continued, “I tre long banners on Belgrade’s two s Kosovo’s Albanian majorwe don’t reach“Kosovo an agreement in thethat, party wantfuture, to stay main “If

by IvicaTadic Dacic, come over to amtimers” a moveity might provokeone deeper saidwill during a Serbian convinced in who the near celebrated, yeardivion Justice,” bridges, reading is with and the DSS Radicals, the partrue towill theremember former regime’s policies, Tadic,exercise if only in outNovi of a Sad. pragmatic de- nobody sions and eventhe split the party.”of in- Army that date” . from declaration Serbia” “We’lland Never Give Up”. dependence from negotiations Serbia, a defiant February 17their “is only a date when In Novi Sad,these the anniversary wasthe Meanwhile, theonhuge ty leadershipaway will from decide future even though almost ruined sire to ensure political survival.

Simultaneous held Serbian President, Boris Tadic, said an illegal act was made as far as marked by a demonstration by sevcelebrations in Pristina, the Belsteps”, Dacic announced, following Socialists for good.

“The group of younger Socialists with the pro-European and nationalKosovo was not a state, and Serbia Serbia’s concerned, when Pristina il- eral hundred right-wing protestors, grade media report that in the cenfirst session of country’s new paryounger officials tralthe gathered aroundKosovo Dacic seems be whoSome ist blocs haveseedrawn would never it as attention anything to buta legally blocked roads Socialist and boulevards Kosovan town of Lipljan, three declared to be atosoliament on were Wednesday. frustration over thefirecon- Serb in the state”, majority”, Nikolic said, adding deep rift inside the Socialists. its southern province.

Meanwhile, called the voiced northern city, throwing youths beaten up by a Tadic said, speaking at inhave tinuing theseArmy reformists believe the Sad. party works This hundred divides protestors “old-timers” loyal athat Source: Balkan Insightlate (www.balkaninsight.com) several blocked andimpasse chanting within slogans.their own group of Albanians on Tuesday Serbian exercise in Novi the streets of downtown Novi Sad in The liberal G17 Plus party re- evening. At around 11 p.m. after Tadic said “Serbia is not a threat a demonstration, and huge banners to anyone, but a partner and friend, acted immediately with a statement a soccer match, their attackers amwere unfurled across Belgrade’s a pillar of regional stability and se- saying the protest was a chauvinist bushed them.

THIS ISSUE Business Neighbourhood bridges reading “KosovoOF is Serbia” curity, and condemning Matters “the fascist The Serbian state news agency and a Insight democratic European show, Belgrade Insight and “We’ll Never Give Up”. organisations Obraz and 1389 for Tanjug reported several other small country.”

IS SUPPORTED BY: Ko“Serbia will never recognize Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic manipulating and misusing high incidents including a man wounded sovo’s independence and, respecting said the anniversary was of “no im- school students” who took part in by a stray bullet and an Albanian international law, her own legitimate portance” to Belgrade, only marking conomists are warning that pro- the demonstration. hile the football world watch- flag which was erected on a Serb interests, her integrity in Kosovo, will a date when Kosovo “institutions In Belgrade, activists of the Ac- Orthodox church in a village near longed es events unfold at the Euro- the Serb enclave of Strbac. defend its position in the legal arena, attempted to uncertainty break off aover partSerbia’s of our tive Centre association hung 40-mefuture could scare off investors, lead pean Championships in Austria and to higher inflation and jeopardise Switzerland, Bosnia is experiencing DINING prosperity OUT for years to come. a soccer rebellion, led by fans, SPORT play“This year has been lost, from the ers and former stars who are enraged standpoint of economic policy,” says Snow by what they as corrupt leaders Pascucci is cool, very cool. Trencherforces thesee postponement of the Stojan Stamenkovic of the Econom- restart of theofcountry’s football association man finds out what it’s like to be one the Serbian league, putting of the beautiful people. back the Red Star Partizan clash for ics Institute in Belgrade. leaders. another week. page 5 page 10

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February 17th is “Only a Date”

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Costs Mounting

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Football Rebellion

EDITOR’S WORD POLITICS

Political Predictability

Whilst tens of thousands celebrated in Pristina, many look to the future with confidence.

By less Mark R. Pullen

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BELGRADE

Many of us who have experienced numerous Serbian elections ratetake ourselves pundits when We a strollasdown Knez Mi-it hailova that whilst trading comesand to find predicting election remay tough, Belgrade’smoves. cafe culsultsbeand post-election ture survives.

We feel in-the-know because our experience of elections in 4SerPage bia has shown us that (a.) no single party or coalition will ever gain the OUT & ABOUT majority required to form a governThis week we venture north to ment, and (b.) political negotiations Zrenjanin in Vojvodina and check willthe never behistorical quickly concluded. out city’s centre.

Even when the Democrats 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 Page party 9 disagree with their current leader (there FEST are currently 342 registered political parties in Serbia).

The Drawn-out 37th annualnegotiations Fest Flim Festival are also promises to beOne the best yet, with a the norm.

Belgrade-based host of big name movies and one or Ambassador recently told me he two yet to be discovered gems. was also alarmed by the distinct lack of urgency among Serbian Page 11 politicians. “The country is at a OUTunderstand standstillGOING and I don’t Busy, small, sure to their noisy logic.and If they areyou’re so eager to find a livelytowards crowd on of progress theany EU night and enthe week at Energija. courage investors, how come they go home at 5pm sharp and don’t work weekends?”

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

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Source: www.weather2umbrella.com

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politics

Friday, Feb. 20 - Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009

Joy and Pain on Independence Day

By Shega A’Mula

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in Pristina

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housands of Albanians took to the streets, with flags and banners to celebrate the first anniversary of Kosovo’s declaration of independence on Tuesday, but excitement was dampened by the realisation that the secession from Serbia was not a quick fix to the nation’s many problems.

Car horns, traditional music and shouts of happiness echoed through the streets of Pristina, as streets were blocked by hundreds of cars with licence plates from around Europe.

Swarms of people from toddlers to grandparents walked around the city carrying the red and black Albanian flag and Kosovo’s new blue-gold flag, as well as flags of Kosovo’s Western allies, the Stars-and-Stripes and Union Jack.

“We are out celebrating independence, it feels great,” said 11-year old Vesa, while Julind from Tirana said he came “to celebrate with our Kosovar brothers on this special day.”

“It is my first time in Kosovo and it’s great. I have great things to tell my friends in Tirana when I get back,” he said, “We are all Albanians!”

Vali Gashi, a Ministry of Education employee, was handing out free Independence t-shirts to children out celebrating in the city. “The atmosphere is amazing! It is a happy day”, Gashi said.

“I’m here on my first visit to Kosovo, I’m really enjoying the festivities, I’ve never seen so much excitement in such a small place,” said Antonia Harrison from Chicago.

Despite the exuberance of the day, many concede that independence has not brought the many changes needed to really improve the lives of ordinary people in a country were half the population lives under or near the poverty line, many supported by relatives working abroad.

“We came to celebrate independence, the atmosphere is great. I am not very happy with the government up to now, but God willing, (Ramush) Haradinaj will win the next elections and improve our country’s situation”, said Nexhat from Decan.

Kosovo Prime Minister, Hashim Thaci, and other senior leaders thanked the people for their sacrifices in winning independence from Serbia, and promised that the future would be brighter, with further recognitions of its independence.

“Our first year was a year of pride for Kosovo,” Thaci told a special session of parliament.

But the 90-percent Albanian majority knows the joy is not shared in

Photo by FoNet

As Kosovo celebrates independence day, social problems remain close to the surface.

Kosovo’s Serb areas. The Serb minority rejects the secession and looks to Serbia as its capital for healthcare, education and administrative support. As Belgrade consolidates its authority around the weak objections of a muddled international administration, the ‘soft partition’ between Serbs and Albanians looks to be becoming permanent.

“It is a festive day for the whole territory of Kosovo, I mean the whole Albanian population, since we have waited for this for so long. I believe we are going to celebrate in a dignified way”, said Fisnik from Prizren.

“I hope that Kosovo gets rid of this problem in the north, and the economic situation improves,” said Agron form Pristina. “The government has finished some work, not as much as they should have, but we need support from the citizens of the country for it to happen.”

While Albanians celebrated, Serb and Kosovo Serb politicians gathered defiantly in the northern Kosovo

town of Zvecan on Tuesday to proclaim their rejection of the secession and demonstrate Belgrade’s reach in Serb-controlled parts of Kosovo where Pristina has no authority.

“The Assembly of Serbian municipalities in Kosovo and Metohia reject as invalid and without legal validity all acts and undertakings which unilaterally declare Kosovan independence and form institutions of the so-called Kosovo state,” said Radovan Nicic, speaker of the Assembly.

The meeting was attended by Serb MPs from conservative and nationalist parties, another sign of defiance towards the Albanian authorities in Pristina and Kosovo’s international overseers, which have warned Serbia that consolidating its authority in Kosovo’s Serb north and tripping up the new state could end up damaging its own path to the European Union.

“This declaration ... sends a very clear message from Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija to the international community and to Albanians as well,

that Serbia and Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija do not want to renounce its territory in Kosovo and Metohija,” said Serbian Minister for Kosovo, Goran Bogdanovic.

Kosovo’s secession from Serbia has been recognised by some 54, mostly Western nations, including all but a few European Union member states. But Serbia and its ally Russia are blocking Kosovo’s entry into the United Nations making Kosovo’s accession into other international bodies look uncertain, and lingering ethnic tensions are not reassuring the investors that Kosovo desperately needs if it is to reduce its dependence on aid and move towards a functioning market economy.

“I have mixed feelings about the celebration this year. I was here last year too and the euphoria has calmed down a bit. People have realised that independence is not the only thing that can contribute to bettering their living conditions,” said one visitor from Switzerland. “As far as I’ve seen the living conditions have not improved.”

Weekly Press Roundup BLIC - Serbia is gripped by a flu epidemic, with the majority of those hit by the virus being school-age children. Epidemiologist Predrag Kon said the number of patients exceeded 1,000 last week in Belgrade alone.

POLITIKA - Serbia’s airline JAT, the police, army, and hospitals have reason to be concerned after Gazprom Neft became the owner of 51 percent of state oil company NIS. It seems the Russian company will not tolerate the old habits of NIS’s domestic customers of taking oil on credit and

Kosovo Serbs Pass Anti-Independence Resolution

without any guarantee that they will pay on time.

POLITIKA - Despite the global financial crisis, Serbia will launch a further tender to sell a majority stake in its Galenika pharmaceutical company, said Economy Ministry State Secretary Nebojsa Ciric.

VECERNJE NOVOSTI - Hague Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz said Serbia has made some progress in cooperation with the United Nations war crimes tribunal, but the

European Union says the arrest of fugitive Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic is the main condition for unblocking a trade deal with Belgrade.

BLIC - Serbia is in recession: the accounts of some 60,000 businesses have been frozen because of mounting debts to the state, banks and suppliers BORBA - The Serbian Army is sending repeated draft notices to autistic young men, forcing their parents to

go through a bureaucratic labyrinth each time to prove they are unsuitable for military service and avoid penalties.

VECERNJE NOVOSTI - The United Nations are not giving up their presence in Kosovo, their role defined by UN Resolution 1244 and the implementation of a plan for improving the life of Serbs there, Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said after meeting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday.

hile Kosovo’s Albanians celebrated the one-year anniversary of their declaration of independence on Tuesday, Serb and Kosovo Serb politicians gathered defiantly in the northern Kosovo town of Zvecan on Tuesday to proclaim their rejection of the secession and flaunt Belgrade’s reach in Serb-controlled parts of Kosovo where Pristina has no authority.

The Assembly of Serbian Municipalities and Towns in Kosovo and Metohija unanimously adopted a declaration that rejects Kosovo’s declaration of independence and also opposes the creation of the Kosovo Security Force, Kosovo’s fledgling army, saying it is against the constitution of Serbia and UN Security Council resolution 1244.

“The Assembly of Serbian municipalities in Kosovo and Metohia reject as invalid and without legal validity all acts and undertakings which unilaterally declare Kosovo independence and form institutions of the so-called Kosovo state,” said Radovan Nicic, speaker of the Assembly.

The meeting was attended by Serb MPs from conservative and nationalist parties, another sign of defiance towards the Albanian authorities in Pristina and Kosovo’s international overseers, which have warned Serbia against consolidating its authority in Kosovo’s Serb north for fear of a partition. Serbian Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanovic said Serbia was unwavering in its claim over Kosovo.

“This declaration in a political sense has very big importance and sends a very clear message from Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija to the international community and Albanians as well, that Serbia and Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija do not want to renounce its territory on Kosovo and Metohija,” he said.

“Only united can we solve and fight the problems of Serbs and other non-Albanians are facing in Kosovo and Metohija.”

Serbian Minister for Kosovo, Goran Bogdanovic

Marko Jaksic, a hardline Serb leader from Mitrovica, said the reason why they wanted the Serbian parliamentarians to be present at their session “on this unlucky date” was to show that “there can never be another Albanian state in the Balkans.”

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia on February 17, 2008 and so far has been recognised by most EU and NATO member countries. Serbia and its traditional ally Russia are opposing the secession and blocking Kosovo’s entry into the United Nations. Kosovo Serbs have additionaly asked the government in Belgrade to take legal action against any countries that recognised Kosovo as a sovereign state.

politics

Friday, Feb. 20 - Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009

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Kosovo History Books Scrap Nationalist Myths Kosovo is making the first attempt to de-nationalise its history books, deleting hate speech and toning down nationalism.

By Vjosa Musliu

Reporting from Pristina

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n initiative of Kosovo’s Institute of History, to compile new, more objective and more down to earth history books for primary school children, has been hailed as a milestone in an otherwise tense Balkans, where countries remain obsessed with glory, myths and a sense of superiority.

While “objectivity” remains a matter of perception and the new books are far from shedding all sense of national pride, teachers in Kosovo say they are a big improvement on the books of 30 years ago.

The working group for the books was composed of experts from the History Institute, the University history faculty, high schools and primary schools.

“These books are much more objective and much better than history books of your time or my era,” Sabri Veseli, a history teacher at the Ismail Qemajli primary in Prishtina, told Balkan Insight.

“They’re more relaxed, don’t foment hatred… and they don’t call for nationalist revival and war, when wars have only led to tragedy.”

Veseli, a reviewer of the new books, feels little regret for the old nationalist versions of history: “When it came to history, we were told what the regime wanted us to be told.”

While Serbs were formerly described as “barbarians from the Carpathians Mountains who conquered Illyria between the 6th and 9th centuries,” for example, the arrival of the Slavs in the Balkans is treated differently in the newer accounts.

Frasher Demaj, 35, secretary of the History Institute and main author of the new schoolbooks, has dispensed with terms such as “barbarian”.

“Books for children aged 12 should not be imbued with such terms,” he said. “And we don’t give literary and poetic description of events.”

A famous theoretician of nationalism, Benedict Anderson, recalls that nationalist writers and historical accounts are usually “vague and ambiguous and have an inferred meaning of a coming revolution”.

This was the certainly the case with the old history books and lectures. “Serbian hordes”, “Greek ultra-Nationalists”, and “the ambitions of the Slavs for Albanian land”, were typical terms used.

And while the depiction of history can never be totally objective or neutral, being always prone to interpretation, the compilers of the new books have made a clear decision to

dispense with hate speech and blatant discrimination.

They have also tried to make history more comprehensible to young minds. “We’ve applied the idea of telling history in the form of tales, in order for it to be more acceptable to… an average 11-year-old,” says Demaj.

“We have been looking at the Western European and American model of simplifying history”, Demaj added. “We want to be a model for the Balkans”.

No More Heroes?

Every Kosovo Albanian has the image of the “great leviathan” Skanderbeg imprinted in their minds. A popular Albanian film, in which the 15th-century warrior was played by a tall Georgian, has come to personify the Albanian, who heroically delayed the Ottoman conquest of the Balkans.

A copper carving of Skanderbeg, astride his horse, is a feature of all Albanian houses. But new Albanian historians have recently suggested that Scanderbeg was probably no taller than 167cm and that his glamorous image was embellished for nationalist purposes.

Asked what they know best about the history taught by their teachers, most 12-year-olds in Ismajl Qemajli, primary school said they knew most about Skanderbeg and the Ottoman occupation.

“Scanderbeg stopped the Ottoman Empire getting into Western Europe”, Lis Sinani, aged 11, explained.

While the tendency in older books was to embellish accounts of national warriors and heroes, in the new history book Adem Jashari, the well-known commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA, is portrayed in more neutral terms.

“Jashari is not portrayed as a superhuman but as one of the leading commanders of KLA. He is a symbol of sacrifice because he sacrificed his whole family and his children were massacred when he was two”, adds Demaj.

Beside Skanderbeg, another national hero, famous for his bravery, is Mic Sokoli whose image, breast facing the enemy cannon, is another example of what Anderson calls “banal nationalism”, by which he means that some nationalist elements and symbols become so omnipresent in daily life that they seem to be unobserved and normal.

Sokoli has been removed altogether from the new history books precisely because they want to get away from those types of myths.

“Mic Sokoli is a typical glorification of a historical figure and these glorifications are not necessary,” Demaj points out.

Source: www.mpinteractiv.ro

Knez Lazar. Kosovo’s school children have new, more balanced, history text books, free from hate speach and mythology, and will learn about the history of their neighbours and the region.

The former emphasis on selfsacrifice in Albanian history, with its emphasis on courage and altruism was also used to show the weak and inglorious nature of the enemy, who hid behind cannons and artillery.

Berat Gashi, 43, a graduate in History at the University of Pristina, told Balkan Insight that the Sokoli myth had become a prototype for future warriors fighting for the national cause.

“Looking it from today’s perspective, Mic Sokoli represents an exaggeration of the brave warrior, and it is good that young generations are not imbued with these values,” Gashi said.

Serbs are Neighbours The new books also offer more coverage of other nations’ histories, with special attention given to Chinese, Egyptian, Persian and Greek Civilizations.

Professor Veseli told Balkan Insight that if one did not know one’s neighbour’s history, one could not

know one’s own either. “Other people’s history and culture must be learnt and studied; it’s a treasure”, he said.

The History Institute is proud to have expanded coverage of Ancient Greek civilisation “despite our tense relations with Greece”, for example.

Asked whether primary school children would also learn about the Battle of Kosovo in 1389, Professor Veseli said this was unlikely. “They are still young”.

In popular Serbian mythology, Prince, or Knez, Lazar chose to lose the battle to the Ottoman army, preferring to win “the heavenly kingdom” over victory on earth.

In Kosovo’s new history books, the Christian army ranged against the Ottoman Turks in 1389 is described as “a joint force of Balkans troops led

by Knez Lazar.”

Demaj said the legend of a heavenly messenger visiting Prince Lazar was a myth, and there was no point in downplaying one’s own myths in his-

tory books in order to replace them with others.

Traditional Values While aiming to get rid of diehard nationalism and hate speech, the compilers of the new history books are keen to stress support for “strong and valuable” Albanian traditional values.

“The issue of religious tolerance is to be marked and stressed as great feature of Albanians. We could give lessons to Western countries about religious tolerance,” Demaj said.

According to him, the fact that Albanians were neither expansionist nor hegemonistic should also be emphasised in history, not to pose as victims but simply to show the nation’s non-expansionist nature.

“Serbian history mentions Albanians only to label them as negative and destructive elements, but we don’t want to imitiate this sense of superiority or insult other nations,” Demaj said.

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belgrade chronicle

Friday, Feb. 20 - Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009

Photo by Sophie Cottrell

Challenged as a shopping destination by new malls and out of town centres, Knez Mihailova is unrivalled as a destination for strolling and taking in the cafe culture of downtown Belgrade

A Prince Among Streets Knez Mihailova, the capital’s prime location since the 1860s, says it can see off competition from new shopping malls

By Ljilja Cvekic and Vanja Petrovic

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lthough more and more big shopping malls are opening in the Serbian capital, as in all other cities in the world, Belgrade’s popular pedestrian zone has survived, successfully adapting to the times by hosting famous brand names in addition to old ones with a century or so of tradition.

Knez Mihailova has resisted the trends towards fast living and cutting back on time, which have spawned a fashion for one-stop-shopping True, in recent years, many people have started buying at the big malls rather than spending their days browsing and seeking what they need in small downtown shops.

But despite growing concern that the older shopping areas in the city could once day die out, many Belgraders still prefer to combine walking along the street, window shopping and buying at leisure.

“I hate the impersonal, cold atmosphere of big shopping malls. It is nicer to meet friends ‘At the Horse’ on Republic Square and walk slowly from one shop to another,” Svetlana Antic, 44, says.

“It doesn’t matter whether I buy something or not, or whether I have money or not. And that is something you can’t do if you go to Delta City or Zira - to go there without money and without a car.”

But for others, who have cars and less time to spend, like Ivana Sekularac, 36, the new shopping malls are much more appealing.

She used to go to Knez Mihailova when she was younger but now prefers Delta City, the big mall located in New Belgrade.

“It has a variety of stores, all close to one another other, and after a successful shop I can have sushi,” she says. “The most important is that it has a car park.”

“My parents used to bring me to Knez Mihailova before I was old enough to go alone with friends and I remember walking along the street and looking at all the stores, people, hotels and restaurants,” Erika Lazarevic, 88, recalls.

In fact, the big international retailers are represented in both areas.

Because Knez Mihailova is still the most prestigious location in the city, rents are high and some retailers have moved out to the malls.

But others soon replace those that leave.

“We aren’t affected by the shopping malls,” says Jelena Nedeljkovic, manager of Accessorise. “We

have a lot of business here. I haven’t noticed many stores closing in Knez Mihailova.”

Biljana Radenkovic, manager of Beo Izlog, a souvenir shop, agrees.

“Although stores in Knez Mihailova change their profile nearly every season…it doesn’t mean they are feeling the effect of shopping malls,” she maintains. “It just means demand has changed.”

The same concern voiced by some shop owners in Knez Mihailova today – that they may get suffocated by more competitive big retailers – echoes complaints made by Belgrade’s smaller merchants before the Second Word War. When the first department store opened up in Knez Mihailova, offering discounts and credit to workers, the city’s smaller traders feared for their future.

Apart from its prime location, Knez Mihailova’s big advantage over its rivals is its rich and colourful history.

A small dusty street under the Ottomans, with shabby houses and little stores – and gardens full of flowers and fruits and fountains – as the dividing line between the Turkish and Serbian parts of town, it was popular meeting place.

Its glory days began after 1867, when the Turks handed over the citadel, Kalemegdan, to Serbia’s Prince Mihailo Obrenovic, marking the end of their rule in Serbia. That year the architect Emilijan Josimovic drew up

a plan for city, including Knez Mihailova, the street now named after the prince, which linked the citadel to the centre.

The richest and most prominent families started building their houses there. Much later, in 1940, Serbia’s first skyscraper, the Albania Palace, was built here too. At the same time many stores opened up in the street, which was first paved in 1876 with wooden blocks and then, ten years later, with cobbles.

In 1891, after the street received electric lighting, it became the scene of the city “korzo”, or promenade, where young people went to meet, see and be seen. It remains the city’s number one meeting place and promenade today.

“My parents used to bring me to Knez Mihailova before I was old enough to go alone with friends and I remember walking along the street and looking at all the stores, people, hotels and restaurants,” Erika Lazarevic, 88, recalls.

“At that time we didn’t buy readymade shoes and clothes but ordered them. The old bookstore that still exists was a meeting place for writers and intellectuals back then. The first department store was also there.”

The street took on its current look more than 20 years ago, when it was designated as a pedestrian zone and given conservation status as one of the city’s most historic quarters.

Knez Mihailova comes into its own on warm spring and summer

evenings when people come out, dressed to be seen, and sit at the street’s many cafes, talking, drinking and people-watching.

“I still meet with my school friends ones a week in some of the cafes on Knez Mihailova,” Mirjana Kraus, 78, says.

“Almost every building along the street has remained the same as it was more than a hundred years ago.

I see this street more as a cult place than anything else.”

So whilst Knez Mihailova’s crown as the prime shopping district may be in doubt, as a destination, a place to stroll and promenade with friends, to sit and chat with friends, it looks set to have an enduring future

The street’s glory days began after 1867, when the Turks handed over the citadel, Kalemegdan, to Serbia’s Prince Mihailo Obrenovic, marking the end of their rule in Serbia.

That year the architect Emilijan Josimovic drew up a plan for city, including Knez Mihailova, the street now named after the prince, which linked the citadel to the centre.

belgrade chronicle

Friday, Feb. 20 - Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009

Venue Problems for AC/DC

I

t took just three hours for all of Serbia’s allocation from the 45,000 tickets on sale for a forthcoming concert by legendary rockers AC/DC to sell out, but venue owners FK Partizan say no contract has yet been signed for the stadium and that the planned date may clash with a Super League game and an athletics meeting.

Excited rock fans took only 3 hours to snap up tickets costing as much as 11,000 dinars each, for the only concert date in the region by the aging grand-daddies of rock.

Organisers say that unsold tickets from around the region will be made available to the band’s Serbian fans.

Named, you’ll have to take our word for this, after a sign on the back of a sewing machine, AC/DC have been entertaining huge audiences worldwide, for more than 30 years.

But Blic reports that there may be problems securing the advertised venue for the May 26th concert, the FK Partizan Stadium. “The contract with “Komuna” (the local organisers) hasn’t been signed yet. Until it happens, I wouldn’t advertise the Partizan stadium as a venue,” says Darko Grubor, the secretary general of the FK Partizan.

Blic reports that according to Aleksandar Stepanovic, the director of the stadium, there may be a clash of dates. There is a possibility of Partzian hosting a Super League match on May 23rd, and the “Artur Takac” Memorial athletics meeting is scheduled for May 29th and there may not be enough time to assemble and disassemble the stage and make other arrangements.

But Maksa Catovic from “Komuna” denies having any problems.

“The contract is not officially signed, but we have received a confirmation from FK “Partizan” that the date is confirmed. We expect to sign the contract very soon,” Catovic said.

“We have arranged with the people from the club to start our work on the northern grandstands on time and under certain technical conditions.

The athletics meeting shouldn’t be a problem either, we will have a lot of workers and everything will be done on time,” Catovic said.

Belgrade Diary

An Icy Romance

Belgrade Through the Eyes of…

Patrick Schmelzer Regional Coordinator for the Western Balkans of the German NGO forum ZFD. Nationality: German In Belgrade since: January 2008 The best thing about Belgrade is:

She said “Yes”. Marija and Nenad at the Pingvin ice rink

T

here are many ways to get the one you love to say “I do”.

You could whisk them away to an exotic destination, or pop the question over a romantic dinner, a short lived fashion in some parts of the world was to take out a billboard to pledge your troth, but really, nothing says “I love you” quite like proposing on an ice rink in the full glare of the city’s media.

Nenad Gligoric from Belgrade popped the question to Maria Markovic at an event organized by daily free distribution newspaper 24 Sata.

The “Love each other 24/7” event, held at the Pingvin Ice Rink in New Belgrade brought together almost 100 couples for a romantic day on the ice.

Photo courtesy of Blic

Nenad saw the event advertised in the newspaper. “I wanted to do something special and this was a great opportunity, but I have to admit that I was afraid of what might happen” he told Belgrade daily Blic.

Nenad had met with the organisers in advance and arranged for a ring to be hidden in a prize to be awarded to “the most charming couple”. When she opened the prize, and saw the ring, in true movie style, she accepted with a kiss and the other couples cheered.

“I’m so happy, we had spoken about marriage but this was a beautiful surprise” Maria said The reporters got their stories and the photographers got their pictures.

The couple plan a romantic family wedding away from the glare of publicity.

Belgrade, Three Years This Week

I wanted an authentic European city with a vibrant scene and that’s exactly what I’ve found.

By Andre De Lima

M

oving to a foreign city, in a foreign country, is hardly ever an easy decision, and the reasons for doing so, or not, are never few.

I came to Belgrade to join my family, who had been sent here as diplomats, and to find a challenging enviornment, where I could be exposed to new images, people, sensations and to grow as an artist in a region that has fascinated me for as long as I can remember.

On completing my third year in Belgrade, I find myself re-tracing the path that brought me here, reevaluating the arguments that led me to decide to come, and testifying to the changes that the city has undergone in this brief but intense period of my life.

As I look back, I realise that Belgrade has remained the energetic, multi-layered city that I longed to find – where the caravan of EU funds and membership benefits hasn’t yet arrived, and where the

forces of cultural homogenisation are still kept at bay.

I expected an authentic European city in which one could feel at ease among exuberant, well-educated people who yearn to learn about other cultures. I found just that.

When I first arrived, I felt right away that the city skyline needed more love and throughout these three years I did not see enough of it. Slowly, some landmark buildings are being restored but the pollution levels are high and punish the city’s facades relentlessly. Ada Ciganlja, on the other hand, has become cleaner and neater, summer by summer.

A few old restaurants and traditional shops have closed, but there are now 11 banks within a threeblock radius of my house – soon to be 12. Within the same radius there are six take-out coffee shops, and as in many cities, the young professional hurrying to the office in the morning carrying a double cappuccino has become a common sight.

Three years ago, that did not exist.

Take-out food wasn’t nearly as popular when I came, as it is today, as restaurants struggle to attract the lunch-break crowd. The restaurant options have increased, as has the level of sophistication, and, in most cases, the prices. The pace at which foreign retail chains have opened their doors in Belgrade has been steady, the girls have never looked

better, and the new streamlined coffee shops are popping up everywhere.

It took three years of jogging along Belgrade’s riverbanks to burn off the extra kilos so common among the foreigners in Belgrade, and for a stray dog to finally stand his ground and – on St Valentine’s night – bite my leg. Speaking of extra kilos, on my arrival, low-fat yoghurt wasn’t easy to come by; now I find the options in all shops and markets plentiful and all these shops and markets are now owned by the same company. Nine of them now exist within three blocks of where I live.

During these three years, the number of cars on the streets of Belgrade seems to have doubled, and my reaction to the driving has gone from occasional annoyance to constant shock. I still consider Belgrade one of the safest cities in the world, but while a few Belgraders agree, many more neglect or disregard the importance of this.

We fly for your smile.

Three years in Belgrade, four elections, promises made, some hearts broken, stores looted, euros bought and sold, leaders have died, and sports legends been born.

We’d love to hear your thoughts too. Tell us what you like about Belgrade, what really makes you fizz with anger and what you would change if you were in charge.

Send us your thoughts, tell us a little bit about yourself, and send a photo too, if you like.

Send your contributions to:

belgradeinsighteditor@birn.eu.com

I love the food, the climate over here and the openness and the easy going humour of people.

I have lived in Zagreb and in Sarajevo before but Belgrade is, for me, the place to live the best, as it offers everything a metropolis needs. The geographic location makes it easy to get to anywhere in the region.

That is why the regional office of forumZFD is here. We have projects in Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Kosovo and Macedonia and I have to look after all of them.

The most annoying thing about Belgrade is: The polluted air and sometimes I believe that waiters need a service training workshop. Being friendly and helpful to customers was not invented here.

I feel at home because: I am from Berlin and Belgrade and Berlin have many things in common. Novi Beograd is very much like some parts of old east Berlin, while Vracar can be compared to the hip and en vogue part in Berlin called Prenzlauer Berg. Both towns are caviar and cevapi in one.

When friends visit, I always take them to: Besides the usual suspects like Kalamegdan, Tito´s grave and a visit to a splav, I like to take friends to Partizan baskeball matches. I cheered for the Los Angeles Lakers and that is how I know Vlade Divac. So I was in some way a “grobar” before I came to Belgrade.

And now one can find me often cheering “Samo jedno ime znam - Partizan Beograd!”

If I was mayor for one day: I would try to find money for eleven more bridges.

5

6

neighbourhood

Friday, Feb. 20 - Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009

Homeless Albanians Say World Bank ‘Demolished’ Their Lives Villagers in Jale, left homeless after a World Bank ‘clean-up’ project ended in the destruction of their homes, say they will fight on for justice.

By Gjerg Erebara and Besar Likmeta In Jale

“

To demolish a house takes as little as half an hour, but to build one takes a lifetime,” says Nasi Simoni, a retired navy captain who settled in the village of Jale in southern Albania the early nineties.

Like the other residents of the hamlet, situated on the “Albanian Riviera” on the road linking Vlora to Saranda, he got by just fine supplementing his navy pension with the rent of a few rooms from his home to tourists in summer.

“Those rooms that people added to their homes and rented during the summer were the equivalent of canned food for winter,” Simoni explained.

But his life, and the lives or the other residents of the village, changed radically on April 17th, 2007, when Planning Enforcement Officers from Tirana aided by Ministry of Interior Special Forces descended on the village and demolished 15 buildings, including his own.

“When they destroyed our houses they said we would eat with silver spoons because it was part of a World Bank project,” recalls Simoni who now has to make ends meet as a fisherman with a small plastic boat, while still repaying the mortgage on his demolished house.

The planning officers were acting on behalf of a World Bank project meant to safeguard Albania’s coast.

Instead, the project also ended up demolishing parts of a village and leaving families homeless.

Villagers say the destruction of their homes, built mostly from remittances from migrant workers in neighbouring Greece, has left them in poverty.

An inspection report by the International Development Association, IDA, published by Balkan Insight on January 31, 2009, revealed that the World Bank project on coastal zones management in Albania had contributed to the demolition of several informal settlements in the village, contravening the bank’s own policies on forced displacement and poverty reduction.

Fifteen buildings were partly or completely demolished in Jale. The

homeless villagers continue to live among the rubble and those parts of their houses that remain.

The investigation by the inspection panel found that the World Bank had failed to comply with its own policies with respect to the design, appraisal and implementation of the project, thereby harming the local people.

The probe found that the bank had assisted the demolition of the homes by pressuring local planning officers to take action and by supplying them with equipment and aerial photos.

Investigators noted allegations of corruption and complaints that the demolition of the settlements formed part of a bigger scheme to develop the area as a tourist resort.

The panel did not evaluate these allegations but concluded that the selective demolition work carried out by planning enforcement officers suggested a clear intention to clear the area.

The investigative panel also accused the bank management of misrepresenting facts during the probe and of hampering the investigation by withholding access to data. It noted an unusual lack of recollection of facts and crucial events by staff.

Investigators said several bank staff at headquarters and in the field appeared to have been “coached” to provide consistent-looking but factually incorrect or misleading information.

In a statement to Balkan Insight on January 30, the World Bank conceded that “mistakes were made in the project”, adding that ways to address the grievances of those affected were “under active consideration”.

It added: “The World Bank is concerned about the errors that were made by management and staff in the context of the project. In accordance with our internal processes, the Bank is reviewing actions of its staff, and if warranted, will take appropriate action.”

Ruined Lives Jale is situated on the Ionian coast and is widely considered one of the most beautiful seaside hamlets in Albania. Two well-known authors of children’s books who come from the area have often described

Source: www.BalkanInsight.com

Balkan Insight’s Albania editor, Besar Likmeta speaks to Vora Rrenja

the azure waters and sandy beaches in their books, adding to its idyllic image.

Many families have lived in the village for up to 300 years, owning small plots of land that were handed down from father to son.

The area was neglected by the Stalinist regime of the late Enver Hoxha and its landscape spared the mass industrialisation that blighted other parts of the country.

When the communist regime fell in 1991, the majority of the houses in the village were little more than shacks, and most of the residents soon left for Greece and Western Europe to seek a better life.

After a decade of tumultuous transition to democracy, the tourist industry slowly recovered, remittances started flowing and the village underwent a renaissance.

The old houses serving a growing numbers of tourists, were no longer

big enough. But when residents applied for building permits they were refused because the area was outside planning zones. Driven by economic necessity and by the reality of wildcat construction everywhere else in the country, many pushed on, adding more rooms without permits.

“I worked for 35 years as coroner and I understand the rule of the law; but what pushed me to build [rooms] without a building permit is the law itself,” Andon Koka a retiree living in the village with his wife, said.

Koka points to the Albanian urban planning law which, after a series of amendments passed in 1998, allows for construction on private properties without permission when the area lacks an urban plan.

The authorities say the action of the planning enforcement officers was legal, a claim that the villagers dispute, accusing the government of selectivity.

“My sister left us a piece of land here in Jale but the local authorities world not register her will, and give us a building permit because there was no urban plan,” said Vora Rrenja, a retired teacher.

“My son who lives in Greece thought that because everybody was building without a permit, we could do the same but we are the only ones that paid for it,” she added.

On top of a hill overlooking the bay of Jale, sits a hotel owned by the ministry of defence. Although it has also built two adjacent buildings, these were not destroyed by the planning enforcement team.

Villagers insist that many local buildings, often used by government officials for holidays also lack building permits.

Balkan Insight contacted the municipality of Himara, which covers the village of Jale, to inquire about the legality of the additions to build-

business neighbourhood

Friday, Feb. 20 - Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009

ings inside the ministry of defence compound, but the municipality did not comment.

By 2006, when Albania adopted a law to legalise illegal construction, the houses in Jale formed a fraction of an estimated 220,000 unauthorised buildings across the country.

Villagers applied to legalise their buildings

“They had a bite and release tactic, and would destroy bits of a building, move to another, and again return,” Andon Koka, Jale resident

under the new law but none obtained a conclusive answer. Instead, on April 3, 2007, they were notified that their houses were illegal and would be demolished.

They launched an appeal in the local court but the planning enforcement officers did not wait for the case to come to trial and on April 17th, 2007, surrounded the area and demolished all the newly built houses in the village.

“There were a lot of police that surrounded our houses at the break of dawn. We tried to barricade ourselves in our houses but we were no match,” recalls Athina Andoni, who for 11 years worked in a newspaper packaging plant in Athens to finance the construction of her home.

According to the villagers, the bulldozers sent from Tirana started demolishing the houses of those people that they thought would offer the least resistance.

The Special Forces that sealed off the area had been told it was an anti-trafficking operation and some were dumbfounded to hear they were demolishing houses in the village. One engineer from the planning enforcement team resigned on the spot after disputing the orders.

Romania Band Unwelcome at Kosovo Party

“They had a bite and release tactic, and would destroy bits of a building, move to another, and again return,” Andoni recalled.

“We could not fight them; there were 30 policemen for every old lady in the village, so resistance was futile,” she added.

Andoni’s husband, Bashkim, and their 14-year-old daughter had also worked in the Greek packing plant.

“We worked as migrants in Greece for many years and sweated blood to save the money to build our house,” Bashkim said.

“We lived thriftily, only so we could return home to have a better life, but when we came home the government destroyed our home and our lives,” he added.

The homeless villagers now survive by collecting medicinal herbs from the mountain slopes, which they then sell.

“We always paid our taxes and were always correct with the law but the government did not honour its side of the bargain,” said Bashkim, who adds that the local municipality is still asking him to pay taxes on the rooms in house he rented out despite the fact that they were demolished two years ago.

Vora Rrenja, a former teacher, says she felt the authorities behaved more brutally towards them than Albania’s fascist invaders in the Second World War. “I am 75 and can remember the ItalianGreek war; the Italians came in and the Germans after them, but they never demolished our houses,” she said.

Hundreds of Kosovo Albanians joined a Facebook campaign against the performance of Romanian europop band Morandi, which took place on the first anniversary of Kosovo’s declaration of independence, because their country has not recognised Kosovo. Morandi, consisting of Marius Moga and Andrei Stefan Ropcea, were awarded “Best Romanian Act” at the MTV Europe Music Music Awards 2008. Some 1,000 Kosovars joined a group in the virtual community Facebook called “No Morandi on our independence day.” Kosovo declared independence from Serbia on February 17, 2008, and so far has been recognised by most of the EU member-countries. Romania has said it’s policy is not to recognise. “Romania is lobbying other countries not to recognise Kosovo. This is why we don’t want them [Morandi] here,” said one of the group members before the concert. A young man, taking down an already ripped Morandi poster, said “they should have banned Romanians from entering Kosovo.”

Montenegrin Tries To Commit Suicide In Coffin

Land mafia?

Two years on, Jale is still full of piles of debris scattered here and there, and half-demolished houses.

“We tried to clean up some of the rubble but we stopped, after one of our daughters got a hernia from moving large piles of concrete,” Athina Andoni said.

Andon Koka

7

Source: www.BalkanInsight.com

Andon Koka worked as a coroner for 35 years before settling in Jale

The World Bank board of directors is scheduled to meet in Washington on February 17th to address the inspection panel’s report on the demolitions in Jale.

The World Bank president, Robert Zoellick, ordered a new investigation on December 1st, 2008, to find out who was responsible for the attempted cover-up of facts concerning the demolition of the homes.

According to Fox News, Zoellick has sent a detailed response to the bank board, fully accepting the investigation panel’s harsh findings, and which included evidence of the alleged role played by an Albania project coordinator, Jamarber Malltezi.

However, Malltezi, son-in-law of Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha, told Balkan Insight that the report of the inspection panel was biased and far from factual.

He said that in February the World Bank would compare this report with another report filed in response to the allegations, before the board of directors reached a decision.

Berisha has also denied any government wrongdoing, accusing the bank inspection panel of having ties with the Albanian mafia.

“I express my contempt for the unscrupulous slander of the investigative panel in what they call an independent report, but which has been dictated by the Albanian land mafia,” Berisha said in a press conference, adding that he had asked World Bank officials to probe the panel’s ties to organised crime.

But the villagers say government officials are trying to paint them as criminals in order to cover up their own misdeeds.

“I am retiree, not a member of the mafia,” said Andon Koka, the former coroner, recalling that the government made similiar charges against the World Bank inspection panel, which were then thoroughly investigated and found to be without foundation.

“I have worked with prosecutors all my life but have never seen such a thorough investigation,” Koka added, describing the questioning by the the inspection panel officials.

Whatever the World Bank board decides on the subject of the demolitions, the Jale villagers are determined to continue the fight for their properties by any legal means possible.

“We are the legal owners, and this land has been handed down to us from generation to generation,” said Bashkim Andoni.

“This place is ours and no matter what they put against us, we will fight on. If we can’t do it, our kids will,” he added.

Source: www.BalkanInsight.com

A Montenegrin man wrote his own obituary, lay down in a coffin in front of a funeral home and tried to commit suicide by shooting himself -- but missed. The 52-year old, who had told friends he had family problems, went to a funeral home close to the Podgorica graveyard to chose a coffin for himself, daily Vijesti reported. Later that evening he returned and asked a salesman to take the coffin he had picked, outside, so he could lie down and “test how comfortable it is”. He borrowed pen and paper and wrote down his obituary, paid for the casket in silence, and then ran out, laid down inside and shot himself. The bullet went through his jaw and came out through his nose, missing vital organs. He is currently recovering in the Podgorica medical centre, the daily reported. When police arrived at the scene, they found the gun next to the coffin and the handwritten obituary on the counter.

Friday 13th Emergencies at Macedonia Airport 16 February 2009 Two planes had to make emergency landings at Macedonia’s Skopje airport on Friday the 13th, leading airport authorities to publicly reassure passengers over the portentious date. An airport spokesperson told the Dnevnik daily that such problems do occur from time to time and had nothing to do with the date that many connect with bad luck. The first incident took place shortly after noon on board a Malev plane headed for Budapest, the head of the Macedonia’s Civil Air Traffic Agency, Zoran Krstevski confirmed to Dnevnik. Ten minutes after take off, the plane’s emergency systems indicated something was wrong and the pilot turned back and landed safely in Skopje. A replacement plane was sent to take the passengers on. The second incident involved an Austrian Airlines plane that had problems retracting its front landing gear. This too returned safely, with ground crews on alert.

8

business

Imports from Germany up 14 per cent Trade figures released recently show that imports from Germany grew by more than 14 per cent in 2008 to €1.83 billion a deficit on two way trade of more than €1 billion.

Just under 12 per cent of all Serbia’s imports originate in Germany, making it Serbia’s second largest trading partner after Russia. .

CEO Salaries to be Published Serbian publicly owned companies will be obliged to publish the salaries of senior employees on their websites, the government announced. They will also be required to justify their salary packages to the office of the Prime Minister, local press report.

Srem Goes Green Netherlands company Grow, and local business Rasad, have opened a 13,000m2 glasshouse in the Srem region. The facility will produce both organic and non-organic vegetables, with 80 per cent of the production scheduled for export to countries of the Central European Free Trade Area, CEFTA, and the balance for the local market. The company will employ 30 permanent workers. The local government provided 35 million dinars in investment aid for the 253 million dinar project. Grow Rasad, have plans to expand the facility to as much as 60,000m2 during 2010.

Friday, Feb. 20 - Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009

Discounted Loans Announced I

n an effort to assist local businesses with investment and to spur the public into purchasing locally produced goods, Serbian Economy and Regional Development Minister Mladjan Dinkic has announced that from Monday 23rd February both Businesses and individuals will be eligible for loans at favourable interest rates.

The vast majority of banks in Serbia have signed up to a government programme which will allow them to offer 50 per cent discounts on prevailing rates to businesses and still better rates to individual consumers.

The discounted rates will be funded by a cash injection of some 8 billion dinars from the government

which Dinkic estimates will allow banks to offer as much as 77 billion dinars of discounted credit.

Loans to businesses to a maximum value of €20,000 are conditional on them at least maintaining existing levels of employment throughout the term of the loan, but can otherwise be used for any legitimate business purpose.

Loans will be made available to individuals for the purchase of domestically produced cars, agricultural vehicles, furniture and electrical appliances at a fixed interest rate of 6 per cent, or a further discounted rate of 4.6 per cent for Fiat Punto vehicles made at the former Zastava plant in Kragujevac.

New Tempo Store for Bulgaria

Ikea Seeks Locations in Serbia

Sava Port Feasibility Study The City of Sabac, approximately 90 km outside of Belgrade and the Port of Vienna are underetaking a feasibility study for the construction of a port on the Sava river. The study is due for completion by the end of 2009. Construction costs, if the plan goes ahead, are estimated at €10 million.

Sojaprotein Not For Sale Despite rumours to the contrary, Sojaprotein, one of the most traded shares on the Belgrade stock exchange is not for sale, said Nikola Vujacic of Victoria group, the largest shareholder, in an interview with B92. In 2009, Sojaprotein plans to maintain production at 2008 levels, whilst reducing its cost base.

Currency Reserves down €166.8 million Propping up the ailing dinar cost the country €166.8 million in January, the National Bank reports. Foreign currency reserves at the National Bank fell to €7.99 billion whilst commercial banks had reserves of €666.9 million.

S

erbian Delta M Group, will open its first Tempo store in Bulgaria later this year, PioneerInvestor.com reports. Delta is already in the local market with its Picadilly and Picadilly Express, supermarkets and convenience stores and is likely to be able to manage the new operation with its existing infrastructure.

The Tempo format fuses elements of both hypermarket and cash & carry operations, typically trading from units of around 10,000m2. “Negotiations are underway for a site and the company expects to conclude discussions and start work by March,” said Piccadilly executive director, Aleksandar Camparevic.

International competition in the sector is scarce, with only German retailer Kaufman present in any numbers, but both Carrefour and Metro are rumoured to be planning a market entry along with smaller format discount operators, Lidl, Penny Market and Plus.

The Piccaddilly chain operates 11 supermarkets in nine cities and plans eventually to have a total of 20. The company’s Piccadilly Express fascia is looking to create a 200-strong network of convenience stores.

Mladjan Dinkic announces the fiscal stimulus package.

Photo by FoNet

I

n a move likely to both shake the market and to lead Serbian consumers to endless hours of head-scratching with a screwdriver in hand and a set of 44 step assembly instructions, Swedish company “Ikea“ announced that it is actively seeking locations in Serbia, both in Belgrade and in regional centres.

Speaking during a visit to Croatia, Anders Dahlvig, president and executive director of the Ikea Group claimed that his team were already in discussion with the government of Serbia and other officials.

“Ikea sees the investment in Serbia as an employment opportunity, and our plan is to offer jobs and professional development to over 2,000 people in Serbia” local media report Dahlvig as saying.

Ikea’s arrival is sure to stir up the local home furnishings retail market which is currently both fragmented and starting to suffer, as consumers rein in spending in the current economic climate. “The disintermedia-

Belex

By Tijana Cvetkovic

T

he major indices are again close to their historical lows after five days of continual decline. Over the period between February 13th and 19th the Belex15 dropped by 4.04 per cent to 482.57 points, dipping once again below 500 points, while the composite

Get out your Allen keys, the Swedes are coming

tion effect of Ikea, when it enters a new territory can not be over-estimated”, a local retail analyst told Belgrade Insight, noting particularly their buying power and efficiency of their supply chain.

Source: www.aeropause.com

The privately owned Ikea Group, opened its first store in 1958 in Almhult in Sweden and turned over €20.9 billion in 2007, the latest year for which figures are available and operates in 37 countries across the globe.

More Pain for Investors as Index Dips Below 500 Again index, Belexline declined 2.94 per cent to 1,041.04 points.

Foreign investors` participation in the market was a modest 17 per cent of total turnover, with a considerably higher presence in sellside transactions.

In the reviewed period the total turnover on the Belgrade Stock Exchange amounted to 575 million dinars, from 1,070 transactions.

The highest daily turnover of 355 million dinars was recorded on February 17th, mostly thanks to the significant interest in Government FX bonds, especially series A2010 which made over €1.7 million. Total FX bonds turnover was €2.7 million.

The top traded issue over the period was once again Sojaprotein with a turnover of 131.4 million dinars and 166,415 traded shares.

Confectionery producer BambiBanat and AIK Bank were also amongst the most liquid stocks with 49.7 million dinars and 44.1 million dinars traded.

Bambi-Banat topped the gainers` list with a 7.09 per cent price increase, followed by pharmaceuticals producer Velefarm and Privredna Bank, which ended the period 6.15 per cent and 1.75 per cent ahead.

The biggest loser was Progres, plunging 19.44 per cent in the reviewed period. Not far behind and also with significant price declines were Univerzal Bank and Cacanska Bank, dipping 12 per cent and 11.76 per cent respectively.

Tijana Cvetkovic is an analyst with FIMA Fas Ltd. in Belgrade.

out & about

Friday, Feb. 20 - Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009

9

Zrenjanin - a Slice of Baroque in the Banat With its graceful theatre and historic squares, this town of many names has plenty to offer visitors throughout the year.

By Pat Andjelkovic Reporting from Zrenjanin

Z

renjanin, with a population of around 80,000, is the sixth largest town in Serbia. The settlement in the central Banat district, about 76 kilometres from Belgrade, got its present name in 1946 in honour of the revolutionary hero Zarko Zrenjanin Uca, a wartime leader of the Vojvodina communists and Partisans who, during the Second World War, endured torture and months of incarceration by the Nazis. Zrenjanin was subsequently released but later killed while trying to avoid recapture.

It’s easy to get to Zrenjanin. Just cross the Pancevo Bridge from Belgrade and follow the directions. It’s a little over an hour’s drive, depending on the weather. Watch the speed limit, especially through villages; police are on the lookout.

A LITTLE HISTORY The settlement was known as Beckerek back in the 14th century, when the little trading town on the banks of the Begej became the property of Serbian Prince Stefan Lazarevic.

Like many towns in this region, Beckerek was part of Hungary until 1551 when it was conquered by the Ottomans. There was a particular twist to this conquest, because the commander of the Ottoman army that seized Beckerek, the Grand Vizier, Mehmed Pasa Sokolovic, was of Serbian origin; for this reason, many local Serbs helped him to conquer the town. To show his gratitude to the Serbs, the Grand Vizier later built many beautiful buildings and granted the town local autonomy. During the Ottoman era, Beckerek was divided into two parts – one Serbian and the other Muslim.

In 1716, Beckerek was conquered by the Habsburgs. It developed significantly under the Empress Maria Theresa in the 1760s but in 1807, a great fire destroyed nearly the entire town. After the First World War, and the collapse of Austria-Hungary, the town became part of the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, later renamed Yugoslavia. Between 1941 and 1944, it was part of the autonomous Banat Region under German occupation, until finally ending up in the province of Vojvodina, in Serbia.

A LITTLE LEGEND A stereotypical male inhabitant of the Banat Region (between the Tisa River and Romania) is referred to as a “Lala,” which means “tulip.”

He’s supposed to be naive and good-natured, and many jokes are told at his expense. But why is he called “tulip?”

There are several legends, but one goes like this: After several fearless stands against the Turks along the Austro-Hungarian border, where great bravery was shown by Serbian frontier regiments, the Empress Maria Theresa decided to go and see these celebrated heroes.

Since she and her entourage did not want to cross the Danube, whose waters had risen substantially that year, and knowing that the roads to Banat were not in good condition, she decided that the heroes should meet her in a valley in the Fruska Gora hills. Today, this valley divides the old road from Novi Sad to Belgrade.

It was a beautiful spring day. Maria Theresa was greeted by the elegant frontier guard regiment. The commander, as was customary in such situations, gave his report and presented her with a bouquet of tulips. A tulip at that time was a valued flower, which only the wealthy possessed. Accepting the report and bouquet, Maria Theresa started in the direction of the frontier regiment. The Banachani, the men of the Banat, were standing to attention. Maria

Liberty Square with the Town Hall, built on the foundation of the former fortress, and Zrenjanin Cathedral.

Theresa was so impressed by their appearance and military posture that she spontaneously threw her tulips one by one at the group, declaring: “Why do I need these tulips? These are my tulips! These gallant soldiers protect my kingdom.”

In tourist shops in Zrenjanin and all over Banat, you’ll see souvenirs with a tulip motif and even little “Lala” dolls.

WHAT TO SEE The heart of the town consists of preserved public and residential buildings, mostly built at the end of the 19th or early 20th century.

Each marks the history of the town and reveals the social position of the building’s owners.

The Town Hall, built on the foundation of the former fortress, bears the mark of the rise and development of the town. For over two centuries, all important decisions concerning the town have taken place here. Other places of interest are the cathedral, Liberty Square, and the King Aleksandar I pedestrianised street.

Zrenjanin also boasts 10 bridges, and is often referred to as the “Town of Bridges.” It also has the oldest post office still operating in Serbia, founded in 1737.

The “Tosa Jovanovic” theatre, built in 1839, is also the oldest theatre in Serbia. It is said to have been founded by a wealthy man from Zrenjanin who fell in love with an actress from Budapest. To bring her closer to himself and to the town, he had the theatre built, and it remains a monument to his ardour. The baroque interior is of great beauty and has sound acoustics. It can hold an audience of around 350.

The National Museum, founded in 1906, has changed location on several occasions before moving into the building of the former Financial Palace in 1966. This monumental building of harmonious proportions is decorated with figures representing Industry, Agriculture, Science and Art. Aside from its permanent collections, it frequently houses temporary exhibitions, such as a recent one

by Zdravko Mandic, an artist from Zrenjanin whose watercolours and oil paintings are sold worldwide. The Tourist Information Office is inside the National Museum.

In the centre of Liberty Square stands a statue of Petar I, 1844-1921, King of Serbia from

Photo by Pat Andjelkovic

1903 to 1918, the first monarch of the new Yugoslav state. The statue is a reminder that from 1928-1941, Zrenjanin was called Petrograd.

EVENTS Zrenjanin hosts a variety of fun events throughout the year, and it’s best to check the Office of Tourism website for dates. One particularly popular event is Beer Days, held during the last week of August, where visitors can sample more than 20 different kinds of beer as well as Serbian gastronomical specialties. Professional chuggers may want to take part in the beer-drinking contest. Other annual events include a folklore festival, a fish soup contest, a chess championship, motorcycle races, and art exhibitions.

HUNGRY? Zrenjanin offers a number of restaurants, each having its own specialties. Two we recommend are: “Tri Soma” (Three Catfish), Karadjordjev Trg 22. Tel: 064 4262162 “Beckerek” (local specialties) Beogradska 21. Tel: 023 546645

WHERE TO STAY Hotels: Hotel Vojvodina (right in the centre, 4 stars) Trg Slobode 5. Tel:023 5563166 www.hotel-vojvodina.co.yu Luxotel Laze Lazarevica 6. Tel: 023 563457

Private accommodation: The tourist office will be able to give you a recommendation, visit them in the National Theatre, or call 023 581890, e-mail office@ zrenjanintourism.org or visit their website: www.zrenjanintourism.org

ON THE WAY BACK Tiganjica, an ethno village, lies 10km from Zrenjanin on the way back to Belgrade. It

Photo by Pat Andjelkovic

Petar 1st, King of Serbia 1844-1921

stands at the entrance to the Carska Bara (Emperor’s Pond) reserve, and tries to represent the spirit and history of rural Banat, with several traditional houses equipped with restored antique furniture. It has a windmill, a park, ethno sculptures and the “Trophy” restaurant, which serves game, fish dishes, stews, and other local specialties, along with homemade bread that you may be lucky enough to see being made.

For kids, Tiganjica features a mini zoo, a charming collection of roosters, peacocks, does, ducks, and ponies. There’s a bathing resort (for use in warm weather, of course) near the Zabalj bridge. Closer to the complex is a renovated sandy beach area surrounding a lake, resembling a seaside resort. For those who prefer being more active, there are horses for riding.

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the belgrader

Friday, Feb. 20 - Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009

Dining Out

Lunch with the Beautiful People

By Trencherman

F

or some time now, when wandering down Terazije, I have felt compelled to stop and stare through the windows of Pascucci.

Whether at the ueber-cool interior design, or the ueber-cool twentysomethings who seem to frequent the place, or at the faintly ridiculous and vaguely pornographic “alabaster” pillar in the centre of the room, moulded with reliefs of naked intertwined people, along with the occasional horse, I don’t quite know.

Anyway, it was lunchtime, we were hungry and at least one of my children is at the age where anything “fashionable” and “cool” has to be sampled.

Places that are “cool” are often, in my view at least, characterised by sloppy service, inflated prices and average food, so I certainly wasn’t expecting too much. Suffice to say

that I was pleasantly surprised by the professionalism of the staff and the prices on the menu, so we were off to a good start. The menu has a good selection of sandwiches, snacks and more substantial dishes and, thankfully, the kitchen seems not to have been overcome by a desire to match the trendiness of the interior design.

Between us we ordered a chicken and vegetable risotto, a hamburger, some seafood pasta and a ‘Mediterranean plate’. The risotto was savoury and was served with a good range of vegetables, nicely grilled, but there really wasn’t any sign of the advertised chicken. The hamburger, was, of course, a pljeskavica, served without a bun, with sour cream, a little salad and some potato wedges. But it was juicy, meaty and hot – everything it should have been.

Knowing how they make those ‘crab sticks’ ( and believe me, there’s no crab involved) I’m never really keen on dishes that contain them, but the seafood pasta, which also had some prawns and a tomato sauce, was good comfort food. Nothing special, but well cooked with a good, slightly spicy tomato sauce, and enough prawn and ‘crab stick’ to make it interesting. My Mediterranean plate was a mix of prosciutto, cured pork loin, some mini mozzarella balls, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese and some large shell-on prawns served

Pascucci caters to Belgrade’s hippest hipsters - make sure you’re dressed to be seen.

with a basket of different breads. Altogether it made for a tasty and substantial lunch.

We followed all of this with cakes and pancakes. I’m sure that we should thank a bakery somewhere downtown for the cakes, rather than the chefs, but they were good, fresh and pretty good value too. The pancakes were well cooked – firm enough but not leathery – but the sauces were a little lacking – the fruit fillings a little jammy rather than fruity, the caramel and white chocolate sauces under-flavoured.

And then the drinks. The wine list is, I’m afraid to say, over-priced and

has very few approachable bottles of wine on it. It’s a list one would expect in a fine-dining restaurant, which Pascucci is not. Few, I suspect will be dipping into it: with just a few exceptions, reasonable wines started at around 3,000 dinars. The quarterbottle of screw-top Cotes du Rhone that we ordered came in at 550 dinars, and was not good, and there was a hefty mark up too on the 350 dinar bottle of beer that we also selected.

So, we’ve lunched with the beautiful people, and to be honest it was really pretty good. My daughter got to sit on a faux-leather banquette,

Source: www.nadlanu.com

wax lyrical about the ‘way cool’ lighting, listen to some low level easy jazz and critique the clothing of every woman who came in, and the rest of us got to eat some pretty good food. But with some attention to the drinks menu, I’d have drunk more, and they’d have made a more cool profit from me too.

Pascucci Terazije 8 Tel: 011 3620006 Price guide: 1, 250 – 1,500 for a two course lunch with drinks.

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.

Royal Knez

Saran

Zorba

Trencherman rated Royal Knez as 100 per cent visitor friendly. Good service, good food, good decor, English spoken. A great place to take your mum when she comes to see you.

In a pretty detached building along the quay, Saran has a reputation for serving some of the best fish around, but you’ll have to trek over to Zemun to experience it. Excellent for a good Sunday lunch followed by a wintery stroll along the Danube.

All the Greeks we know in town go to Zorba’s and there’s no better recommendation than that.

Original home-cooked food, all the Greek staples you’d expect and some regional dishes, in one of the worst possible settings – a nasty underpass by the Post Savings Bank building.

Kneza Sime Markovica 10 Tel: 011 2635160

Kej Oslobodjenja 53 Tel: 011 2618235

The name Portobello, or calm port, characterises our restaurant perfectly. A calm, warm and cozy place for you to set sail from on a culinary journey Svetog Save 11, BELGRADE Tel/Fax: 011 2458373 www.portobello-restoran.co.rs e-mail: info@portobello-restoran.co.rs

Manjez People who really know their cevapi, order them just with some sliced raw onion, and possibly a pickle or two. Given a choice, we reckon, most of them would be placing their order at Manjez, where they’re authentic and excellent.

Svetozara Markovica 49 Tel: 011 3066602

27 Marta 71 Tel: 011 3376547

the belgrader

Friday, Feb. 20 - Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009

11

Feast Your Eyes at Fest Belgrade’s annual cinema blast may be suffering a mild identity crisis, but this year’s programme contains enough gems to keep any film buff satisfied.

By Slobodan Georgijev

T

his year’s Belgrade film festival takes place in the Sava Centar, the Belgrade Cultural Centre, the Film Library and at the “Balkan” cinema between Friday 20th February and Sunday 1st March.

A traditional film event, it presents film buffs with a solid overview of the previous year’s productions, bringing a mix of films from the US and rest of the world.

Conceived in the early 1970s, FEST not only brought cinema-goers in the then socialist Yugoslavia a selection of the world’s greatest films but put Belgrade on the map. In the last few years it has been searching for its identity, however, because film production and distribution methods have changed so fast that the original concept of FEST has begun to look outdated. Besides, Belgrade now has other film festivals too.

But judging by the number of people that still visit the large theatre in the Sava Centar each year, the event still has an honorary place in Belgrade’s life when it comes to film, recruiting new fans in a country that still boasts very few good cinemas.

While film lovers can now find alternative ways to see the latest screen offerings from Hollywood or the independent film world, FEST’s air of glamour and tradition helps it survive, bringing the city a much-needed touch of the pomp that attends all large international film festivals.

This year’s programme, in the main theatre of the Sava Centar, offers several top films from 2008.

Ralph Fiennes, star of The Reader, will ceremonially open the festival. This film, the work of British director Stephen Daldry, is based on the novel by German author Bernard Schlink and tells of the love story between a former Auschwitz concen-

Burn After Reading, with George Clooney, just one of the big movies on show at this year’s Fest.

tration camp guard, played by Kate Winslet, and a boy from a German town. Winslet was nominated for an Oscar in the category of best lead female and the film itself has already garnered five nominations.

The Baader Meinhof Complex, a German-French production, returns to the theme of Germany’s troubled recent history with this portrait of the notorious West German terrorist group in the late 1960s. It has been nominated for the category of best foreign-language film.

The review of Oscar contenders continues with such titles as Milk, Frost/Nixon, Revolutionary Road, The Wrestler, and Changeling.

Film-goers looking for truly bravura performances should certainly give Milk, starring Sean Penn, a chance, as well as Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler, and Frost/Nixon with Frank Langella. The latter is brilliant as the impeached former US president, Richard Nixon.

The same goes for Penn, who again demonstrates incredible powers of transformation as he takes on the role of Harvey Milk, the San Francisco activist who became the first openly gay man to be elected to a public position in the US – only to fall a victim to an assassin.

Penn’s performance reaches a new height in Milk, so much so that it would be surprising if he did not get an Oscar in the category of best male lead.

Fest ‘09 Venues Sava Centre Milentija Popovica 9 Tel: 011 2206000

Balkan Cinema Brace Jugovic 16 Tel: 011 3343 491

Cultural Centre Main Hall Knez Mihailova 6 Tel. 011 2621469

Ticket Prices: from 150 to 250 dinars For a full programme of screenings and movie times go to www.fest.org.yu

A potential threat to that win comes from Mickey Rourke, starring in a role that seems to have been written especially for him. As an ageing wrestler, deformed by numerous plastic surgery operations, Rourke reminds us all why he was once recognised as a man of great potential in the film world.

Fans of the Coen brothers will be able to catch Burn After Reading, starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt and John Malkovich. This wacky comedy represents a break from No Country For Old Men. Not half as memorable as Big Lebowski, but viewers will certainly have fun.

For those who still have not seen it, FEST brings last year’s Berlin champion Tropa de Elite/The Elite Squad, a Brazilian film about crime in the infamous favelas, or shanty towns, that ring Brazil’s large cities.

Beside its documentary approach and brutality, this film does not offer much in the way of narration or plot.

It is as if the director wanted to show violence in its purest form; in that he largely succeeds.

The same goes for Gomorrah, an Italian film based on the non-fictional work of Roberto Saviano about life in the grim tower blocks of Naples, a scene of semi-perpetual warfare between rival mafia-like gangs. Director Matteo Garrone presents several concurrent stories showing how the mafia influences the lives of ordinary people in Naples in a convincing and naturalistic way.

Those who cannot make it to the Sava Centre can see the films at other times in other locations around town.

And besides the main menu offered in the Sava Centar, the other theatres in downtown Belgrade are showing a range of other productions that would not normally reach Hollywood’s red carpet.

Cinema fans can make use of this opportunity to catch a selection of Turkish, Argentinian, Slovenian or Korean films. Some, such as Europe Out of Europe, or Fantasia are real gems – waiting for you to discover them.

Source: www.imdb.com

Source: www.imdb.com

Not in wide circulation, The Baader Meinhof Complex is one of this year’s gems

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the belgrader

Friday, Feb. 20 - Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009

Going Out

We Recommend

Disco Bar Energija

Friday

Teofilovic Twins

Energija is one of the many smaller clubs popping up around Belgrade that cater to the “halfway” crowd.

One of the most revered talents in Serbian folk music, the twins sing Balkan ethno melodies, their voices merging in exotic intervals with almost unfathomably perfect pitch and grace. This is the best it gets as far as ancient, traditional Serbian vocal music is concerned. Well worth the trip out to the Belgrade suburb of Rakovica. Qucera Centre for Culture and Education of Rakovica, Miska Kranjca 7

Saturday

Clan of Xymox This hugely influential group was one of the first gothic groups on the scene, forming in 1983. They mix various sub-genres of gothic music, from dark electro to neo-folk styles with more traditional rock influences. Though the Dutch band’s line-up is rarely stable, they continue to record regularly and tour successfully. Dom Omladine, Makedonska 22

Sunday

Exhibition: Ida Ciric This exhibition was put together by the family and friends of Ida Ciric, who was best known for her illustrations in children’s books. While focusing on the late Ida Ciric, the whole family will be featured, including her late husband Milos Ciric, who was one of the leading graphic artists in Serbia over the last 30 years, and their daughters Iva, Manja and Mina who continue to work in the fields of illustration and design. Fine Arts Museum Vuka Karadzica 18

Source: www.rakijanje.com

Energija is almost always guaranteed to be crowded and bustling .

By David Galic

Reporting from Belgrade

T

hose who do not want to go to an expensive or imposing nightclub where weapons are checked at the door and scantily clad folk singers entertain, but don’t want to go to a rock bar that has overflowing urinals and Whitesnake cover bands on Fridays either should check out Energia.

The club is small, and uses the old mirror illusion to try and look a bit more spacious, though this usually doesn’t work, especially when the people are packed in, and the only illusion the mirrors are creating is that there are more people inside than there actually are.

Saturday night was Valentine’s Day, and females had free admission that night. On most nights, admission is free before midnight, but as most know, nobody arrives to a club before midnight in Belgrade.

As I found on my way in, you do have to check your coat, however, no matter when you enter, who you enter with or what time of day it is, or, as in my case, however much you’re attached to it.

The Valentine’s Day promotion featured cocktails, and the accompanying game of girls being expected to buy and drink red ones if they are off the market, a yellow cocktail would suggest perhaps a tease or the fact that a guy would have to actually talk and maybe buy drinks for the lady in order to earn a phone number, and green meaning, as long as the guy does not smell like a stable or spit much when he talks, he’s got a chance.

Aside from the mirrors, the club’s interior is fairly interesting. The decor, it would appear, tries to capture an overall aura of decadence, with one wall near the bathroom done up completely in faux fur. The rest of the club decorations follow suit - lots of zebra prints, frilly curtains, and vintage-looking posters, lamps and

similar. There are sofas to stretch out on if you get there in time and want to chill out instead of hunching over the bar all night. It is a fairly large bar, which is almost always lined with more people than the two barmen working could ever hope to cope with, which means that it could take a nice long while to catch their attention and get a drink in your hands.

Even though there are usually DJ’s spinning, there is not much room to dance, so those who want to shake a leg or two usually cram in, in front of the DJ’s podium.

Inoffensive but equally uninteresting house music was what was offered for the occasion, which is on par with what is being played at most similar clubs - your correspondent blames the vapid musical interest of most patrons rather than the club itself.

But if you’re looking for a place that’s almost always guaranteed to be crowded and bustling to have a drink, and you can live with the anodyne music, look no further than Energija.

My Picks

Butcher Ljuba

By Rian Harris

Reporting from Belgrade

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

L

ooking for a place to get an entire suckling pig or a lamb?

Want it roasted on a spit, but don’t have your own? Butcher Ljuba, located at the far end of Kalenic Market, has just about every kind of meat that you could want, for big barbecues or family dinners, and if you’ve got a craving for rostilj, but don’t feel like slaving over hot coals, they’ll

take care of that for you too. Assorted cuts of beef, chicken and pork are available, as well as cured meats such as sausages, bacon and Serbian prsut.

You can order specialty items, including wild game. At Thanksgiving, they found a gorgeous 10 kilo free-range turkey from Jagodina for me in less than 24 hours. The quality is fantastic and some of the best restaurants in Belgrade buy their meat here.

Kalenic Market, Lokal No. 49, Monday through Friday 06:00 – 14:30, Saturday and Sunday 06:00-13:00.

Monday

James Blunt According to the organisers of the concert, only one Balkan stop was offered by the singer’s management and Serbia was selected because a large number of requests arrived via the internet demanding the singer in Belgrade.

The multi-platinum selling British star has ties with the region, having served as a British army captain in Kosovo before finding success as a pop singer. Expo Centar Spanskih Boraca 74A

Tuesday

Laibach Even though the Slovenian industrial group has been to Belgrade several times, this is the one and only time they will be performing interpretations of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach from their album Laibachkunstderfuge.

The material was created when the group was invited to the Bachfest in Germany in 2006 to perform an interpretation of a piece by the famed composer. Dom Omladine, Makedonska 22

Wednesday

Chuck Prophet An American singer-songwriter from the influential group Green on Red, who has had a very prolific solo career as well. He will be promoting last year’s album Soap and Water. Prophet achieved mainstream success with the album No Other Love in 2002, the title track of which was covered by Kelly Willis and Heart. Many may remember his hit single Summertime Thing as well. Dom Omladine, Makedonska 22

Thursday

DJ Food Contrary to popular belief, DJ Food is not one person, it is a project many musicians have participated in, mainly Matt Black and Jonathan More of Coldcut. DJ Food was announced this time in Belgrade to be spinning a DJ set and a “live VJ performance,” whatever that means. Regardless, this affiliate of the prolific Ninja Tune Records family, puts on a great set whatever the setting and whoever is spinning. Plastic, Takovska 34

the belgrader

Friday, Feb. 20 - Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009

13

What’s On CINEMAS

Nightlife:

Sunday, February 22

Roda Cineplex Pozeska 83A , tel: 011 2545260

Barthelemy Vincent and Shwabe, Energija, Nusiceva 8, 23:00 Disco Plastic, Plastic, Djusina 7, 23:00 DJ Stevie, Underworld, corner of Ruzveltova and 27 Marta, 23:00 Vocal House, Mr. Stefan Braun, Nemanjina 4/9, 23:00 Sweeet Fridays, Ex-Lagoom, Svetozara Radica 5, 23:00 Yu Rock, White, Pariska 1a, 23:00 Les Gigantes, Blue Moon, Knegilje Ljubice 4, 23,00 DJ Super Fly, Francuska Sobarica, Francuska 12, 23:00 Groove Control, The Tube, Dobracina 21, 23:00

Music:

Bolt: 16:00 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa: 15:50 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: 17:50, 21:00 Confessions of a Shopaholic: 15:45, 18:00, 20:15, 22:30 Valkyrie: 17:45, 20:00, 22:15 Dom sindikata Trg Nikole Pasica 5, tel. 011 3234849 Bolt: 16.15 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa: 16:30 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: 18:15, 21:00 Confessions of a Shopaholic: 18:00, 20:00, 22:15 Valkyrie: 18:00, 20:15, 22:30 Australia: 15:30 Ster City Cinema Delta City, Jurija Gagarina 16 (Blok 67), tel: 011 2203400 Bolt: 11:50, 14:20, 16:40, 18:40 Valkyrie: 12:10, 14:40, 17:30, 20:00, 22:30 Australia: 12:50, 15:00, 17:10, 19:20, 21:30 Confessions Of A Shopaholic: 13:10, 16:20, 19:40, 22:50 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: 13:20, 15:30, 18:10, 20:20, 22:40 Yes Man: 22:10 Underworld, Rise of the Lycans: 15:30, 21:30, 23:15 Tuckwood Cineplex Kneza Milosa 7, tel: 011 3236517 Confessions of a Shopaholic: 15:45, 17:45, 20:15, 22:30 Valkyrie: 16:15, 18:30, 21:00, 23:20 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: 16:50, 20:00, 23:05 Dusk: 17:15

Friday, Friday 20 Music: Belgrade Philmarmonic Orchestra, Ilija M. Kolarac Foundation Hall, Studentski Trg 5, 20:00 Extra Orkestar, Lava Bar, Kneza Milosa 77, 23:00 Toca and Band, Mr. Stefan Braun, Nemanjina 4/9, 23:00 Starfuckers, Living Room, Kralja Milana 48, 23:00 Odium, Danguba, Cirila I Metodija 2, 23:00 Nada Pavlovic Band, Diva Restaurant, Bulevar Nikole Tesle 2, 20:00

Other: Who is Singing Out There (ballet), National Theatre, Trg Republike 5, 19:30 Romance (play), Belgrade Drama Theatre (BDP), Milesavska 64 20:00 Hitler and Hitler (play), Atelje 212, Svetogorska 21, 20:00 Exhibition: Ulrike Ottinger (Film), Artget Gallery Trg Republike 5/I

Saturday, Friday 21 Music: Eugene Onegin (opera), National Theatre, Trg Republike 5, 19:30 Frankestra Band, Gaucosi, Dunavska 17a, 23:00 No Comment Band, Lava bar, Kneza Milosa 77, 23:00 Witch 1, Living Room, Kralja Milana 48, 23:00 Osmi Dan, Danguba, Cirila I Metodija 2, 23:00 Nightlife: Belgrade Disco Mafia, The Tube, Dobracina 17, 23:00 Gramaphondzije, Energija, Nusiceva 8, 23:00 House Night, Mamolo, Ilije Garasanina 26, 21:00 Balanso Brasil Special, Plastic, Djusina 7 , 23:00 DJ Marko Gangbangers, Underworld, Corner of Ruzveltova and 27 Marta, 23:00 House Fever, Mr. Stefan Braun, Nemanjina 4/9, 23:00 Disco House Night, White, Pariska 1a, 23:00 Soul Touch, Blue Moon, Knegilje Ljubice 4, 23,00 Alternative Control, Ex-Lagoom, Svetozara Radica 5, 23:00 Other: Gas Light (play), Belgrade Drama Theatre (BDP), Milesavska 64 20:00 Exhibition: Jerzy Skolimowski (Film), Kneza Mihaila 46, 17:00

Tosca (opera), National Theatre, Trg Republike 5, 19:30 Makao Band, Mr. Stefan Braun, Nemanjina 4/9, 23:00 Live Bands, Underworld, corner of Ruzveltova and 27. Marta, 23:00 Spring & Youth, Danguba, Cirila I Metodija 2, 23:00 Hip Hop Party, Living Room, Kralja Milana 48, 23:00 Nightlife: Sportsman Night, White, Pariska 1a, 23:00 Shaker Party, Mr. Stefan Braun’s Garden, Vojislava Ilica 86, 23:00 Lazy Sunday Afternoon, Fest, Majke Jevrosime 20, 22:00 Karaoke, Miss Moneypenny, Ada Ciganlija (Makiska side 4), 21:30 Leftovers, Blue Moon, Knegilje Ljubice 4, 23:00 Other: Presentation of the monograph “Ksenija Jovanovic,” National Theatre, Trg Republike 5, 13:00 Milk (play), Belgrade Drama Theatre (BDP), Milesavska 64 20:00 Massacre God (play), Atelje 212, Svetogorska 21, 20:00 Exhibition: Rade Kundacina (paintings), KCB Gallery, Kneza Mihaila 6, 17:00

Monday, February 23 Music: Young singers and pianists, Artget Gallery, Trg Republike 5/I RTS Big Band, Ilija M. Kolarac Foundation Hall, Studentski Trg 5, 20:00 Karaoke Night, Danguba, Cirila I Metodija 2, 23:00 Nightlife: Dj Dutya, Francuska Sobarica, Francuska 12, 22:00 Video Concert, Fest, Ajke Jevrosime 20, 22:00 House Party (DJ Kobac), Blue Moon, Knegilje Ljubice 4, 23:00 Bla Bla Band, Vanila, Studentski trg 15, 22:30 Humanitarian Night, Stefan Braun, Nemanjina 4/9, 23:00 Other: Kir Janja (play), National Theatre, Trg Republike 5, 19:30 The Miracle in Shargan, Atelje 212, Svetogorska 21, 20:00 Moblie (play), Belgrade Drama Theatre

(BDP), Milesavska 64 20:00 Exhibition: Zoran Grmas (graphics), Graphic Collective Gallery, Obilicev Venas 27, 17:00

Tuesday, February 24 Music: Kolo Ensemble, Ilija M. Kolarac Foundation Hall, Studentski Trg 5, 20:00 Kinky Acoustic, Miss Moneypenny, Ada Ciganlija (Makiska side 4), 21:30 Metallica tribute band, Danguba, Cirila I Metodija 2, 23:00 Nightlife: Psychodelic Tuesday, Underworld, Corner of Ruzveltova and 27 Marta, 23:00 Riffs, Francuska Sobarica, Francuska 12, 22:00 Diesel Party, Mr Stefan Braun, Nemanjina 4/9, 23:00 Discount Night, Fest, Majke Jevrosime 20, 22:00 Zex Kazanova, Bambo Bar, Strahinjica Bana 71, 22:00 Other: Half Price (play), Belgrade Drama Theatre (BDP), Milesavska 64 20:00 Don Kihote (ballet), National Theatre, Trg Republike 5, 19:30 America Party Two (play), Atelje 212, Svetogorska 21, 20:00 Exhibition: Dragan Azdeljekovic (paintings), Kolarac Gallery, Trg Republike 5, 17:00

Wednesday, February 25 Music: Il Trovatore (opera), National Theatre, Trg Republike 5, 19:30 Pussycat Dolls, Belgrade Arena, Bulevar Zorana Djindjica 77, 20:00 Scandinavia Night, Living Room, Kralja Milana 48, 23:00 Milodrag Feodorovic (piano), DKSG, Bulevar Zorana Djindjica 179, 20:00 Nightlife: Cocktail Wednesdays, Mamolo, Ilije Garasanina 26, 21:00 DJ Ike & Prema, Plastic, Djusina 7, 23:00 Popular Science, Underworld, Corner of Ruzveltova and 27. Marta, 23:00 Karaoke Challenge, Mr. Stefan Braun, Nemanjina 4/9, 23:00 Salsa Night, Havana, Nikole Spasica 1, 22:00 Fest Cafe, Fest, Majke Jevrosime 20, 22:00

Other: Rabbit Hole (play), Belgrade Drama Theatre (BDP), Milesavska 64 20:00 Exhibition: Focus II (photography), Circus Gallery, Kralja Milana 48, 17:00

Thursday, February 26 Music: The Resident, Bitefart cafe, Skver Mire Trailovic 1, 22:30 Nada Pavlovic and Dusan Jovanovic, Diva Restaurant, Bulevar Nikole Tesle 2, 20:00 Tropico Band, Lava Bar, Kneza Milosa 77, 23:00 Moomin, Living Room, Kralja Milana 48, 23:00 Zoomie, Danguba, Cirila I Metodija 2, 23:00 Nightlife: A Little Bit of 90s, Mistique, Aberdareva 1b, 23:00 Respect, The Tube, Dobracina 21, 23:00 Ladies’ Night, Mr. Stefan Braun’s Garden, Vojislava Ilica 86, 23:00 Playground Radio Show Live, Tapas Bar, Dositejeva 17, 22:00 Weekend Warm Up, Fest, Majke Jevrosime 20, 22:00 Other: Sleeping Beauty (ballet), National Theatre, Trg Republike 5, 19:30 Massacre God (play), Atelje 212, Svetogorska 21, 20:00 Frederik (play), Belgrade Drama Theatre (BDP), Milesavska 64 20:00

14

sport

Friday, Feb. 20 - Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009

Heavy Snowfall Delays Superleague Restart Bad weather will keep Serbia’s first division in hibernation for another week and the decision to prolong the winter break was met with mixed reactions.

By Zoran Milosavljevic Reporting from Belgrade

T

he long-awaited Belgrade derby between Serbian champions Partizan Belgrade and their bitter city foes Red Star, originally due on February 21, has been postponed to February 28, after this week’s heavy snowfall forced first division officials to give the top flight clubs an extra week off.

While Partizan coach Slavisa Jokanovic welcomed the decision as the only possible course of action, Red Star officials locked horns with each other in another farcical meltdown, slowly but surely turning the 1991 European Cup winners into a laughing stock, on and off the pitch.

Red Star’s director of operations Ilija Ivic and coach Cedomir Janevski concurred with Jokanovic, but the club’s president Dan Tana argued

that the league should restart with the matches originally scheduled for the 28th. In other words, Tana, an owner of a restaurant business in Los Angeles also known by his Serbian name Dobrivoje Tanasijevic, wants the derby to be postponed to an unspecified date. What is more, he believes such a move would be in the best interest of fans, who have already bought tickets for the biggest match Serbian league football can offer.

It is not the first time matches have been postponed due to the long and dismal winter in this part of Europe and the issue just begs the question whether Serbia should change its soccer calendar. Given that many matches have been played on pitches that resemble mud-baths or ploughed fields over the years, in conditions similar to those which forced this season’s delay, it would probably make sense to follow Russia’s example and play from March to November with a short summer break. The other option is to end the first half of the season well before the freezing air begins to bite through the players and fans in mid-December and extend the winter break until March 1, when the weather is usually less hazardous for everyone involved. “I don’t believe that more

Photo courtesy of Partizan’s official website

Heavy snowfall has forced soccer officials to posptopne the league’s restart after the winter break but not everyone was happy with the decision.

Some clubs argued playing on pitches such as Partizan’s barely recognisable ground would have been the right thing to do.

than a handful of fans would turn up to watch football in this weather, up to their knees in snow and freezing in sub-zero temperatures,” said Ljupko Petrovic, the Vojvodina Novi Sad coach who steered Red Star to European Cup glory 18 years ago. “I don’t understand why we are being asked to restart the league in February when the former Yugoslav first division always resumed in March,” added Petrovic, who hopes to guide Vojvodina to their first league title in 20 years.

To achieve the feat, Petrovic will have to leapfrog front-runners Partizan and fend off third-placed Red Star, but even that tall order – given the quality of his own team and the opposition – appears to be more feasible than the thankless task of talking common sense into those unhappy with the delay.

Amazingly enough, it was mostly the bottom half of Serbia’s

Vojvodina Nose Ahead of Partizan

By Zoran Milosavljevic Reporting from Belgrade

V

ojvodina Novi Sad gave themselves a fighting chance of winning the regional Ice Hockey title in the Panonia League, after beating top-ranked Partizan Belgrade 5-4 in the Serbian capital to take a 1-0 lead in the best-offive series. Partizan, who finished the regular season at the peak of the seven-team league, twice fell two goals behind in the opening period when Marko Sretovic and man of the match Fred Perowne fired the visitors ahead and Janko Jerkovic gave the visitors a deserved 3-1 advantage after Boris Gabric had pulled one back.

Ukrainian forward Anton Butochnov, scored a brace to haul the Serbian champions back to 3-3, but poor defending from the home team allowed Vojvodina to restore a two-goal lead after Mark Fournier and Milosevic struck twice in just seven seconds with five minutes left on the clock.

Butochnov’s countryman Vitaly Gavrilyuk reduced the deficit on a last minute power-play after the hosts had taken off their goaltender, but his effort was too little, too late, to earn

Photo courtesy of Partizan Hockey Club’s official website

Vojvodina outskated Partizan in game one, to edge ahead in the best-of-five series.

them another lucky escape. Partizan, looking for their first regional title, after winning three successive Serbian championships, often overcame poor starts during the regular season, which they thoroughly dominated.

It wasn’t to be, this time round, as Vojvodina stated their title credentials with a gutsy performance in the Pionir Ice Arena.

In the third-place play-off, Red Star Belgrade strolled to a 4-0 win at

HK Novi Sad to win the best-of-three series by two games to nothing. The league also includes Croatian sides HK Mladost and HK Zagreb, as well as Beostar Belgrade, who finished bottom of the table in the regular season.

Neither team from Croatia’s capital qualified for the play-offs, where Partizan breezed past Novi Sad and Vojvodina outclassed Red Star to reach the final.

12-team first division that growled and snarled at the decision to spare their players the ordeal of playing on snow-covered pitches, where they would do well just to retrieve the ball from getting buried beneath the mud, snow and ice. “This is a shameful decision, against the interests of football and it favours only the strong clubs,” said Goran Milanovic, the president of eighthplaced first division newcomers Jagodina, while his OFK Belgrade counterpart Mihajlo Ivanovic added: “We are fed up with practice and friendly matches, we have timed our form to perfection for the February 21 restart and extending the winter break will not do us any good.”

Ivanovic, whose rhetoric suggests that he too must be nourishing titlewinning ambitions, although his team are closer to the relegation zone, then put the icing on the cake. “We all

know that nature takes its course but football has its own ways too and the only proper course of action is to create playable conditions in any kind of weather,” he said.

That, bar a divine intervention from the skies which would bless the Balkans with an equatorial climate, would mean building state-of-the-art stadiums with retractable rooftops, propelling Serbia straight into the orbit of nations eligible to host the World Cup. Until that day, football in this part of the world will be at the mercy of the unpredictable Balkan weather every so often and a week-long delay is likely to be welcomed by most clubs as a blessing in disguise.

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

Live Sports on TV Friday, Feb 20: Soccer: Schalke 04 v Borussia Dortmund (Sport Klub + 8.30 p.m.), Argentinean League Match (Sport Klub + 00.15 a.m. Saturday); Tennis: ATP Tournament in Marseille (Sport Klub 7.00 p.m.), ATP Tournament in Memphis (Sport Klub 01.30 a.m. Saturday); Basketball: Serbian Cup semi-finals (RTS 2, game 1 at 6.00 p.m. game 2 at 8.30 p.m.), Croatian Cup semi-final – Zadar v Cibona Zagreb (HRT 2 at 6.00 p.m.)

Saturday, Feb 21: Basketball: Spanish King’s Cup semi-finals (Sport Klub, game 1 at 6.00 p.m. game 2 at 8.30 p.m.), Serbian Cup final (RTS 2 at 6.00 p.m.), Croatian Cup final (HRT 2 at 8.00 p.m.); Soccer: Bayern Munich v FC Cologne (Sport Klub + 3.30 p.m.), Inter Milan v Bologna (Sport Klub 4.00 p.m.), Arsenal v Sunderland (RTS 2 at 4.00 p.m.), Panathinaikos v Panionios (Sport Klub + 6.00 p.m.), Manchester United v Blackburn (RTS 2 at 8.00 p.m.), Nancy v Lyon (Sport Klub + 8.00 p.m.), Barcelona v Espanyol (FOX Serbia 8.00 p.m.), Palermo v Juventus (OBN at 8.30 p.m.), Sporting Lisbon v Benfica (Sport Klub + 9.00 p.m.), Wolfsburg v Hertha Berlin (Sport Klub + 11.00 p.m. delayed), Real Madrid v Betis (FOX Serbia delayed 00.20 a.m. Saturday); Tennis: ATP Tournament in Memphis semi-finals (Sport Klub 10.00 p.m.); Alpine Skiing: Men’s Giant Slalom (HRT 2, first run at 9.20 a.m. second run at 12.30 p.m.), Women’s Downhill (Eurosport 2 at 11.00 a.m.)

Sunday, Feb 22: Basketball: Spanish Cup final (Sport Klub 6.30 p.m.), NBA Regular Season – Phoenix Suns v Boston Celtics (OBN at 11.40 p.m.); Alpine Skiing: Men’s Combined Super G (HRT 2 at 10.20 a.m.), Women’s Super G (Eurosport 2 at 11.30 a.m.), Men’s Combined Slalom (HRT 2 at 2.00 p.m.); Tennis: ATP Marseille final (Sport Klub 2.00 p.m.), ATP Memphis final (Sport Klub 10.00 p.m.); Soccer: AC Milan v Cagliari (OBN and Avala 3.00 p.m.), Liverpool v Manchester City (RTS 2 at 4.00 p.m.), Bayer Leverkusen v Hamburg SV (Sport Klub + 5.00 p.m.), Spanish League Match (Kosava 5.00 p.m.), Westerlo v Club Brugge (Sport Klub + 7.00 p.m.), Getafe v Athletic Bilbao (FOX Serbia 7.00 p.m.), Dinamo Zagreb v Hajduk Split (HRT 2 at 8.10 p.m.), Argentinean League Match (Sport Klub + 8.20 p.m.), Anderlecht v Standard Liege (Sport Klub 8.30 p.m.), Spanish League Match (Kosava 9.00 p.m.), Marseille v Le Mans (Sport Klub + 10.15 p.m. delayed) Monday, Feb 23: Premier League Highlights (RTS 2 at 8.00 p.m.)

Tuesday, Feb 24: Champions League (B92 at 8.45 p.m. Inter Milan v Manchester United live, followed by highlights and Arsenal v Roma delayed at 1.00 a.m.

Wednesday) Wednesday, Feb 25: Champions League (B92 at 8.45 p.m. Real Madrid v Liverpool live, followed by highlights and Chelsea v Juventus delayed at 1.00 a.m.

Wednesday)

directory

Friday, Feb. 20 - Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009 Accounting & Auditing

15

Gifts & Souvenirs

International schools

Pharmacies (on duty 24 hours)

BDO BC Excell, Knez Mihailova 10, 011 3281299.

ConsulTeam, Prote Mateje 52, 011 3086180.

Deloitte, Kralja Milana 16, 011 3612524.

Ernst & Young, Bulevar Mihajla Pupina 115d, 011 2095700.

KPMG, Studentski trg 4, 011 3282892.

Pricewater House Coopers, Omladinskih brigada 88a, 011 3302100.

SEECAP, Marsala Birjuzova 22, 011 3283100.

Kneza Milosa 12, 011 2641335, www. kombeg.org.yu.

Ministry of Economy and Regional Development, Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra 15, 011 3617583, www.merr. sr.gov.yu.

Ministry of Trade and Services, Nemanjina 22-26, 011 3610579.

Privatization Agency, Terazije 23, 011 3020800, www.priv.yu.

Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Resavska 13-15, 011 3300900, pks.komora.net.

SIEPA - Investment and Export Promotion Agency, Vlajkoviceva 3, 011 3398550.

Adore, New Millennium Shopping Centre, entrance from Knez Mihailova 21, Delta City 011 2625056, 10:00 20:00, Sat 10:00 - 15:00, closed Sun. Beoizlog, Trg Republike 5, 011 3281859, 09:00 - 21:00, Sat 09:00 15:00, closed Sun. Singidunum, Terazije 42, 011 2643158, 09:00 - 21:00, closed Sun. Zdravo-Zivo, Nusiceva 3, 063 8785988, 12:00 - 16:00, closed Sun. www.serbiasouvenirs.com

Aqua Pharm 2, Corner of Kneza Milosa and Visegradska Streets, 011 3610171.

Bogdan Vujosevic, Goce Delceva 30, 011 2601887.

Miroslav Trajkovic, Pozeska 87, 011 3058482.

Prvi Maj, Kralja Milana 9, 011 3241349.

Sveti Sava, Nemanjina 2, 011 2643170.

Zemun, Glavna 34, 011 2618582.

Aikido

Children’s playrooms

Real Aikido World Centre, Slavujev venac 1, 011 3089199

Extreme Kids, Cvijiceva 1, 011 2764335.

Puf-Puf, Bulevar Mihaila Pupina 165a, 011 3111793.

Golf Klub Beograd, Ada Ciganlija, 011 3056837.

Belgrade Arena, Bulevar Arsenija Carnojevica 58, 011 220 22 22, www. arenabeograd.com.

Anglo-American School, Velisava Vulovica 47, 011 3675777.

Britannica International School, Uzicka 21a, 011 3671557.

British International School, Svetozara Radojcica 4, 011 3467000.

Chartwell International School, Teodora Drajzera 38, 011 3675340.

Ecole Francaise de Belgrade, Kablarska 35, 011 3691762.

Deutsche Schule Belgrad, Sanje Zivanovic 10, 011 3693135.

International Nursery School, Nake Spasic 4, 011 2667130.

International School of Belgrade, Temisvarska 19, 011 2069999.

Ballet classes Orhestra Ballet Studio, Cirila i Metodija 2a, 011 2403443.

Majdan Children’s Cultural Centre, Kozjacka 3-5, 011 3692645.

Bookshops Apropo, Cara Lazara 10, 011 2625839, 10:00 - 20:00, Sat 10:00 - 16:00, Closed Sun. IPS-Akademija, Knez Mihailova 35, 011 2636514, 09:00 - 23:00.

Mamut, corner of Sremska and Knez Mihailova, 011 2639060, 09:00- 22:00, Sun 12:00 - 22:00.

Bowling Colosseum, Dobanovacka 56 (Zemun), 011 3165403, 11:00 - 01:00, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 02:00.

First bowling, Gradski Park u Zemunu, 011 3771612, 11:00 - 01:00, Sat, Sun 11:00 - 17:00.

Kolosej, Jurija Gagarina 16 (Delta City), 0113129944, 09:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 09:00 - 02:00, Sun 09:00 - 24:00.

Business connections Belgrade Stock Exchange, Omladinskih brigada 1, 011 3117297, www. belex.co.yu.

Business Registration Agency C-2, Trg Nikole Pasica 5, 011 3331400, www.apr.sr.gov.yu.

Chamber of Commerce of Belgrade,

Consulting CES Mecon, Danijelova 12-16, 011 3090800, www.cesmecon.com.

Dekleva & Partners Ltd., Hilandarska 23, 011 3033649, www.dekleva1.com.

EKI Investment, Kralja Milana 16, 011 3613164, www.eki-investment.com.

Dentists (on duty 24 hours) Stari Grad, Obilicev Venac 30, 011 2635236.

Vracar, Kneginje Zorke 15, 011 2441413.

Golf

Health

Sunasce, Admirala Geprata 8a ulaz 5/1, 011 3617013.

Marry Poppins, Kursulina 37, 011 2433059.

Anlave CD, Vase Pelagica 68, 011 3175929, www.anlave.co.yu.

Bel Medic General Hospital, Koste Jovanovica 87, 011 3091000, www. belmedic.com.

Bel Medic Outpatient Clinic, Viktora Igoa 1, 011 3091000, www.belmedic. com.

MEDIX, Novopazarska 30, 011 3085805, www.medix.co.yu.

Baklaja Igric Mujezinovic in Association with Clyde & Co, Gospodar Jevremova 47, 011 303 8822 Harrison Solicitors, Terazije 34, 011 3615918.

Law Office, Takovska 13, 011 3227133, 063 383116, www.businesslawserbia.com.

HOME HELP

Money transfer

Lawyers

Western Union, Kosovska 1, 011 3300300.

Dry cleaners

Open Markets

Cleaning Servis, Palmoticeva 10, 011 3233206.

Pop’s, Mercator Shopping Centre, Bulevar Umetnosti 4, 011 3130251.

Bajlonijeva Pijaca, Dzordza Vasingtona bb, 011 3223472, 07:00 - 16:00 Blok 44, Jurija Gagarina bb, 011 2158232, 07:00 - 16:00 Kalenic Pijaca, Maksima Gorkog bb, 011 2450350, 07:00 - 16:00 Zeleni venac, Jug Bogdanova bb, 011 2629328, 07:00 - 16:00

Fitness Clubs Extreme Gym, Cvijiceva 1, 011 2764335, 08:00 - 24:00, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 22:00.

Power Gym, Steve Todorovica 32, 011 3545935, 09:00 - 22:00.

Wellness Centar, Kraljice Natalije 3840, 011 2686268, 07:30 - 23:00, Sat, Sun 09:00 - 21:00.

Zvezda City Oaza, Ada Ciganlija, 011 3554652, 07:00 - 22:30, Sat, Sun 09:00 - 22:30.

Kindergartens

Opticians Horse riding Aleksa Dundic Riding Club, Belgrade Hippodrome, Pastroviceva 2, 011 3541584.

Diopta, Kralja Milana 4, 011 2687539.

La Gatta, Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra 43, 011 3244914.

M&M optic, Jurija Gagarina 153/18, Novi Beograd, 011 1760772.

Photo service Color Foto, Svetogorska 4, 011 3245982.

Foto Studio 212, Cvijiceva 63, 011 3374015.

Models, Svetog Save 16-18, 011 3449608.

Real estate Eurodiplomatic, Dravska 18, 011 3086878.

Mentor, Milesevska 2, 011 3089080.

Slavija rent, Beogradska 33, 011 3341281.

Shoe repairS Sasa M, Kosovska 35, 011 3227238.

Air Zak, Kralja Aleksandra 254/a, 011 2413283.

Spa & Beauty Salons Jai Thai, Vase Pelagica 48, 011 3699193.

Spa Centar, Strahinjica Bana 5, 011 3285408.

St Angelina, Karnegijeva 3, 011 3232058.

Sun Beauty Center, Strahinica Bana 29, 011 2182090.

Zorica, Dobracina 33, 011 3285922.

TAXI SERVICES Beotaxi, 011 970 Beogradski taxi, 011 9801 Lux taxi, 011 3033123 NBA taxi, 011 3185777 Pink taxi, 011 9803 Translators Association of Technical and Scientific Translators of Serbia, Kicevska 9, 011 2442729.

Belgrade Translation Center, Dobracina 50, 011 3287388.

Center Lomonosov, Hilandarska 23, 011 3343184.

16

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Friday, Feb. 20 - Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009