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NEWS NEWS
Friday • June 13 • 2008
9 ISSN 1820-8339
771820 833000
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Issue 1 / Friday, June 13, 2008 Weekly Issue No. 29,No. Friday, Mar. 27 - Thursday, Apr. 02, 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.
EDITOR’S WORD POLITICS
Political Predictability
Belgrade mayor Dragan Djilas was barred from entering Kosovo. By Mark R. Pullen
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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 Many of us who have experiBELGRADE Tadic in a bid to guide his party into enced numerous Serbian elections youth, as Djordje Zaric, wasit the European mainstream, but much Belgrade rate ourselves pundits when killed following an incident in which a of the membership and many offi- police comes to predicting reofficer’s pistol was election discharged. cials may oppose that move.” sults and post-election moves. 5 Nikolic agreed: “The question is We feel in-the-knowPage because will the party split or will the ‘oldour experience of elections in Ser&usABOUT timers’ back down,” he noted. bia hasOUT shown that (a.) no single Fearing they might not cross the party or coalition will ever gain the close to to form the Bulgarian 5-per-cent threshold to enter parlia- Romuliana, majority required a governborder has some of the finest Roment, the Socialists teamed up with man ment, and (b.) political negotiations ruins in the region. the Association of Pensioners and the will never be quickly concluded. United Serbia Party, led by businessEven when the Democrats man Dragan Markovic “Palma”. achieved their surprising result at Pensioners leader, Jovan Krkobalast month’s general election, it bic, Palma and Dacic are all pushing quickly became clear that the refor a deal with the Democrats. sult was actually more-or-less the The reported price is the post of same as every other election result Socialist leader Ivica Dacic remains the Serbian kingmaker deputy PM, with a brief in charge of in Serbia, i.e. inconclusive. security for the Socialist leader. faces extinction unless it changes. This is likely to continue as long to Serbia’s late president, Slobodan By Rade Maroevic in Belgrade In addition, the Socialists are barHowever, a strong current also as Serbia’s politicians form new Milosevic, and reformists who want gaining for other ministries, includflows in the opposite direction, led political parties every time they the party to become a modern Euroense negotiations on a new govPage 9 ing capital investments, Kosovo and by party veterans enraged by the disagree with their current party pean social democrat organisation. ernment have divided the ranks DANCE education, Belgrade media reported. prospect of a deal with Tadic. leader (there are currently 342 regAfter eight years of stagnation, of the Socialist Party, which holds FoNet Tadic has deniedPhoto talkbyof horseMihajlo Markovic, a founder of istered political parties in Serbia). the Socialists returned to centre stage the balance of power between the The Belgrade Dance Festival starts trading with the Socialists, maintainthethat party, recently crisis Drawn-out negotiations are also winning 20 of thefor250 in the day main blocs and protestors, has yet toboth announce Up to one thousand young and old,after gathered at Trg Republike a rallyseats to mark Spanish planeswarned dropped of theafirst NATO bombs on Serbia. on April 1st and showcases a mixing that ministries would go only to ture if Dacic opts for the pro-European theofnorm. Oneand Belgrade-based parliament in the May 11 elections. which side they will support. traditional contemporary those committed to working for the pieces. bloc, abandoning the Socialists’ “natAmbassador recently told me he With the pro-European and nation“It looks as if the Socialists will 11 government’s “strategic goal”. ural” ideological partners. was also alarmed by Page the distinct alist blocs almost evenly matched, move towards a government led by At the same time, Dacic seems reMarkovic, a prominent supporter lack of urgency among Serbian the Socialists now have the final say the Democrats,” political analyst MiGOING OUT is at a luctant to call off negotiations with of Milosevic during the 1990s, is politicians. “The country on the fate of the country. lan Nikolic, of the independent Centhe nationalists. seen as representative of the “oldstandstill andyouthful I don’tcrowd understand Nikolic believes the Socialists, led tre of Policy Studies, said. “But such Club White’s made Ten years after the bombing that the inloss of who Kosovo, Serbia “If has correspondent we marked don’t reach the an agreement our timers” the party want to stay their logic. If theyfeel areold... so eager to by Ivica campaign Dacic, will come overled to to a move might provoke deeper divianniversary somedeanger with the DSS and Radicals, the partruebut to thelittle former reflection. regime’s policies, progress towards the EU and enTadic, if only outwith of a pragmatic sions and even split the party.” ty leadership will decide on future even though these almost ruined the courage investors, how come they sire to ensure their political survival. Simultaneous negotiations held Instead, Serbs remain torn be- again endanger people – an obvious Milosevic demonstrations in the steps”, Dacic announced, following Socialists for good. go home at 5pm sharp and don’t “The group of younger Socialists with the pro-European and nationaltween looking back at the war, swipe at the bloodshed of the Milo- nineties. By Julijana Mojsilovic the first session of country’s new parSome younger Socialist officials work weekends?” gathered around Dacic seems to be ist blocs have drawn attention to a which In their black-and-white world, led to a loss of territory, and sevic regime. onconfusion Wednesday. have voiced frustration over the con- thereliament Surely the situation is urgent in the majority”, Nikolic said, adding deep rift inside the Socialists. was no or dilemma At home, top politicians, caresimply looking forward to joining years after NATO launched the causes of the(www.balkaninsight.com) 1999 war. not toimpasse directly within link thetheir NATO Union. believe the party fultinuing own overSource: enough to warrant a little overtime. thatEuropean these reformists Thisen divides “old-timers” loyal the Balkan Insight its air war, aimed at halting Chanting “we want arms” and Far from Belgrade, Serbia’s bombing in 1999 to Kosovo’s decSlobodan Milosevic’s violent President, Boris Tadic, whose Dem- laration of independence in 2008, “kill Albanians”, some performed crackdown in Kosovo, many Serbs ocratic Party is now in coalition with laid wreaths at sites where NATO Nazi salutes beside a cardboard THIS ISSUE OF BusinessSocialists, Insightdelivered his bombs Neighbourhood remain unwilling to confront the Milosevic’s fell. Some issuedMatters statements figure of Ratko Mladic, the former Insight reasons Belgrade behind the conflict. describing the campaign as unjust. Bosnian Serb commander, sought own ‘10 years on’ statement. Page 12 Both politicians andBY: the meOn Tuesday, a few far-right or- for war crimes. In New York, attending a UN IS top SUPPORTED dia marked the anniversary, while session on Kosovo and represent- ganisations mustered a crowd of Others carried banners which avoiding looking at the factors for ing a Serbia that has vowed never to about a thousand to condemn the read ‘Milosevic: Hero, Defender of conomists are warning that prohile the football world watchthe intervention or examining the is- recognise Kosovo’s independence, bombings in Belgrade’s Trg Relonged uncertainty over Serbia’s es site events at the Eurosue of responsibility. of aunfold number of antiTadic said politics should never public, the Continued on page 4 future 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 The by World what they as corrupt leaders Trencherman visits Ikki to sample reCup see qualifiers restart this Stojan Stamenkovic of the Econom- weekend. of the country’s football association putedly Belgrade’s best sushi. Teams from around the region will be in action. ics Institute in Belgrade. leaders. page 5 page 10
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Serbia Recalls NATO Raids T
Costs Mounting
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Football Rebellion
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