CorD Magazine No.55

SERBIA IS NOT AN AMERICAN PRIORITY Ivan Vejvoda Executive Director of the Balkan Trust for Democracy

CASH RULES Dr. Dragan Đuričin, Chairman of Deloitte d.o.o.

TURKEY IN TRANSITION H.E. Ahmet Süha Umar Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Serbia

interviews opinions news comments events www.cordmagazine.com

December 2008 / Issue No. 55 / Price 170 RSD

Cash is King

Cord, December 2008

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POLITICS & DIPLOMACY

CASH RULES

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WHERE IS INDIAN FOREIGN POLICY HEADING?

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Interview: Dr. Dragan Đuričin, Chairman of Deloitte d.o.o.

COEXISTING IN HATRED

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Ajay Kumar Dubey, School of International Studies at Jawaharlar Nehru University in New Delhi

BUSINESS & CURRENT AFFAIRS

Serbian-Croatian syndrome

CENTRE OF EXELLENCE

SERBIA IS NOT AN AMERICAN BUT A EUROPEAN PRIORITY

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B2B: LOAN FOR SERBIA

Ivan Vejvoda, Executive Director of the Balkan Trust for Democracy

TURKEY IN TRANSITION

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Slobodan Homen, State Secretary in the Serbian Justice Ministry

New IMF Agreement

MANAGING DIRECTOR Ana Isaković, a.isakovic@cma.rs EDITOR IN CHIEF Vladan Alimpijević, v.alimpijevic@cma.rs EXECUTIVE EDITOR Mark R. Pullen ASSOCIATE EDITOR Richard Wordsworth, r.wordsworth@cma.rs EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Tatjana Ostojić, t.ostojic@cma.rs ART DIRECTOR Tamara Ivljanin, t.ivljanin@cma.rs DESIGN ASSISTANT Tatjana Radojičić EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Dragan Bujošević, Ljubodrag Stojadinović, Sonja Ćirić, Mirjana Vujović, Ilija Despotović, Rade Ranković, Dejan Jeremić, Mark R. Pullen PHOTO Stanislav Milojković, Časlav Vukojičić, Dragan Milošević, CorD Archive, Fonet TRANSLATORS Snežana Rakić, Milenko Pećanac, Milica Kuburu, Momčilo Drakulić EDITORIAL MANAGER Tanja Banković, t.bankovic@cma.rs ADVERTISING SALES Marija Urošević, m.urosevic@cma.rs, Marija Savić, m.savic@cma.rs,

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NATIONALISM Vs. PATRIOTISM

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WE ARE SURROUNDED WITH PRIMITIVISM

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Miha Mazzini, writer and collector

CULTURE

DECIPHERING THE ENIGMA THAT IS VINČA

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Ancient history on Serbian soil

A GATHERING OF BEAUTIFUL MINDS

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Communications expert and psychotherapist, Dr. Zoran Milojević, talks to CORD

SUBSCRIPTION Maja Reljić m.reljic@cma.rs GENERAL MANAGER Ivan Novčić, i.novcic@cma.rs FINANCIAL DIRECTOR Ana Besedić, a.besedic@cma.rs PRINTING Politika AD DISTRIBUTION Futura Plus

Interview: Miljenko Jergović, writer and journalist

IT’S THE STORY THAT MATTERS

Alex Porter, EBRD business consultant

SOCIETY H.E. Ahmet Süha Umar, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Serbia

LUSTRATION OR REFORM

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FACES & PLACES

Mileševa Artists’ Colony – thirtyfive years of gathering under the wings of the White Angel

SPORT

SIXTY YEARS OF FORMULA 1

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The fastest automobiles in the world

LEISURE & LIFESTYLE

MY SERBIAN WEDDING CorD is published by: alliance intrenational media Knjeginje Zorke 11b, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia Phone: +(381 11) 308 99 77, 308 99 88 Fascimile: +(381 11) 244 81 27 E-mail: cordeditorial@cma.rs www.cordmagazine.com ISSN no: 1451-7833 All rights reserved alliance international media 2008

This issue is audited by

ABC Serbia

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Beyond Translation

TOS AND CorD RECOMMENDS

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Serbian beauty of the mountains

HEARTY FRENCH FOOD IN BELGRADE CITY CENTRE

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Le Molière, Restaurant Français

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By Rodoljub Šabić, the Republic of Serbia’s Commissioner for Information of Public Importance

Europe is not Ithaca Political analysts recently publicly presented some quite obscure, but very interesting, information about the legislative activities of the Serbian Parliament. We say ‘interesting’ because this information concerns a very hot topic and it casts a new, rather unconventional light on it. So, who is not doing their job – the Government or the Parliament?

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erbia’s path to the Europe Union and the country’s inclusion on the so-called White Schengen List are topics that reflect the hopes of the majority of Serbian citizens.

The European integration process and the speed, or rather lack thereof, at which it is being realised is at the root of the population’s frustrations. However, if only the Parliament had adopted ‘European’ laws we would have already been travelling to Europe visa free.

These are not just political issues. The weight of emotions that our citizens feel when their wish is not fulfilled makes the following question a very important political issue – who is to ‘blame’ for the obvious slowness in the pace of Serbia’s approach to the EU and the defined and proclaimed European goals? It is no coincidence that this issue has often been a source of mutual accusations between the Government and opposition parties and the Government and Parliament. Different ‘players’ on our political scene have spent a lot of time and attention articulating and promoting their own responses to this question. A widely accepted version blames only the Parliament for Serbia’s failure to become an official EU candidate at the end of 2009. The predominance of this version has a very solid foundation in the general perception of the poor state that our Parliament is in. The low credibility of the highest representative body in Serbia and the widely accepted image of the irrationality and huge inefficiency of its organisation are the results of many factors. The Parliament and its MPs are not always to blame. A typical example of this can be seen in a famous retrograde constitutional solution which envisages an imperative parliamentary term, with all negative consequences that are derived from that. MPs’ terms are ‘owned’ by the political parties they belong to, i.e. the Government controls the voting machine that is parliamentary coalition. In the eyes of most citizens, the Parliament has become an almost ideal culprit for many things, especially for the situations where its responsibility for something is not easily discerned.

A negative atmosphere and the blocking of the Parliament’s work have become a regular occurrence. A good chunk of the opposition parties are no longer even refraining from a brutal, totally destructive obstruction, which is a logical explanation for the Parliament being slow and late. These are obvious reasons why laws needed for our legal system to be harmonised with the EU have not been passed as yet. The icing on the cake is definitely an inconsistent and outdated Rule Book, which regulates the Parliament’s work. Also, the Parliament’s presidency lacks the

8 CorD / December 2008

required energy and authority to stop this destructive obstruction. So, the conclusion about the responsibility borne by the legislative power becomes complete – the Parliament is a chat room adapted for TV broadcasts.

However, some analyses have cast a different light on the assumption that the Parliament serves as a buffer to the state and the information pertaining to our slow journey towards Europe. Out of the 50 or so laws for adoption, which were seen is obligatory in order to create the formal conditions for Serbia to be granted EU candidacy status, around two thirds haven’t even made it to the Parliament yet. So, the Government, as the main and practically sole proposer of laws, hasn’t done its job. The Government did not prepare and submit proposals of these laws and this makes the Parliament’s ‘guilt’ a bit more relative. Some of these laws haven’t been even drafted yet. So, even if the Parliament were absolutely efficient and passed all laws proposed by the Government, the blame for being late in implementing our European tasks would fall solely on the Government’s shoulders.

An unconventional yet interesting view, wouldn’t you agree?

Still, it is quite obvious that both the Government and Parliament are to blame, each for their own tardiness. The real question is – are they jointly responsible for something even more important: the creating and maintaining of an erroneous presumption about the essence of the process of harmonisation of our standards with those of the EU? The time has come to demystify the process of a formal adoption of so-called European laws. There are too many ‘European’ laws that are not even applied. Many new institutions were added to the Serbian legal system after the year 2000. The aim of these institutions was to secure the application of European standards in monitoring, fighting corruption and protecting human rights.

Most of these institutions still lack the basic conditions for work and are not even operational. It is very dangerous to ignore the axioms. In order to have a successful transition, the axiom says that changes in an abstract normative system need to be accompanied by quality changes in the life of society. Only in this way can we validate new values. If that is not the case, independent regulatory institutions will lose their purpose and become counter-productive, even damaging. Hence, the first task that the Parliament and Government should particularly have in mind is to shift the centre of gravity in the process of Serbia joining the EU from an abstract to a real sphere, both in our conscience and practice.

Europe is not Ithaca.

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INTERVIEW: Dr Dragan Đuričin, Chairman of Deloitte d.o.o.

Serbia needs to maintain its economic growth and cut back on public spending in order to avoid the indirect affects of the financial crisis

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The crisis started when the economy fell into recession and only later did it manifest as a financial crisis. So, the real sector was in recession while the financial sector was supposed to collect the savings from the surplus branches and invest through ‘smart’ loans in those sectors that record surplus growth. During the last few years, so-called securitisation was at the very core of the financial sector. In the past, only commercial banks granted loans to the real sector. Other financial institutions, like investment banks, pension funds and mutual funds, dealt with equity investments, i.e. buying and selling securities. They were issuing securities that were covered by other securities. Just like a company can issue a security on the basis of its business premises and finished products, so a financial mediator can issue a security on the basis of the securities of other issuers. In this way they change the accrual period. Practice has shown that those who

National capitalism has always been imperfect. By definition it is full of negative external affects.The state has always been fixing these imperfections through legal regulations and the public sector

BY VLADAN ALIMPIJEVIĆ

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hile the financial crisis is shaking up the world, the Serbian Government’s biggest problem is keeping its election manifesto promises.

Pensions did increase, but so did the unemployment rate. Experts and authorities cannot see eye to eye when it comes determining how high this year’s inflation rate is going to be, but it is quite certain that it will be in double figures. The IMF is coming back to Serbia after an absence of several years.

This month we talk to Professor Dragan Đuričin, CEO of Deloitte d.o.o., about what caused the crisis and its affects.

Even prior to Christmas 2007, it was clear that U.S. banks burdened by mortgage loans and their clients were incapable of repaying their debts. So, how is it possible that a Fred Bloggs from Smallville, who is unable to repay his loan, can bring down the global financial system?

10 CorD / December 2008

It all started with a recession in the American economy, which was balanced by an artificial rise of demand in the military sector during the last year. The recession in the consumer sector was thrown off balance through public acquisitions, again for the military sector. Then it turned out that the expenses of the two wars were much higher than the benefits from raising the aggregate demand. The result was reduced competitiveness of the U.S. economy on the global market and a drop in the value of the U.S. dollar.

So, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were too expensive for America to handle?

A war can provide an economic injection, but it cannot stimulate the economy.

The depth of the recession in the U.S. shows that it is structural in nature and that raising the aggregate demand did not have a positive influence on the economy’s civil sector – rather it boomeranged by raising business expenses.

are engaged in securitisation transactions earn much more than those engaged in primary banking activities, i.e. financing. This trend was exacerbated by new institutions, like hedge funds and private equity funds.

Through securitisation, these funds have made huge amounts of money in a relatively short period of time. This affected commercial banks, which were also engaged in such activities. So, the banks began to delve into activities that have been traditionally considered high risk. In this way, a huge number of participants were included in the chain of mediators, who hedged on the previous mediator.

Thus investing expensive money in risky deals?

Investing was done with great expectations and even greater risks. The risk went away through a zone that was controlled.

The financial market doesn’t recognise the symmetry rule which is present on the goods and services market: the higher the profit, the higher the risk. There is a threshold that no-

body on the financial market would go under, since this market differentiates between the moment of investing and the moment the money has become effective, while in the case of goods this moment is the same.

Let me give you an example: at the moment oil processing company Enron went bankrupt they had 800 different securities, bought by various financial mediators. The pension funds, which bought the securities, conse-

hedged only by growth. When you promise an eight per cent return on the money you received with a three per cent interest rate, you expect some kind of growth to occur.

The growth was exceptional in certain sectors, but not in all. The growth wasn’t as high as the number of securities issued with great expectations. This led to an imbalance between recession in the real sector and explosion of the issued value.

each other, then that is dangerous. The current liquidity is not a problem, but distrusting the placements is. Black holes appeared in bank balances. So, we have two causes for the crisis: the recession and an unbecoming behaviour of a financial sector which has traditionally been conservative.

quently sustained damages amounting to $20 billion. The amateur investors were giving away their money to professionals, who apparently understood that the money was supposed to be invested in those securities. All of those who were involved in the chain and were ready to buy securities with an extraordinary yield were just greedy.

There was a time when financial sector institutions were quite heterogeneous, while today both investment funds and commercial banks are involved. The securities that bring money have now appeared in banks’ portfolios. So, the banks are investing their financial means in securities - risky securities.

The first signs of illiquidity appeared.

Securities that had a 15% yield were cashed in. The owners did not want to buy new securities, even with the promise of an 18% yield. The main impact came from the biggest banking activity – investments. If I have €50,000 in my pocket, that is not considered an investment. The investment is when we join finances, which is what banks have been doing. So, the banks pooled their savings through loans and then invested the money. Banks continued to invest in securities even when the repayment of loans stopped following the recession. Having no fresh income, they were faced with a problem.

Banks started to distrust each other. The market was closed. Last year, you couldn’t even get €10 million on the interbank market.

This was a signal that the crisis had started.

If banks, as the safest institutions, don’t trust

We are interested in seeing how the European Union reacted. Under the patronage of politicians, the experts met in Paris in October in order to come up with a new EU policy for revitalising the financial sector.

The crisis did hit this sector hard, but stock exchanges have suffered the most. A dramatic drop in indices ensued and the value of Gazprom’s shares fell by 60%.

This is a loss for shareholders, but also a loss of trust in stock exchanges which have become emphatic trend enhancers. To an already existing minus, the stock exchanges added another one. It is really important to see whether the supply is higher than demand or vice versa, since nobody will buy something that is constantly losing value.

This is the logic behind speculating on a stock exchange. The crucial thing here is to recognise the moment when trends change.

You should sell when you are high and buy when the curve is heading downwards.

In the EU, the state is a guarantor of bank loans with a mid-term or a repayment period of up to five years. This measure also applies to interbank loans. It stipulates that the state can buy out a loan, i.e. carry out a conversion of a loan and thereby the state becomes a creditor. The second measure that the EU applied is recapitalising banks through priority shares. This is the essence, while the devil is always in the

What triggered the global crisis?

On one hand, we have a real sector recession, while on the other we have the proliferation of securities, which are

CAUSES

CONSEQUENCES

SOLUTIONS

Banks pooled their savings through loans and then invested the money. Banks continued to invest in securities even when the repayment of loans stopped following the recession.

Enron went bankrupt with 800 securities, bought by financial mediators.The pension funds, which bought the securities, consequently sustained damages amounting to $20 billion.

This crisis can be overcome only if prosperity replaces recession, since only the economy can create new worth. In the financial sector, all you can find is value relief.

And then the state got involved in the whole story, at a federal level...

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detail. Whoever has priority shares takes dividends, but they don’t manage them as they’re not their owner. So, the state wants to help banks to regain their lost capital, but only through priority shares. This makes me question the whole hypothesis of the state capitalism - since if a state would buy common shares that would mean that the state is becoming an owner, i.e. that nationalisation was carried out. By buying prior-

ity shares, the state is playing the role of a crisis catalyst. The third measure applied by the EU is providing support to so-called ‘banks of national interest’. This means that the state would do anything to stop them from going bankrupt.

Changing accountancy regulations is the fourth measure from the Paris Protocol. To date, the rule was that a company’s position was evaluated in line with a fair market value. The estimation of a fair market value could lead to pumping up a company’s assets before a mortgage is taken out. Now, though, banks have to provide a separate assessment of which assets they consider as being high risk. The fair market value does not apply to those assets. This means that companies will no longer be allowed to buy risky securities and present them to their owners as a successful deal.

These EU measures for fighting the global crisis are not treating the cause of the crisis. Greedy managers and companies are not penalised. This is an attack on the very essence of healthy competition.

These measures are not going to be applied in a linear way to all subjects and they are term deposited by the end of next year.

How will the crisis affect the EU economy?

12 CorD / December 2008

Nobody can predict what is going to happen. This model of resolving problems is not a new one. Sweden applied it in the 1990s when the country went through a financial crisis and the experience was positive. The state did not lose money and managed to keep the economy alive. When the crisis went away, the state withdrew from the financial sector. The only risk that this situation brings is for-

eign currency instability. There are drastic fluctuations in the U.S. Dollar, Swiss Franc and Euro exchange rates, which loses its value. Also, the value of gold is going up. Serbia’s gold reserves are only one per cent, while almost 75% of foreign currency reserves are in securities. This is a risk zone.

The second model for overcoming the crisis is the Japanese one. During the 1990s, Japan did not only go through a recession, but also a depression. They found themselves in that situation by allowing liberalism to solve everything. Thousands of companies and banks went bankrupt and the only ones that survived were those that were healthy.

The idea behind the Paris Protocol is for the

state to help banks and for banks to invest in the economy and revitalise the financial sector by repaying loans. The risk that this plan brings is that the economy might not pick up and get the inflation money. This would cause trust to disappear and would ruin savings and, let’s not forget, the whole economy is financed from savings.

Nobody could have predicted that the price of crude oil in November would be lower than last year’s after such spectacular growth?

This is what I referred to as ‘the speculation bubble’. Everything that grows too quickly is unrealistic in the long-term. The price grew because people started to hedge in oil once they lost their trust in the financial market. But storing such large quantities of oil was not possible. Everybody who had some money to spare at the beginning of 2008 bought oil, but nobody could have predicted how long that would last.

The Czech Republic is not happy with the EU’s measures and their economy is not so deep in crisis. Hungary has great problems, but there are other EU members, mostly from the East, who think like the Czech Republic.

The importance of these countries’ financial markets is far less than those of the West. When it comes to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, including Serbia, banks assets are at 100% of GDP. In the EU this percentage is over 300! So, banks assets are equal to three years’ GDP. When this great sector fails, it really contaminates the economy. When the crisis strikes, the fact that the banking sectors in Central and Eastern Europe are underdeveloped in comparison to the EU is a good thing. The credit squeeze has less of an affect on an economy that is not overly dependent on foreign money.

A negative side to this is a high percentage of foreign banks’ capital. In Serbia, over 70% of financial market capital comes from abroad, while that percentage is even higher elsewhere in the region. So, we are going

SUSPENSION OF CAPITALISM Could this be constituted as the suspension of capitalism?

National capitalism has always been imperfect. By definition it is full of negative external affects. The state has always been fixing these imperfections through legal regulations and the public sector. Global capitalism is full of asymmetric relations.

Capitalism imperfections are becoming more pronounced. I would like to remind you that the crisis was brought on by homogenous behaviour that overpowered the heterogeneous. These measures do question the very nature of capitalism. The state is going to save only the biggest banks. This crisis can be overcome only if prosperity replaces recession, since only the economy can create new worth. In the financial sector, all you can find is value relief. Since they relieved a lot of values before they were even created, the ‘speculation bubble’ burst.

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to become quite dependent on how the EUbased headquarters of these banks behave.

In a way we are protected by extremely high reserves on foreign currency deposits, which amount to 40%. This is much higher than anywhere in the EU and there is a risk of certain banks withdrawing from our market. In that case, the reserves controlled by the National Bank of Serbia would also be withdrawn. For

The biggest danger for Serbia is the current account deficit. This is 17% of our GDP and the threshold is somewhere at 10%. This is a red light to external illiquidity. If the state is unable to repay the loans it took or served as a guarantor on, then it will be forced to take out liquidity loans. As a result of this, taxes will have to go up, which will destroy the economy’s competitiveness. This deficit

credit cards is huge. The economy which sold its goods via payment cards expects banks to transfer money, but a bad client is unable to pay. This will be another wind in the recession’s sails. The auto industry in the U.S. is the best example of this, as it has lost 70% of its buyers.

China will also inflate the crisis if the country carries out its intention of selling the U.S.

years, the Serbian economy counted on foreign banks having a lot of capital for granting loans. The interest rates were favourable for banks and the money poured in. Banks made the highest profit from repo securities – interest rates on state bonds were high and banks invested in that. Now we are quite certain that this money will be redirected to defend liquidity on their domestic markets.

could be covered by privatising public enterprises, but the value of the companies has fallen greatly and it is absurd to sell at this moment merely to gain liquidity.

state bonds that it has in its portfolio. China will invest this money in line with its own political interests. Cash is going to be the most sought after asset.

Companies with a good outlook are in high demand on the global market. Buyers were, or are, very well informed, but they were the generators of the crisis. In the period after the crisis there will be a global redistribution of power. At the end of the day, there will be a re-nomination, i.e. a change in relations between foreign currencies.

Is there a danger of domestic companies not being able to repay debts?

The relation between a debt and a deposit is important. In the Baltic states and Hungary, the banks used to grant 2.5 more loans than they had deposits. This meant that they went for securitisation and that the bubble was inflated. In Serbia, this relation is relatively good, close to 100%. So, on each Dinar of loan we had one Dinar of deposit.

There is a risk of withdrawing deposits, so Serbia’s central bank is trying to alleviate the panic as much as it can. There is also a risk of those who extended loans not being able to repay them. However, this doesn’t happen in Serbia because half of all loans are for the retail sector and our citizens are regular in their repayments. In the EU, this relation is 1:4 in favour of commercial loans.

Banks are also protected by the so-called foreign currency clause, which means that almost 60% of all loans are granted in Euros.

What is the biggest danger to Serbia in this global crisis?

14 CorD / December 2008

Some have been comparing this crisis to the great depression of the 1930s.

Is the crisis so deep that it could lead to political changes at a global level?

Financial crises will always lead to the contraction of the economy. The financial sector cannot create added value. Banks can

The crisis is still not over and we still haven’t reached the very bottom.The next impact could come from the payment card crisis in the U.S.The amounts people owe on their credit cards is huge.

The economy which sold its goods via payment cards expects banks to transfer money, but a bad client is unable to pay help with added value. The financial sector certainly played a role in dramatisation of the crisis, which started with the economic recession and the imbalance between supply and demand. The pressure on the inflation rate caused by a selective demand in selective branches has receded. So, on the cost side of things the pressure on prices will go down. Companies that have a good strategy will know how to use this. They are going to be the bearers of future development.

The crisis is still not over and we still haven’t reached the very bottom. The next impact could come from the payment card crisis in the U.S. The amounts people owe on their

Who are the possible losers and who will be the winners?

There is a white and black scenario for getting out of the crisis. According to the black scenario, there will be a great global depression followed by wars. The white scenario says that we are going to be able to consolidate our financial sectors by applying the outlined measures and after the consolidation several large companies will change owners and several large banks will go bankrupt. I believe that the world is closer to the white scenario and that we are going to overcome the crisis by the end of next year.

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Serbian-Croatian syndrome

Coe red

BY LJUBODRAG STOJADINOVIĆ

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n Serbia, many believe that the planetary conspiracy against Belgrade is not only a feeling of a strong and defeating paranoia but a reality that Serbs have no rational weapon against.

Croatia has been advocating a hardcore value system which propagates that Serbs are to blame for everything – the war, the post-war trauma, even for the exodus of 250,000 Serbs from Croatia in August of 1995. So, both Belgrade and Zagreb are living in an atmosphere that switches from political hysteria to paranoia to schizophrenia, depending on the challenges of the day. This is a syndrome that has historic, psychological and political roots.

The result is that the Zagreb and 16 CorD / December 2008

Belgrade myths, a type of chauvinism not as quite lethal as the one from 18 years ago, are making a comeback, fuelling extremism on both sides. These are only worsened by streams of uncontrolled rhetoric aimed not only at the right- or left-wing extremists or typical “supporters”. Many people, that one might have thought of as being calm, steady and rational, are more and more frequently to be heard speaking in increasingly extreme and worrying terms.

Attempts made by Belgrade in trying to reach a settlement with Croatia have failed.

Zagreb has the perceived high ground over the Balkans, especially with Serbia being labelled as genocidal. Furthermore, Serbia is under constant pressure; burdened with unavoidable guilt which pushes Serbia into a defensive mode and further damages its

In the relations between Serbia and Croatia, hatred and common sense go around in cycles.

What is worrying is the thought that there may be no advancement in relations between the two, even just in putting the dramatic past to rest

reputation in the eyes of the rest of Europe.

Some intellectuals from Zagreb are openly favouring launching an aggressive, even rough political and diplomatic action, with or without allies, which would create “an impression of Serbia being the secondrate country”. Of course the language that the Croatian political elite uses is not that oblique; nevertheless the strategy is to try to marginalize Serbia by implanting into it a strong feeling of guilt and infirmity.

Serbia’s political response to such attempts was very vague and lacking in good arguments. The Serbian junior diplomacy played the key role in this. Minister Jeremić does possess the knowledge (above all of the English language) and valid facts. However, the problem lies in something called diplomatic routine, and,

as one retired ambassador put it, “the exploitation of a tone”.

According to this ambassador, there are two kinds of foreign ministers – the ones who know everything, but say nothing, and others who don’t know anything, but say everything. This remark, of course, doesn’t apply to Vuk Jeremić, but it refers to distribution of experience in diplomacy.

Jeremić would be an example of some peculiar breed of foreign minister: one who knows something but doesn’t keep quiet about anything.

Was Jeremić too harsh when he infuriated his Zagreb hosts two months ago by claiming that Croatia carried out ethnic cleansing in 1995? He was probably right in stating his opinion back then, which was just a product of the current political situation and a representation of the stance of the whole Serbian public.

Who can tell whether we have benefited or were damaged by this? There are many opinions about this issue. Croatians said that the Serbian Minister was an unpleasant, but not bad, guest. In this case, a chance for any out of court settlement was irretrievably gone. Croatia refused “the ex-

In this way, the situation has begun to compound itself. If not for political reasons, then why if everyone involved has known about and has evidence of ethnic cleansings for years is trouble over it only being stirred up now?

What is happening here is the abuse of terrible human suffering and misery by both sides. The frightening so-called

Both Belgrade and Zagreb are living in an atmosphere that switches from political hysteria to paranoia to schizophrenia, depending on the challenges of the day.This is a syndrome that has historic, psychological and political roots tended friendly hand of Serbia” in a pretty cold and arrogant fashion. But something even more significant happened: Croatian legal experts were given a chance to finally condemn the exodus of Serbs from Croatia as the unquestionable cause of the war.

These claims are really very difficult to prove. But this is how Croatians created a preventive back-up plan and put up barricades against the Serbian countersuit apropos the same issue – Serbian exodus from the Krajina.

‘transfer of nations’ was carried out with total discretion and with no humanitarian reaction whatsoever. To this day, Croatia views this event as a result of a successfully and heroic war, while officials in Belgrade have attempted to cover it up.

Today’s Croatia is not welcoming to the people who have returned. Every attempt at return and social adaptation is met with strong bureaucratic obstacles. Mutual accusations and no practical solutions just add an insult to injury and resemble a sym-

Serbia ‘genocide’ case to proceed

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roatia’s allegations that Serbia committed genocide during the early 1990s will be heard at the International Court of Justice, the court has decided. Judges at the UN’s highest court in The Hague voted by 10 to seven that it had the jurisdiction to hear the case.

Croatian sources say that 20,000 Croatians died in the conflict, while hundreds of thousands of Serbs living there were displaced. This will be only the second genocide case to come before the court. The first was also brought against Serbia - by Bosnia. Serbia was cleared in that case.A date for hearing Croatia’s complaint has yet to be set. Serbia had argued that the court had no jurisdiction to hear Croatia’s case. It said the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was not party to the UN’s genocide convention nor even a member of the UN when the complaint was filed. Most of the alleged crimes were committed before the current republic was formed, it also argued. However, ICJ judge Rosalyn Higgins said the 17-strong panel had dismissed Serbia’s challenge to the court’s competence. In February 2007, the ICJ cleared Serbia of direct responsibility for genocide during the Bosnian war.

However, it said Serbia had broken international law by failing to stop the killings.

bolic rerun of the tragedy that Krajina’s Serbs endured.

It seems the only possible route to a conclusion of this situation is through the International Court of Justice. In the meantime, both sides will continue collecting the evidence and systematically spoiling their neighbourly relations. This could well turn into a long cold war, at least until this high court finishes its complicated job, and maybe even after that. It all depends on the results of this post-war Balkan legal game.

This is a stalemate where both sides believe that they have what it takes to finally triumph. It is quite clear that this is not possible, and that there are no magical solutions which could lead to the Balkan hatchets being buried and chauvinistic trumpets silenced.

This latest development has just fuelled the extremists. Even those extremists who had already made their peace with the make-believe idea of peace are now returning to their aggressive dispositions.

Bringing back to life the worst period of our mutual history will not again lead to the violence resembling that of the 1990s, but it will provide the extremists with an opportunity to come out and fulfil their vengeful dreams to the fullest, both in Zagreb and Belgrade.

It all goes to show that the war wounds and memories are fresher than anybody thought and that we are yet to see a painful auction involving the criminals and victims – a grim tally of who was grieved the most, who killed the most and who suffered the most. Whose evildoers were bigger heroes? What constitutes fighting for your country and what an ordeal carried out by the worst people imaginable who ruled lives during the worst of times?

We are afraid that we are going to have to listen to it once more, as a moral lecture from the dreams of dead men.

CorD / December 2008 17

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Ivan Vejvoda, Executive Director of the Balkan Trust for Democracy

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18 CorD / December 2008

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mer c After two Republican terms, the leader of the free world is a democrat once more.The first black president carried off a victory as expected, but received the majority of his support in the hope of great change in the post-Bush US. Both officially and unofficially Obama was supported in Belgrade, despite many of his foreign affairs advisers having had a decisive influence on the bombing of Serbia nine years ago.

BY ALEKSANDAR RANKOVIĆ

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conomic crisis, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, human rights abuses in Guantanomo and perhaps American health and education reform await the new U.S. president-elect. There are plenty of problems that Barack Obama will inherit from President George Bush. These problems should be solved during the high tide of support he is currently experiencing, says executive director of the Balkan Trust for Democracy, Ivan Vejvoda, for CorD. How do you rate Barack Obama’s campaign? Do you think it has merited the high expectations?

This was one of the longest campaigns in American political history and also the most expensive. It was never a sure thing that Obama would win; up until very late in

the campaigning it could have gone either way between Obama and Hilary Clinton. It was a tough competition, especially given the so far untested racial issues. It was not certain until September, when the big financial crisis began; the biggest in the world and in America since the great depression of the 1920s and 1930s. According to all analysts that was the turning point. Voters want an everyday life in which they don’t have to worry whether there will be work or not and whether they will have food on their table or not. In this case Obama was a much more convincing candidate. He presented himself as somebody who can get the country out of the financial crisis gradually and that seems to have carried him through to victory.

Was Barack Obama’s victory just a response to the bad results of the Bush

KOSOVO

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With regard to what is happening with Eulex on Kosovo, Serbia wants to be part of the solution, regardless of the initial attitudes toward its independence. I think the conditions that Serbia asked for have been accepted and it is important that that step has been made.

Many studies on the great crisis of the last century have been written. The lessons learned then are being applied now, simply to prevent everything from being ruined; to prevent everything turning into ashes before it can be rebuilt.

It is very good that Ambassador Ivan Vujacic has returned.

And it is good that the state decided to send ambassadors back after the voting in the UN, and the remaining ambassadors to the countries of EU. That is a realistic and serious approach.

CorD / December 2008 19

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administraton or is America really ready for a new political system?

These two things are closely related.

Eight years of the Bush administration damaged the reputation of America on the world stage. A series of wrong moves at home, wars in Iraq and Afganistan, the financial crisis... The issue of human rights played a big part as well. Also the issue of Guantanomo Bay and the various secret actions that both Americans and the American Supreme Court stood against. It has been rumoured that Barack Obama will close Guantanomo Bay. This response is as good a measure as any of the American people’s displeasure with the Bush administration.

Judging from American press reports, Obama and his team are preparing the abolition of a whole series of laws that the Bush administration introduced. Is that a natural course of events?

It is. The president has discretionary power to change certain final decrees. Remember that when Clinton was on his way out America became part of the Kyoto agreement, which Bush immediately pulled out of. Joining the International Court of Justice in Rome was also abolished. That is the privilege of a new president. I think Obama and his team are preparing for that – which law matters to keep, which ones can be changed and/or abolished.

When it comes to the current financial crisis, what are Obama`s obligations about gross assets?

In the course of recent weeks, during his first encounter with Bush, Obama asked him to do something about the car industry in the U.S. People in America are dependent on cars; the distances to cover are vast and there is no railway in the European sense of the word. As for employment, a great number of people work in the motor

industry. It is not only about gross assets, but also about rescuing what can be rescued in a situation in which jobs at home are being cut and the industry is moving more and more abroad, where labour force is cheaper and equally well educated. Obama will have to motivate the captains of industry and also create opportunities for workers affected by the crisis. This will not be easy.

Why has America’s response to this crisis been to use methods opposite to those employed in the financial crisis of the ‘20s and ‘30s?

That is simply the moral of the story of those years. Many studies on the great crisis from the previous century have been written, many economists have dealt with it.

The lessons learned then are being applied now, simply to prevent everything from being ruined; to avoid everybody losing their jobs; to prevent everything turning into ashes before it can be rebuilt, although there are different viewpoints on whether that’s the smartest thing to do or not.

Do you expect his team to persevere with finding out who is ultimately responsible for this crisis? Is anyone going to benefit from this crisis?

Even during the tenure of President Bush, the FBI was assigned the task of investigating situations of a series of big banks, financial institutions and insurance companies. The new administration will certainly be working on that. Those responsible must be found so as to prevent potential crises in the future. There are rumours that new financial systems are to be put in place to guard against such situations in the future; I expect that to be the main topic at the G20 meeting in Washington.

Are the great expectations in political circles in Serbia justified when it comes to the election of Rahm Emanuel, the founder of Congressional Serbian Caucus, for the head of Obama’s cabinet?

The fact he has chosen Rahm Emanuel for a congressman is not unimportant for us. First of all, he is somebody who is very familiar with the situation in the Balkans.

They visited the whole region, including Serbia. Tadić met with them. It is good to have somebody who knows where on the world map you are, who knows the recent history and knows the situation. Regardless of the fact that he is, administratively speaking, the person who should create the cabinet that will be working efficiently. But, whichever way you look at it, he will not be in charge of current affairs.

On the other hand, there is much speculation about how much damage to Serbia could be inflicted by Obama’s vice president, Joseph Biden…

Things are always more complex than it appears to us. I was at a ‘hearing’ in the Senate when the consequences of Kosovo’s independence were discussed. Biden, who

20 CorD / December 2008

is presiding over the foreign affairs committee of the senate, was moderate in his statements and looked at the position of Serbia and the significance of Euro-Atlantic integrations. Things have changed in comparison to what was going on in 2000.

Obama will lead foreign affairs. The role of a vice president is such that they get special assignments. He will certainly be asked questions relating to his experience – that is why he has been given the job. But the most important thing is what we are doing here.

If we are serious about our own future, relations with the U.S. can only be improved.

where there are similar conflicts and that is not to be undervalued. The policy of the Serbian state and the government not to use violence or military force, but to solve problems in diplomatic ways is very responsible.

We should finish the process of becoming a firm part of Europe and good relations with the U.S. will help that process.

sadors did not have. I think this is a good opportunity for him to lay the foundations for a new ambassador that will come after him, bearing in mind that he has been there for six years.

What will relations between America and Russia be like in future with Barack Obama?

Ambassador Ivan Vujačić has re- I expect a dialogue to be opened. You turned to Washington. What jobs are have seen that the U.S. chief-of-staff visited ahead of him now?

Belgrade recently, which means that com It is very good that the ambassadors have munication is constant. Secretary of State returned. It is good that the state decided to Condoleezza Rice held talks with minister Lavrov. Europe and Serbia’s attitude America realise, regardEight years of the Bush administration damaged the with regard to Koless of what happened in reputation of America on the world stage. A series of wrong sovo seems, for the Georgia, that Russia is an moves at home, the wars in Iraq and Afganistan, the financial moment, to be statimportant factor. Climate crisis...The issue of human rights played a big part as well ic. It is clear that change, for example, is a America`s attitude great issue. Simply put, is not changing either. Serbia expects send them back after the voting in the UN, we will all suffocate unless we work torelations with the U.S. to improve, but as well as the remaining ambassadors to gether to decrease carbon emissions. That is under these circumstances how is this the countries of EU. That is a realistic and why bilateral relations between Russia and serious approach for a country that knows the U.S. are very important. They openly possible?

These attitudes appear to be irreconcil- it should be on speaking terms with the tell each other what they disagree about, but able, but where there is good will there is world. Ambassador Vujačić knows con- that should not be an obstacle to working on a way towards improving relations. That is gressman Emanuel and his team very well things we agree on because that is how the what we hear from U.S. Ambassador Munt- and has an insight that our previous ambas- world goes round.

er as well as from Serbian officials. It is important to know what we disagree about and as the saying goes ‘we will agree to disagree’ and put it aside. On the other hand, we will look to see how we can make our relations stronger. America is the strongest country in the world, regardless of its current reputational problems. The only realistic way to move forward is to have good relations with America, as well as developing ties with the rest of Europe and Russia, of course. With regard to what is happening with Eulex on Kosovo, Serbia wants to be part of the solution, regardless of the initial attitudes toward its independence. I think the conditions that Serbia asked for have been accepted and it is important that that step has been made.

Former U.S. Ambassador in Belgrade, William Montgomery, has said that due to the influence of Biden the new administration will take more of an interest in the Balkans. Do you agree with that?

I do not know if I could agree with that.

There are so many greater issues than the Balkans at hand. The situation is simply much worse in other areas: Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East, the financial crisis, climate change... With regard to the Balkans, I think we are moving in the right direction and that we are coming out of a difficult decade. We have gone through the declaration of Kosovo’s independence in a peaceful way, which should be underlined. We can set an example to other parts of the world CorD / December 2008 21

H.E. Ahmet Süha Umar, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Serbia

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“I think the EU doesn’t know what it wants to do with Turkey.

The country is too strong; it has great influence and even greater potential. And once we become a full member no EU decision will ever be the same again”

BY MARK R. PULLEN PHOTO STANISLAV MILOJKOVIĆ

and Serbia, regional stability and Turkey’s EU integration aspirations.

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It is almost a century since the last war between Turkey and Serbia. How much have relations improved over the past century and how would you describe the potential of those bilateral relations?

History should be something that educates without monopolising our general approach to the future. The history of the Turkish Republic demonstrates this. For instance, immediately after the Turkish War of Independence we established friendly ties with Greece and other nations against whom we’d fought. We still have difficulties with those and other countries, but we

urkey’s Ambassador to Serbia is a man of vast diplomatic and political experience. Having joined the Turkish MFA back in 1967, he went on to serve his country in Argentina, Bulgaria, Austria, France, Belgium, Jordan and now Serbia. During a three-year sabbatical from the Ministry in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, he became politically active and was a founding member of one of the leading social democratic parties in Turkey and a member of the governing body of the major opposition party.

This month we speak to Ambassador Umar about bilateral relations between Turkey

22 CorD / December 2008

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are generally able to set aside history and look to the future.

The same can be said for our relations with Serbia. We lived together for around 500 years. That simple fact cannot be overlooked. It had an influence on everything in both nations. As such, we took elements from Serbs in those times and we can see that Serbs retain a lot from those days, in terms of the Turkish vocabulary, cultural elements, cuisine, etc.

Common cultural elements help, but politics is sometimes different. I see relations with the new Serbia as being even better than our relations with the former Yugoslavia. Times have inevitably changed and I believe that in the future the two states will co-operate with each other much more than is the case today.

If we look at the foreign investment map of Serbia today, we see that many of the regional powers, such as Greece, Austria and Italy, have invested heavi-

ly. Turkish investments, however, seem to be somewhat lacking. Have you set any targets?

Yes. Unfortunately, turning back to the issue we just addressed, history can have negative affects on the sentiments of nations. This is true for both Serbs and Turks.

Following the way the former Yugoslavia collapsed, especially what happened in Bosnia & Herzegovina, negative feelings towards Serbs, which had lain dormant with the Turkish nation up until that point, came alive once more. I know that this is also true of Serbs regard to Turks, to some extent. This sentiment made both sides reluctant to get involved in joint ventures and co-operation.

On the trade side we’re doing rather well.

We have an annual trade level of around $600million, which is quite substantial for Serbia. However, when it comes to the investment side, as you said, we are lagging behind all other countries of the region.

Our only major investment in Serbia was the Efes brewery, but they made a trade with Heineken and left Serbia.

We are working very seriously to change this situation, particularly the understanding and approach between the businessmen of both countries. It is my understanding that things are moving forward in Turkey and more Turkish businessmen are becoming interested in Serbia. After all, Serbia is the key country in this region and the most important, in all aspects, among the successor countries of the former Yugoslavia.

As such, we cannot afford to ignore Serbia. Moreover, Serbia is a connection between Western Europe and Turkey and the Middle East and even Russia. One fact that should not be overlooked is that some 120,000 Turkish lorries transit Serbia each year. This fact alone is enough to make Serbia important.

As you know, Serbia and Belgrade were at the centre of the Ottoman Empire. Indeed, the Ottomans placed more emphasis on the Balkans than on Anatolia. The reason they fought so hard for Belgrade was that they saw this city as the centre of their empire in

Europe and the base of their continued expansion. In terms of bilateral relations, we also see Serbia and Belgrade as being very important. So, we are working very hard to improve the situation and we hope that during 2009-10 things will change substantially. There are many sectors where Turkish investors of various levels could come and do business in Serbia.

Do you have many inquiries from potential investors or host many commercial delegations?

Yes. We recently hosted two business delegations from Turkey. One was a special committee of businessmen who would like to do business with Serbia.

They came and spoke to their counterparts in Belgrade and in Niš. Then two organisations, Serbia’s SIEPA and its Turkish counterpart DEIK, came together and es-

I wouldn’t say so. TIKA still doesn’t have an office here, but I expect one to be established in the next few months. Perhaps there was a misunderstanding in connection with TIKA. Before coming here, I was responsible for 76 countries from the Far East down to Africa and the majority of these countries had TIKA activities coordinated by offices in the country or nearby. TIKA is quite an unbiased organisation, established to promote co-operation, economic, business and cultural relations between Turkey and all countries that are willing to co-operate with us.

In principle, TIKA works on specific projects which should be prepared by local partners – as opposed to being our own initiatives. TIKA always asks and expects local authorities to prepare projects according to their own needs and their own preferences of implementation. Only then

In truth,Turks tend to be much more tolerant, friendly, cooperative and easy-going than many European nations. Of course, there are many things wrong with Turkey and Turks and their attitudes, but this is the same for many nations that are already full members of the EU and even the original members tablished contacts. Furthermore, Deputy Prime Minister Ðelić and a group of Serbian businessmen recently visited Turkey to attend the World Economic Forum and I understand that they returned with very good impressions.

We are also working on a free trade agreement with Serbia and we expect to conclude this soon. I also spoke to Deputy Prime Minister Dinkić recently and we decided to hold an economic co-operation conference next year to bring together businessmen.

Your predecessor noted that Turkey was having trouble obtaining permission to establish a TIKA (Turkish International Cooperation & Development Agency) mission in Serbia. Is that still the case?

BUSINESS

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Serbia is the key country in this region ... we cannot afford to ignore Serbia. It is a connection between Western Europe and Turkey and the Middle East and even Russia and Central Asia. One fact that should not be overlooked is that some 120,000 Turkish lorries transit Serbia each year. This alone is enough to make Serbia important.

Ultimately,Turkey would now like to see all the countries of the Balkan region admitted to the European Union as soon as possible, as this would be the greatest guarantee of the stability of the region.

I’m always encouraging my colleagues from EU countries to try to be a bit cleverer and a bit quicker in grasping things, at least once in history…

This is undoubtedly a transition period for relations between Turkey and Europe, but I’m afraid that if the leading EU countries continue to make one mistake after another, as they have done lately, and Turkish public opinion will shy away from the EU irreconcilably.Two years ago 74% of Turks supported EU integration, but today less than 20% do

do we evaluate a project proposal and determine whether we will be able to support it. This is always the case. However, sometimes countries are hesitant. Perhaps this was the case with Serbia. Maybe the authorities thought that TIKA would only support projects for one community or one part of the Serbian society, but this is not the case. TIKA is ready to support projects all over Serbia, for any community and any institution. For example, some contacts have been established and support is being considered for some projects in Novi Sad. A few days ago I spoke to the Minister of Culture and we came to the conclusion that there are some cultural projects that we could support through TIKA, including the renovation of some cultural and historical sites. These need not always be Ottoman or Muslim, but TIKA could be very useful and could provide funds, knowledge and experts in specific fields. It is my impression that the Serbian authorities are changing their approach to TIKA very quickly.

What advice would you give to the Muslims of Sandžak, considering that the community continues to be split between two rival religious and political leaders?

The issue of Sandžak has two aspects: political and religious. On the political side, the situation was difficult and, to some extent, remains so. The two main political leaders, Messrs Ljajić and Ugljanin, have a long history. And when I CorD / December 2008 23

came here I was faced with this history.

Politics can be very strange on occasion and we diplomats often struggle to understand politics. However, I have some insight because I retired from the ministry for three years and during that period I was politically active and am a founding member of one of the leading social democratic parties in Turkey. As such, I at least have an idea of how politics works.

So, the relationship between Messrs Ljajić and Ugljanin has been difficult for some time, but before the formation of the new government in Serbia I was able to establish contacts with the political leaders in Sandžak and they were quite forthcoming.

They came to terms with one another, at least up to a point, which has been very useful. And although they supported different national leaders during the election, they did at least both give their support to President Tadić which, in my opinion, was a good decision.

When it comes to the religious differences, which in itself is contradictory because we are only talking about one religion, I think it is once again about who will be the leader. This is something you expect from political leaders, but it should not happen for religious leaders. Nevertheless, it does happen.

Personally, I believe that the division between Adem Zilkić and Muamer Zukorlić should be resolved, but this is a matter for nobody but them. It is certainly not a job for me, because I represent the Turkish state here and I wouldn’t get involved unless both sides and the Serbian authorities believed that I should play a role.

It seems that the time is not ripe for reconciliation now, but it will come because this issue is increasingly causing trouble and instability, which no country desires. I hope that both religious leaders will realise that and act accordingly to reconcile their 24 CorD / December 2008

differences. It is my understanding that the community too is growing weary of this continuing dispute between the leading religious figures and one important factor to remember is that, unlike in the Christian faith, Islam has no clergy as such; we do not accept or recognise anybody as being a go-between between God and the faithful. As such, at some stage I’m sure the Muslim community in Serbia will remind those leading religious figures that they are only there because the community is allowing them to be.

Turkey was among the first countries to formally recognise the independence of Serbia’s breakaway province of Kosovo. Was this decision motivated by the significant Kosovar minority in Turkey; and how would you describe economic and political relations between Ankara and Priština?

Sometimes governments make decisions regardless of what we bureaucrats think. It is no secret that I, personally, would have preferred to wait before making the decision to recognise Kosovo, rather than rushing to be the first. Not because Kosovo was not going to become independent – their declaration was apparent for all to

see – but because of due process. In the end, however, it was a political decision.

What motivated the decision is still open for discussion. It is true that we have a large number of ethnic Kosovars who migrated to Turkey back in 1908, when things started going very badly in this region, and we do have an ethnic Turkish community in Kosovo. On the other hand, developments in the international arena that led to the declaration of independence could also have been a factor.

Following the decision, I tried very hard to help some important adjustments in the attitude of my government towards issues related to Kosovo and I’m quite happy to say that I was successful – not because it was my initiative, but because Turkey attaches importance to its relations with Serbia and we believe that Serbia is the key country when it comes to the peace and stability of this region. We also believe that Serbia has handled the issue of Kosovo’s declaration quite well so far.

Our political and economic relations with Priština are very good. As we are exploring investment opportunities in Serbia, so we are investigating such possibilities in Kosovo. We are also prepared to assist in the state-building of Kosovo, bearing in mind that they are new to this and it will take some time for them to become a fully-fledged state with everything in place.

That said, we do not consider our assistance to Kosovo as being against Serbia and vice versa. This is one reason why we didn’t take part in voting within the United Nations regarding Serbia’s initiative to take the issue of Kosovo’s independence to the International Court of Justice. Both sides were happy that we did not take part, which is why I pushed for it. It is important for the peace and stability of this region that we maintain a balance.

Turkey is by far the biggest country in the Balkans. How would you describe pan-Balkan relations at present and what role does/could Turkey play in furthering regional relations?

Turkey has always played a very important role in the Balkans. In the first days of

TRANSIT ACROSS SERBIA You mentioned that 120,000 Turkish lorries pass through Serbia each year. How are conditions for your hauliers and do they feel secure passing through Serbia?

In the seven months that I have been here, we haven’t experienced a single incident – despite the Kosovo situation. Our drivers transit Serbia using a special permit, a certain number of which are issued by the Serbian Government upon our request. With these permits our lorries can transit Serbia quickly and safely. I have to note that our lorry drivers and the huge numbers of Turkish nationals who transit Serbia twice a year on their way to and from the countries of Western Europe have no problems on Serbia’s roads and very few incidents are recorded.

the Republic, the idea of the Balkan Pact was put forth by Atatürk and proved very useful in bringing the Balkan countries together and helping to keep the region at peace until the outbreak of the Second World War. More recently, the Organisation of the Black Sea Economic Co-operation [BSEC, founded 1992] was also a Turkish idea. It is currently helping Balkan, Black Sea and Caucasian countries to work together.

We were also the originators of the Sadabad Pact between Turkey, Iran and Pakistan – again during the time of Atatürk.

So, the Republic of Turkey has always been an instigator of regional co-operation because Atatürk knew that regional co-operation was the only way to keep things under control and avoid wars.

Turkey would now like to see all the countries of the Balkan region admitted to the European Union as soon as possible, as this would be the greatest guarantee of the stability of the region. I’m always encouraging my colleagues from EU countries to try to be a bit cleverer and a bit quicker in grasping things, at least once in history – because if they don’t bring all these countries into the EU as soon as possible, then the current problems could become unmanageable. The problems will not disappear if they do bring these countries in, but they may well become more manageable.

Let’s not forget that this region has enjoyed lasting peace and stability only three times in history: once during the Roman Empire, once during the Ottoman Empire and once during Tito’s Yugoslavia. The rest has been turmoil. Now it is the turn of the European Union to use its power and status to ensure the peace and stability of this region.

Turkey has been aspiring towards EU membership since the signing of the Ankara Agreement back in 1964.

How would you assess Europe’s politi26 CorD / December 2008

cal will and social sentiment towards Turkey’s accession?

This is not an easy question to answer, because I have my personal views and I could recite the views of my government.

However, as this is a personal interview, I will attempt to strike a balance.

We believe that the EU integration process is the most important aspect for Turkey.

Since the time of Atatürk we have been striving to make Turkey contemporary in all senses and we believe that the EU process is a major contribution to that. As for whether or not Turkey will become a full

Strategically speaking, if a European government thinks that things would be just as easy without Turkish support, they are simply mistaken.

In terms of the category of public opinion, we can conclude that the publics of some countries are not in favour of Turkey’s full membership of the EU, due to the fact that they have a misconception of Turkey and Turks. Perhaps our people have even contributed to this negative impression recently, due to the attitude of some Turks living in the EU, who tend to provide a distorted picture of the true nature of Turkey and Turks, coupled with the emergence of radical Islam internationally and the EU public’s fear that these extremists may represent the attitude of Turkey and Turks. However, I believe this will change in time.

In truth, Turks tend to be much more tolerant, friendly, co-operative and easy-going than many European nations. Of course, there are many things wrong with Turkey and Turks and their attitudes, but this is the same for many nations that are already full members of the EU and even the original EU countries.

This is undoubtedly a transition period for relations between Turkey and Europe, but I’m afraid that if the leading EU countries continue to make one mistake after another, as they have done lately, and Turkish public opinion will shy away from the EU irreconcilably. Two years ago 74% of

I see relations with the new Serbia as being even better than our relations with the former Yugoslavia.Times have inevitably changed and I believe that in the future the two states will cooperate with each other much more than is the case today. member of the EU, only time will tell.

We can divide developments in Europe into two categories: government attitudes and public opinion. On the whole, the governments of the EU are in favour of Turkish membership, though from time to time attitudes in countries like France and Germany may leave the main track as a result of domestic politics and personal touch.

A couple of important factors must always be considered. Firstly, Turkey is not like any other country that has joined the EU in recent years - even countries like Spain and Poland are incomparable to Turkey, for obvious reasons. Secondly, Turkey is a country that no European state can overlook, as that would amount to overlooking the basic, major interests of Europe. Without Turkey, Europe will not be able to follow any reasonable policy in the Balkans, the Middle East, the Caucuses, Central Asia, vis-à-vis Russia or parts of Africa – regardless of whether or not we are a full member.

Turks supported EU integration, but today less than 20% are in favour.

I think the EU doesn’t know what it wants to do with Turkey. The country is too strong; it has great influence and even greater potential. And once we become a full member no EU decision will ever be the same again, because Turkey will influence all decisions and all policies. This, as opposed to religious and cultural differences, is probably the reason why they are still unable to make their minds up. However, if the EU doesn’t make it mind up vis-à-vis Turkey soon, Turkey’s inevitable development will not stop and the day may come when the EU asks Turkey to join and Turkey says “thanks, but no thanks.”

To be frank, although Europe and the United States are prosperous and may remain so for some time, they are ultimately in decline – in terms of demographics, politics, education and culture – while Turkey is in the ascendancy.

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Slobodan Homen, State Secretary within the Serbian Justice Ministry

After waiting for years, the Serbian judicial system has finally embarked on a comprehensive reform programme which should resolve crucial problems afflicting one of the most sensitive areas of society.

The recent debate about a set of judicial laws just confirms that this is an important issue that has been given absolute priority in the Parliament.

BY DEJAN ST. JEREMIĆ PHOTO STANISLAV MILOJKOVIĆ

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his summer and autumn, the new Parliament relieved dozens of judges of their duty because some were retiring and some because of criminal proceedings. Many positions will remain unfilled. Judges fear that re-appointments and appointments of new judges sounds like lustration. “New, modern laws are supposed to whip judges and prosecutors into the shape,

as well as improve and facilitate the work of those involved in trials”, says the State Secretary in the Serbian Justice Ministry Slobodan Homen for CorD. “We currently have seven crucial laws in the making, which are going to organise the court system. They are: the Law on Judges, Law on High Court Council, Law on Prosecution, Law on the Prosecution’s State Council, Law on Court Organisation, Law on Territorial Seat of Courts and amendments and supplements to the Law on Misdemeanour. These laws will put in place a brand new judicial network and system in Serbia. It is very important that new courts be introduced, courts that have never existed before, like the Court of Cassation that will rule on extraordinary legal solutions to cases, the Administration Court that will be in charge of ruling in administrative proceedings, with the most important of them being four appeals courts which are going to be established in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš and

Kragujevac. The existing county courts will be turned into higher courts, while the municipal courts are going to become principal courts. The number of these courts is going to be reduced from 138 to 34 and they will cover the territory of 6 or 7 municipalities. This is the most important step that we believe it is necessary to make in order to speed up court proceedings. This means that a court proceeding at first degree courts should not last longer than a year, and at the appeals court no longer than 6 months. There are precise deadlines that judges need to adhere to when reporting to the court Presidents about what phase a particular proceeding is in or when they are unable to meet a set deadline.

How much will these laws reduce the corruption in the judicial system and make it possible for the judges and prosecutors to be independent in their work?

This set of laws is one of the most contemporary in Europe, and will guarantee an absolute independence of the system, especially the Law on Judges. Appointment and promotion of judges and prosecutors are now transferred from the Serbian Parliament to the High Judicial Council and the Prosecutor’s State Council that are going to be authorised to decide such things. The authorities are ready to grant complete independence to the judicial authorities since out of 11 members of the High Council, 7 will be judges. Also, there will be an independent judicial budget set up since, up until now, the executive power was able to control the judicial power by controlling the finances. The plan is for the budget to become operational as of 1st January, 2011, since the Treasury and Finance Ministry need that much time to prepare new software for new calculations.

So, these organisations are going to decide how much the judges and prosecutors are going to be paid.

How much similar are the new laws to their European counterparts?

They are very similar, and in many areas, they provide much more contemporary solutions than those found in certain EU

28 CorD / December 2008

countries. The Venetian Commission gave these laws the highest grade, but also made some remarks on certain constitutional solutions. There are some things in the Constitution that could be better and they should be harmonised and improved by the time Serbia joins the European Union. Our Constitution provides no limitations when it comes to the independence of our courts. In other

words, we have narrowed down certain constitutional stipulations. Also, we have been given support from both judges and prosecutors with regard to these new laws.

Despite some judges providing support, some have openly shown their disagreement and have recently demanded for the re-appointment of

ORGANISED CRIME

JUDICIAL SYSTEM

CONSTITUTION

The organised crime groups are closely cooperating in Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and through being connected to each other, transferring themselves from a country to a country.

The judicial system is too large, and the comments I hear of the system not having enough employees are just not correct, since during the last three years, 3,000 new people have been hired.

There are some things in the present Constitution about judicial system that could be better and they should be harmonized and improved by the time Serbia joins the European Union.

judges to be reviewed in line with the Constitution.

The appointment of judges appears to be a stumbling block between the Association of Judges and Justice Ministry. This group has specific interests that I absolutely understand. It is true that the Constitution provides no guarantees when it comes to continuity of the judges’ position, but also there is a line in the Constitutional Law that every lawyer is familiar with, and that goes something like: “.... undertakes to reappoint all judges to new judges.� This is the fact, and the Justice Ministry would never do anything that would go against the Constitution. We are glad that we are going to review this reappointment decision and check whether it is in accordance with the Constitution, and they are going to see that they were not right. I would like to ask them a question: why have none of them said anything about checking whether CorD / December 2008 29

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CRIMINAL POLICY

Blog: by Lazar Antonić (http://trzisnoresenje.blogspot.com)

Tadić is announcing a judicial reform. Actually, he is not announcing anything specific, but just saying that we need a reform. He says that it is inexcusable that there are over 4,000 outdated court cases and that court proceedings can last up to 20 years. I do agree, but he is not offering any solution aside from being critical in the public. The only solution that I can see is to limit how long a court proceeding can last. So, a property court case should not be tried for more than three months, for example. With these proceedings that last over 20 years, you will be hard pressed to find more than 100 hours of actual trial. Why shouldn’t we try day by day trials, just like in America? You either have or don’t have the evidence so waiting for six months is totally futile.

I have several proceedings at the First Municipal Court that have been open for over five years. This, of course, doesn’t make me

the Consitutional Law was in line with the Constitution before now? If they had any real basis for complaint, they would have complained already. I cannot understand why they are so fearful of the reappointment, because the judges are going to do that job from now on rather than MPs. We view this as an obstruction by some parts of the judicial system that are not ready to operate in line with the new laws and cannot adjust to these new conditions. The situation in the judicial system is extremely complicated and problematic, since there are 4,300 outdated criminal cases, 900 cases that have been in procedure for over 10 years and out of 60 judges of a certain Belgrade court, 20 of them are the subject of criminal investigation. Even if we did not want to reappoint the judges, we were forced to do so because of new courts that are being put in place.

30 CorD / December 2008

an expert, but, as an outsider, I can see a huge problem when the trial participants or witnesses do not show up several times in a row. Why is it a problem to bring in the people who failed to come the first time? Why do we need to wait for couple of years in order to issue an order to bring somebody in?

I found Tadić to be a bit disappointing, because to him, the criminal offences committed in trading in narcotics are the prime example of a lenient criminal policy. First of all, you should not commit an offence in the first place regardless of this being a victim free crime. But I am especially bothered by Tadić being so relative when it comes to the length of the sentence. So, it turns out that two to 12 years is a mild sentence. Anyone who has spent one night in a jail or served in the army knows what it means to lose one hour of freedom, let alone 12 years.

How are you going to control the work that judges and prosecutors do?

We are going to introduce something called a ’disciplinary responsibility’ which means that there will be clear guidelines and jurisdiction, as well as three very straightforward sanctions that lead to a judge being relieved of this duty. There is a possibility of the state being reimbursed by those judges that have passed a verdict which was detrimental to the Republic of Serbia by being careless or through malice. Unlike the existing Great Personnel Council, which has never relieved any judge of his duty, we are going to have a so-called disciplinary prosecutor, who is also a judge, while the judges are going to be relieved of their duty by the High Court Council. There would be no undue influences from the sidelines and everything will be in their hands. We are aware that

there is no such thing as an easy reform, but judges that have performed their duties in a quality manner should not fear that they are not going to be re-elected. In this way, we have provided a legal framework for the judges to clean up their ranks. The judicial system is too large, and the comments I hear about the system not having enough employees are simply not correct, since during the last three years, 3,000 new people have been hired, and with this higher number of employees the system will be even slower. The state is paying good money to judges and their salaries are four times higher than an average salary in Serbia. The Association of Judges objected to the fact that the working hours are too long. O.K., let’s walk around the Justice Hall at half past two in the afternoon and see who is actually at their work place and who is not.

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Will the new laws bring changes to the County Court’s Special Department for Fighting Organised Crime?

The Justice Ministry is preparing amendments and supplements to the Law on Fighting Organised Crime and the Law on Criminal Proceedings that will fortify the authority of this court, as well as the Special Prosecutor’s Office, since we think that this should be a healthy section of the Serbian judicial system. With an increased jurisdiction and higher number of judges and prosecutors, they will be the very foundation of the judicial reforms.

new Republic Prosectuor is appointed by 1st June, 2009. This is only some 6 to 7 months away, and I doubt that anybody would want to be appointed to such an important position for such a short period of time.

A similar thing happened when this office was held by a prosecutor who had already been due to retire...

The Justice Ministry provides full support to the Republic Prosecutor’s Office, especially to the Special Prosecutors’ Office, which fights organised crime, and the War Crimes Prosecutor’s Office. We consider them to The co-operation between Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia & be our priorities in fightHerzegovina and other regional countries is grow- ing against oring stronger and we have signed agreements with ganised crime them about our courts and prosecution offices di- and finalising the co-operarectly co-operating tion with the Hague Tribu Cutting back on number of courts nal. These are two good prosecutor’s offrom 138 to 34 will be a problem to fices and they do their job well. I do agree those people who live in smaller towns with you; the acting prosecutor situation and who are going to have to travel needs to change and that will be done on great distances now in order to attend 1st June, 2009. a court proceeding. How are you going Another law which came into force to resolve that?

This is a very good question that de- on 1st January 2006 is still not being serves a thorough explanation. When it applied. That is the Law on the Procomes to the people who take part in court tection of Participants in Criminal proceedings nothing will change. Every Proceedings. one of these 34 courts is going to have its That is true. There are certain technical own court units, which means that there will be a court office where the people will have an opportunity to look through their case, verify signatures etc. The citizens will not notice the difference. The judges are going to be the only ones to feel the difference, because they are not going to work in small towns but will have to travel to cities where they are not going to try people who are living in the same town as they are. This will eliminate the corruption which is quite noticeable in these small towns. The salary that judges and prosecutors are going to be receiving is going to be 20% higher, they will be provided with appropriate work conditions, they will have cars, laptops and software at their disposal in order for this system to be implemented. The distance that judges and prosecutors are going to have to travel will be up to 40 kilometres.

This set of laws also contains some that pertain to prosecution. For the last two years, the Republic Prosecutor has been an acting one, and his status is still unresolved despite the fact that two governments have come and gone.

This is a situation that we found when we started work on these reforms, and our opinion is that it should not be changed until a 32 CorD / December 2008

details that prevented some laws from being applied although they had been adopted.

When the Law on Fighting Organised Crime and Law on Criminal Proceedings enter the parliamentary procedure on 15th December, that problem is going to be solved. Aside from these laws, the Law on Seizure of Property Gained through Criminal Activities is also important, since without it there would be no proper fight against organised crime.

This will round off a normative framework needed to carry out this fight.

We often hear about regional mafias which are particularly active on the territory of the former Yugoslavia.

It is normal that they are co-operating and that organised crime is going regional, since they understood that as individual organised groups they could not survive.

The organised crime groups are closely co-operating in Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and through being connected to each other, transferring themselves from a country to a country and committing criminal acts on each other’s behalf they are avoiding being prosecuted.

The co-operation between our country and other regional countries is growing stronger and we have signed agreements with them about our courts and prosecution offices directly co-operating. I think that the territory on which these groups are operating is too small for organised crime to survive. Their time is nearing an end.

CorD / December 2008 33

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The Institute of International Politics and Economics, Belgrade

ere e d

BY JELENA MICKIĆ PHOTO ČASLAV VUKOJIČIĆ

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n the presence of His Excellency Ambassador Ajay Swarup, the Indian Ambassador to Serbia, distinguished professor Ajay Kumar Dubey – from The School of International Studies at Jawaharlar Nehru University in New Delhi – provided us with his insight on this very dynamic topic.

Professor Dubey, an author of several books on international relations, is the 34 CorD / December 2008

Chairman of the Centre for West Asian and African Studies at Jawaharlar Nehru University. His area of expertise lies in relations between India and the Indian Diaspora, with a special emphasise on Africa.

Around 21 million Indians live outside India and make a very dynamic and diverse Diaspora community. Indians live in about 105 countries worldwide and many of them have achieved great professional and business success. The Indian Diaspora is not a monolithic structure, simply be-

d At the height of talks about the global economic crisis and its long term effects,The Institute of International Politics and Economics in Belgrade and the Indian Embassy in Serbia were hosts to a roundtable on “Foreign Policy of India with Special Reference to India’s Africa Policy” cause it is made of many religious, linguistic and ethnic groups which represent a microcosm of Indian diversity.

In the past, Indian policy towards its expats was something of a disassociation. Nowadays this policy has taken a new turn and today India wishes strongly to link and build tight ties with its ethnic population abroad. For example, India receives approximately $28 million in remittances from the Diaspora community.

In developed countries, Indian professionals are doing very well, as they are educated and tend to hold well paid and expert positions.

Taking this into account, as well as the context of the north/south or developed/developing divide, India is actively involved together with another emerging economy, China, in organising and strengthening its relations with not only the region of South-East Asia, but beyond that, looking into central Asia and Africa in order to form and strengthen the power of the Global South.

These are the main drivers of India’s current foreign policy and Africa plays an important role in this. India has a along tradition of relations with Africa. For centuries there has been a substantial number of Indians living in Africa and today around two million Indians live in Africa – in South Africa, along the east coast, in Mauritius and other countries. Mahatma Gandhi, who lived in South Africa, started his battle for freedom upon his return to India from Africa. India has always had very fragile relations with Africa. On the other hand, there have been some very bloody moments of Indian expulsions and exoduses from Africa. Indians in Africa are still regarded as foreigners and the Indian

Professor Ajay Kumar Dubey, guest of the Institute of International Politics and Economics government cannot directly approach them for fear of jeopardising their position in their countries of residence.

On the other hand, Africa is today at the centre of the attention of the world’s public because of its vast resources of energy and natural raw materials. The world’s manufacturing industry is well aware of this and Africa is in the focus of everyone’s attention.

Due to the fast industrialisation, new emerging markets have become powerful competitors which offer finished products on the world market while they search for raw material and energy supplies to facili-

but India has succeeded in signing a deal with the U.S. in order to be able to gain access to technological innovations again.

This deal represents a success for Indian foreign policy.

India, as one of the most dynamic economies in the world, is very proud of its thriving IT industry. The industry’s success can be directly attributed to President Nehru, who placed great emphasis on the Indian educational system, especially on the education and training of engineers and technicians. President Nehru founded the first institute for technology and today India has more than 200 such institutes. As a result,

Africa is today at the centre of the attention of the world’s public because of its vast resources of energy and natural raw materials.

The world’s manufacturing industry is well aware of this and Africa is in the focus of everyone’s attention tate their development. This is why India, among others, is also interested in Africa.

Eight per cent of India’s global trade is conducted with Africa. India-Africa relations are a part of the Indian policy of linking with other developing economies and empowering the global south in order to take a better and more independent position in the globalising world. African countries have responded very well to this Indian initiative and there have been substantial Indian investments in many sectors, as well as in higher education and medicine in African countries.

In the past India was denied access to high technology after the nuclear incident,

the country generates more than $40 billion per year from software exports alone.

The Indian IT miracle started in Bangalore, which is seen as the Indian Silicon Valley and is home to many U.S. companies who employ an army of workers at their Indian subsidiaries. If we look into the outsourcing industry, which is huge in India, we will see that it all began with IT before spreading to other services and consulting businesses. There are international call centres being set up, as well as accounting and legal services being outsourced to India. For example, U.S. law firms send legal documents to be drafted, while U.S. doctors send medical reports to

be diagnosed in India. This trend has only just started and all these services are knowledge related. Ambassador Swarup used the opportunity of the roundtable to invite both Indian and Serbian business people to work together, interact better and form stronger business ties, as this is a good time for both countries to intensify their mutual economic relations.

There is a very long history of excellent relations between the former Yugoslavia and India, which should be continued between Serbia and India. Many Indian companies are investing outside India and at the same time Serbia is looking for foreign investments. One of the biggest Indian investments in Serbia so far is an IT park in Inđija, where a significant number of highly skilled experts will be employed.

India is a much more interesting partner for Serbia than it might seem, based on the current trade situation. Indian companies can set up offices and business in Serbia and at the same time India is a huge market and Serbian companies should exert more efforts and look into exporting their products, especially food, to India. The other important thing is that Serbia can look into the long-term marketing of tourism to India, as about 10 million Indians are frequent travellers who have been to popular tourist destinations and are now looking for something new and different.

As the first major Indian investment is in Inđija, this roundtable was closed with a wish for the next one, symbolically named From Inđija to India, to be successful.

CorD / December 2008 35

Interview: Alex Porter, EBRD business consultant

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lex Porter is a business consultant and entrepreneur with a rich background in developing business and human resources in challenging environments. Alongside his work in his own company Hoki Plc in Cork, Ireland, Alex also works on projects for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development under their Turnaround Management Programme.

Joining the ICT team in 2005, Alex has been involved in establishing business incubators and advising companies in Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro and Serbia.

Could you tell me more about your career background and what you do in Ireland? You’ve got a company there.

What does it specialise in?

I started out managing people – when I was 22 I had responsibility for around 60 people. I worked for a number of years in the Offshore Oil Industry running operations in diving and marine services around the world before moving into IT. I started specialising in the Internet and developed a

patented device that was successful enough to allow me to sell my business and eventually end up as a Nasdaq-quoted company. Sadly whilst I was still tied in we experienced the ‘dot bomb’ and I watched helpless as my hard work of over nearly 10 years evaporated in less than 2 weeks – not something I would recommend.

I am now CEO of specialist web development company Hoki PLC. The company is focused on extending legacy systems to the web, for example, a company that has spent a lot of money developing software to control their processes cannot afford to throw it away and implement a new system that also provides functionality over the web. Hoki integrate the existing system with the web.

What do you do for ERBD and which countries do you cover?

I work week on, week off on the Turn Around Management Programme in EBRD. I currently work in Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Montenegro and, of course, Serbia.

The TAM Programme is a skills-transfer programme where former senior di-

rectors work side-by-side with colleagues in local companies bringing international experience, and naturally learning too.

What are the selection criteria for EBRD when choosing IT companies to help?

In the sector that we refer to as ICT (Information and Communications Technology) we have a slight difficulty as the normal criteria for companies to be accepted onto the programme would be based on staffing and financial levels, but there are very few companies in the sector that meet this criteria, so the process has to be more flexible.

Therefore we start by drawing up a list and completing a screening report by meeting the key executives. If we believe that the company is suitable we then put them forward for approval in the office in London. If they pass that level then they will go for final approval to the donor organisation. Once this process is completed we put forward a contract to the applicant company and they decide if they want to go ahead. There are very strict rules about what kind of companies can apply, so as an example an unregistered company producing arms and cigarettes, employing only men, and based only in the capital city will not qualify!

What is your experience in Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and in Serbia? These countries have been going through a lot of economic transformation; could you make a parallel in terms of their chances to succeed in the IT business?

Every country is different, but of course there are parallels in terms of the global nature of IT there is a common international experience, however one of my areas of expertise and interest is outsourcing and without going into a long discussion, I would say that you must be successful in your own coun-

OUTSOURCING You must be successful in your own country if you want to be successful outside, and therefore you need a vibrant domestic marketplace. I would not be betraying any secret when I say that Serbia is better positioned in this regard than other economies I am involved in.

36 CorD / December 2008

C try if you want to be successful outside, and therefore you need a vibrant domestic marketplace. I would not be betraying any secret when I say that Serbia is better positioned in this regard than other economies I am involved in.

What is your opinion of the IT industry in Serbia? Should Serbia specialise in a certain area such as outsourcing of services as it has been the case thus far or should Serbia go for something else?

Serbia is considered by many people to be a sleeping giant, especially in relation to EU accession. My limited experience of the Serbian industry suggests to me that there is a well-educated workforce that is more in tune with Europe, and has a major advantage in being in the same time zone, a simple but important factor. I wouldn’t get too hung up on outsourcing. It is a very competitive market, however I would recommend that associations work together to promote Serbia as a Centre of Excellence; this was a very critical part in Ireland’s success and the outsourcing will follow.

What are the strengths and what do you see as weaknesses of the Serbian IT industry?

I wrote a sector study on the ICT industry over a year ago and considered many strengths and weaknesses, but if I were to single out one of each I would say that Serbia’s greatest strength is its people, and it’s greatest weakness is lack of trust – in Ireland we all worked together to dig ourselves out of the mess we were in after the 80’s and that meant sharing information with competitors, but it also meant that we had a strong voice that helped change Government thinking and made Ireland an attractive location for International investment in IT. The fact that Ireland is the second largest exporter of software in the world with a population half that of Serbia must give everyone hope.

SLEEPING GIANT Serbia is considered by many to be a sleeping giant. My limited experience of the Serbian industry suggests that there is a welleducated workforce that is more in tune with Europe, and has a major advantage in being in the same time zone.

C How can Serbia be more competitive in the world IT market?

A big question, so a big answer: set up training centres around the country and get young people qualified; make it worthwhile for these trained people to work in companies; provide an attractive corporate tax environment for local and international companies that export a significant proportion of their work; and create and support bodies such as a Serbian Internet Association, an Association of Software Developers and an Association of Hardware manufacturers that will give a focus for the outside world and enable Serbia to establish itself as a centre of excellence.

You do consulting for EBDR in Belgrade and Novi Pazar. Novi Pazar is a very different environment to Belgrade. What are the main problems you have experienced there?

Serbia is a country with regional differences, and undoubtedly there are challenges in some of those regions. However, I have been with progressive companies who appear determined to overcome their local issues, and commendably are committed to developing employment, something that is a fundamental requirement in revitalising these areas. So I suppose the factor that concerns me most would be the high unemployment in some areas.

Ireland has its own economic issues at the moment. However, the changes that Ireland has seen since the late ‘80s have been remarkable and should inspire everyone.

There are many theories about the “Celtic Tiger”, but what is agreed is that it is the combination of factors that is needed: a tax regime that encourages people to work; a corporate governance system that protects, but also doesn’t hinder a company’s growth; a workforce that is suitably trained, not just educated; a cost structure that does

What practices and experiences from the Irish economic boom can you apply to your consulting practice in Serbia?

Of course, anyone with a passing interest in international news will know that CorD / December 2008 37

not price itself out of the market; and a willingness of government, management and workers’ representatives to engage with one another in a pragmatic and honest way.

Clearly I cannot apply all of this, but the underlying message of pragmatism, training and honesty is a pretty good start.

those that cleverly explain what is going on right now. My view is that once you know the basics you will be much better prepared to evaluate the current bestsellers. In terms of sales figures I think it is considered to be the second bestselling business book ever, so not a bad pedigree!

What companies are you consulting with in Serbia and what are you working on?

I am currently working with Art Computer in Novi Pazar, Informacione Technologije in Leskovac, Neobee in Novi Sad, Implementek in Zemun, Breza Software Engineering and Razor, both in Belgrade. In very general terms we have been working together on strategic planning, particularly in the areas of sales, management and finance.

What other books would you recommend?

In the business arena, for a bit of fun, one of Dr Ravi Batra’s books would be thought provoking – my personal favourite is the “Stock Market Crash of 1990”. It doesn’t really matter if you believe it or not, but it will certainly make you wonder. My favourite book is Count Belisarius by Robert Graves, a First World War poet, who wrote at a time which has provided us with lessons that we have still yet to learn.

Is there a particularly good business book you’d like to recommend to our readers and if so why do you find it inspirational?

Firstly I should say that I am not a huge fan of the kind of business book bestsellers that have become so popular, although I can understand why many find inspiration in them in the same way that they might get inspiration from reading about Ana Ivanović in Hello! magazine. For me a standout read would be Robert Heilbroner’s ‘Worldly Philosophers’. First published over 50 years ago it neatly explains the theories of key economists in history, people like John Maynard Keynes, who really underpin our understanding of economics, rather than

38 CorD / December 2008

You have been to Belgrade and Serbia many times but it’s always a short visit. What do you normally do when in Belgrade? Do you have your favourite spot, a sort of a hidden gem?

Every time I come to Belgrade I find somewhere new – usually with the help of someone far better informed than myself – upstairs in Pastis on Strahinića Bana is a regular and has one of the best caipirinhas in town combined with good free WiFi, and for just good fun I would say the Black Peter – I have no idea whether it is hidden or not, but I don’t find it very easily! I suppose it would be wrong of me not to mention the Irish Pub, The Three Carrots, on Kneza

DIFFERENCES Serbia is a country with regional differences, and undoubtedly there are challenges in some of those regions. However, the factor that concerns me most would be the high unemployment in some areas of Serbia and countries around.

Miloša – after all everyone knows that the world revolves around an Irish pub.

What type of restaurants do you frequent here or do you always try out a new place?

I am very lucky that I have been taken to some superb places by client companies – too numerous to mention, but the fresh barbecued meats and salads unquestionably compare with anywhere in the world. In Belgrade I am always looked after very well at Iguana Na Ćošku, but there is such a choice, and unquestionably the outdoor café culture has much to commend it.

Feel free to add anything you find important or interesting.

If I were to add anything it would be that I am at a loss to understand why Serbs sometimes appear to be down on themselves – as an outsider I see a vibrant country with a mixture of cultures, a sporting heritage envied by many, a decent climate, a sense of humour – plenty to be proud of and inspire confidence.

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Interview: Dr. Zoran Milojević

Communications expert and psychotherapist Dr. Zoran Milojević talks to CorD about the mentality of the Serbian people, selfconfidence and nationalism

BY ZORICA TODOROVIĆ MIRKOVIĆ

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istorically speaking, Serbs have constantly lost and been victimised, but with a grand and proud image of themselves. No defeat or embarrassment could ever shake our belief that we are on the top rung of the ladder. What are the causes and the consequences of such thinking, and why can we not escape such outdated sentiments?

Dr. Zoran Milivojević, psychotherapist, communications expert

40 CorD / December 2008

and supervisor of the International Society for Transactional Analysis has dedicated much of his working life to answering precisely such questions.

Is it possible to address the issue of nationalism without negativity?

Every story about national characterisation and the mentality of a nation bears with it a danger of oversimplification; a danger of producing a negative and unfair stereotype. There are many scientists who think that a national mentality is a construct which is unverifiable and immeasurable. Still, I believe that when large groups are compared, in behavioural terms, there are certain distinguishing trends that become apparent. It is about something we call a “cultural face” – a trait or characteristic that is true for the majority of a nation.

I think that anyone who’s travelled around the world and encountered different cultures has experienced what we would call a local ‘mentality’. One more important point that needs to be considered here is that stereotypes can be both negative and positive. Nowadays only negative stereotypes are considered to be problematic and that’s why people fight against them. At the same time they are trying to create positive images and stereotypes about their own group, nation or a state. We tend to refer to this as an identity rather than a stereotype. The image of a nation is a combination of these two things; on the one hand their view of themselves and on the other the view that the rest of the world holds of them. When it comes to Serbs, there are huge discrepancies between these two elements.

According to a study on self-confidence performed in Illinois, Serbs proved to be the nation with the greatest degree of self-confidence in the world. Is this a true Serbian character trait?

Self-confidence is one sort of selfimage. More precisely, it is a conviction about one’s own abilities. This image can be in keeping with reality, with the real abilities of a particular individual, but it can also be exaggerated in either direction to the point where it clashes with reality. On the one hand, a person or nation can have very low selfconfidence, which does not accurately mirror their true

Psychotherapist Dr. Zoran Milojević: Collective Portrait of Serbs

importance or potential. At the other extreme there is the embellished image of oneself as being in possession of abilities that they do not really possess. In other words, self-confidence can swing both ways.

The fact that Serbs are at the top of a self-confidence ladder is not necessarily a positive thing. Depending on your interpretation, this could mean that our people believe themselves to be in possession of abilities or status which they do not really possess.

On the other hand, one could interpret the findings as a positive thing, showing that our people are proud and self-assured. They see the goal, consider the obstacles in front of them and their ability to overcome them and then conclude that they are capable of reaching that goal. When one overrates their abilities they underrate the dangers ahead of them. That is why one dares and why one acts bravely. That characteristic can sometimes be exploited and sometimes leads to suffering, as has been seen in our recent uneasy history with Kosovo and the NATO bombings.

What is the image of the Serbs?

There are two images, individual and collective. The first is an image of an individual who is intelligent, self-confident, independent, capable, caring, rebellious, warm, witty, welcoming and fair. On the face of it, these are all positive characteristics. The second image is a collective portrait, let us take as an example a group of five individuals. In such group of capable individuals a special dynamic is established, whereby nobody wants to be subordinate to anybody else. People tend to feel that they are

NATIONALISM

SOCIETY

RESPECT

Every story about national characterisation and the mentality of a nation bears with it a danger of oversimplification; a danger of ultimately producing a negative and unfair stereotype.

We are a society without respect for authority and without a real elite.

Envy and jealousy are dominant feelings in such societies and it is dangerous to be successful.

We view ourselves as we want to be, not as we are. In the same way, our neighbours view us through their values, not ours, and they don’t see anything worth respecting.

CorD / December 2008 41

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letting themselves down by being subordinate to somebody else.

That is why they can be spiteful and they can keep trying to impose themselves upon others in a group. That makes the above mentioned group of five a group of five intelligent individuals fighting for dominance. It is clear that such a group will be very unproductive. That is our great fault and tragedy.

Such dynamics are directly responsible for the political problems that resulted in the loss of Kosovo. We are a society without respect for authority and without a real elite. The term I use to refer to such a society is a “flattened society”. Envy and jealousy are dominant feelings in such societies. In such situations it is dangerous to be successful because people tend to compare themselves with you and in your success see their own failure. In the extent of your being better than they are they see how much worse they are. And that hurts and motivates them to make the difference smaller and that will be done most easily if they pull you downwards. That is our tragedy: you can’t have a successful society unless you have successful individuals. And this is impossible if success is forbidden and punished. In that sense, our biggest problem is the hostility within our nation.

called elite at their own people and their values have nothing to do with nationalism - that is pure negativity.

People often talk about and form opinions of Serbs without being fully aware of the facts. How do you explain that?

How does that fit into the image of Serbs as nationalists?

A very negative stereotype has been formed about us. The conflicts in which Serbian people took part have been misrepresented into making the Serbs The conflicts in which Serbian people took part have been mislook like brutal, uncivilised aggressors and represented into making the Serbs look like brutal, uncivilised ag- other nations like innocent victims. The ingressors and other nations like innocent victims.The internation- ternational public accepted this stereotype and view us as “the bad guys”. We have beal public accepted this stereotype and view us as “the bad guys” come the aggressor in the triangle of victim, aggressor and saviour. The dynamics of this It does not fit at all. I see nationalism as a form of love to- triangle are as follows: the saviour on one side helps the victim wards one’s own nation and one’s own people. I make sharp dis- and chases the aggressor away. When that became the official tinction between nationalism and ultra-nationalism or extreme NATO attitude, it became a very difficult role to shake off. This nationalism that dehumanises members of other nationalities. bad guy image results in a lack of mercy toward Serbs, a lack of Ultra-nationalism is manifested through hatred towards other sympathy and a lack of compassion. nationalities. Nationalism does not have to be this way; it can incorporate respect towards others and a “I love mine, I respect How important is it to factor in political and cultural others” mentality. So far I have not met an Englishman who is not maturity when considering a country like Serbia? Is it a a nationalist in this way. This basic love towards oneself, towards country that is politically and culturally mature? one’s own group, I say again, does not necessarily have to lead to Although we as a nation and as a state have not used all of our potential, there are still around ten European nations that are in hostility towards other groups. the same situation. We should not forget the fact that all European Does such a mentality exist among Serbs? nations have at some stage gone through their own periods of bar That is just what I do not see among Serbs, or rather what I do barism. Since then, these nations have gone through a relatively not see enough of. What I see is a certain sort of self-hatred. The slow process of becoming civilised, as Norbert Elias called it. main schism in the Serbian nation is between the elite and the That simply means that they have lived long enough within stable rest of the people. There are the lower classes on one side and the systems within which there has been order. That way people get elite, higher classes on the other side. The elite detest the people used to order and accept order as something worth preserving. they used to be and feel much closer to other ‘more cultured’ or This process helps to internalise the idea of order into an individ‘more civilised’ nations in Europe. The derisive sneers of the so- ual’s psyche. It results in order becoming part of their mentality.

It has not happened with us since we have never lived long enough within a period LAZY OR MONSTROUS? of stability for it to happen. This applies to everybody, from the working classes to We are considered to be a lazy nation. Why does the world see us this way? the elite. The state of being permanently When you go through Europe from North to South, there is a noticeable change endangered made it possible for irresponin work ethic. That owes a lot to geography. Northern peoples had to work a lot dursible politicians to manipulate naive and ing their short summers in preparation for winter. In the South, where the climate good people. It is enough to read a piece is easier and there is plentiful food, that was not the case. If one goes even further of work by Archibald Rice and see that south, towards the equator, it becomes so hot that it is not possible to work. We not much has changed within a period of fall into the category of a Southern people who do not think the meaning of life is eighty years. We certainly are in need of work and who know how to rest and have fun. That is the case with others in this maturity, among both the people and the geographical area too. But I do not think it follows that laziness is one of our charelite. That is why our most important task acteristics. We have been misrepresented because of events in the ‘90s and because is the development of a civilised society. of this there are still a lot of people who think that we are some kind of monsters.

That is a far bigger problem than Southern laziness.

The late academic Dejan Medaković 42 CorD / December 2008

said not so long ago that he believed it was time for Serbs To what extent did Serbs, in comparison to the other to grow up and change their image, since they had spent so ‘brotherhood’ nations, believe in being Yugoslavian and much time surrounded by hatred. Is this the time? what did it bring to Serbs?

I do not think it is. We have been around for a long time but we My impression is that all the nations that had a developed naare becoming fewer in number. Our main problem is not in our tional awareness accepted Yugoslavia as an umbrella on the way surroundings but in ourselves. We view ourselves as we want to towards an independent state. The very sincere Serbian decision be, not as we are. In the same way, our neighbours view us through to identify itself as Yugoslavia and not as Serbia is proof of such their values, and not through ours. awareness. Perhaps neglecting our And what do they see? Nothing individual identity in favour of We are a society without respect for authority worth respecting. That is our main this Yugoslavia umbrella was naproblem, because almost all our and without a real elite.The term I use to refer ive and that’s why Serbs were so to such a society is a “flattened society” neighbours think that they are culdisappointed when the partition of turally superior. And what to do the state began. Muslims and other when our upper class agrees with them? That is how we reach Orthodox people were in the same position. Serbs, as the largest a situation whereby they fear us but also detest us, which is no segment which included their country as a part of Yugoslavia were substitute for sincere respect. Hostility is constantly smouldering. considered by others as a threat, as a nation that was trying to imBut then again, it is not their fault. Rather it is the consequence of pose itself upon the others as some kind of self declared ruler. our attitude towards them and how we treat each other. In psycho Can the Serbian character be changed? therapy we advise people to change themselves and not others.

We must look at ourselves and understand that during the Have the events of the past decade had a lasting psychocourse of history we have been losers too often and that this did logical effect on the people of Serbia? not depend on others as much as it depended on us. We made our Of course. There is great collective trauma. We have all lost a decisions and now have to live with the consequences. I think we lot and we have all suffered. It is important to understand that we as a people should undergo a collective psychoanalysis. To take are not passive victims of recent history. We created them. Taking a look at the past and see where the traumas and the wrong deciresponsibility for these events is the right thing to do and is seen sions were. In that sense history is a teacher of life. If we do that, as such by the rest of the world, thereby creating some room to we will be able to free ourselves of the bad habits that have made manoeuvre for politicians. If we have the character of a soar loser, us losers. If we fail to do that, our bad sides will continue to chart

then that is how history will remember us. our collective destiny.

CorD / December 2008 43

From Balkan history

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The Railways of Montenegro (Željeznica Crne Gore), which is the official name of this state-owned company today, marked its centenary of service on 2nd November with a new 250-kilometre-long rail network

BY ILIJA DESPOTOVIĆ

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ontenegro still has a comparatively modest railway network, with the longest railway being that connecting the town of Bar with the Serbian border at the village of Vrbnica, which is some 169 kilometres long. The shortest railway line is Podgorica to Božaj (on the Albanian border), which is around 25 kilometres long. There is another railway, connecting Podgorica with Nikšić, which is 57 kilometres long.

The two railways that run toward Albania and Nikšić are almost non-operational. The ‘Albanian’ railway line shares, more or less, the same destiny as the general and economic relations between Montenegro and Albania. This is a very seldom used route, even for freight trains. The railway was built back in the days of the Socialist 44 CorD / December 2008

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRJ) in an attempt to open up ‘the Country of Eagles’ (Albania) to Europe. True, the railway connecton between Albania and Europe goes via Montenegro, but this country doesn’t care much about that. In its early days, the railway - which connects Skadar and Tirana - was used to transport

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be reconstructed soon, the works being expected to end by the summer of 2009. The Bar to Bijelo Polje (Vrbnica) to the Serbian border railway is also ready to be updated and repaired and works have already begun. In the last 32 years, since the railway was opened, no new investment has been made. The Bar railway runs through 105 tunnels which are 43 kilometres long and traverses 93 bridges. The railway descends from zero altitude to 1,029 metres in Kolašin. This is a very demanding railway, just like most of the transport routes in Montenegro, and investment is crucial

On 2nd November 1908, King Nikola opened the Bar to Virpazar railway, which was just over 20 kilometres long.The King was thrilled. At the ceremony, he said that the railway was a source of joy both to him and Montenegro tomatoes from Albania to Central Europe.

However, since then traffic has virtually died out, along with any thoughts of maintaining the railway between Albania and Montenegro.

The Podgorica to Nikšić line is due to

to both it construction and upkeep.

This is probably the reason why Montenegro got its first railway quite late, in 1908. On 2nd November 1908, King Nikola opened the Bar to Virpazar railway, which was just over 20 kilometres

long. The King was thrilled. At the ceremony he said that the railway was a source of joy both to him and Montenegro. The first railway was built by an Italian company called Compania di Antivari and the construction was often accompanied by the conflict of interests between the countries that bordered Montenegro. The AustroHungarian Empire wanted to build a railway from Dubrovnik to Skadar, along the Montenegrin shore, since the Empire wanted to penetrate even deeper into inland Balkans. Montenegrin diplomats lobbied for the railway to be built by the French, but failed in that pursuit. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, several ideas and plans for a TransBalkan railway which would run through Montenegro sprung up. There were also plans for a railway connecting the Danube to the Adriatic Sea. Once these ideas fell through, the construction of the line from Bar to Virpazar (on Lake Skadar) commenced. It took two years to build the railway. Both the rails and ties were made of steel. The rail track was only 75 centimetres wide. The rail cars were hauled by German-built four cylinder steam engines. It took that much power for the engine to be able to haul the cars from the seashore up the 550 metre Sutorman Mountain. There are quite a lot of interesting stories about the first Montenegrin railway. The average speed on the railway was around 15 kilometres an hour. The journey from Bar to Virpazar lasted three and a half hours. There were many stops on this short railway since it passed through mountains and scattered villages. For example, the village of Limljani had four railway stations to itself. Sometimes, the train went so slow that the passengers used to jump out of it and continue on foot in order to shorten their journey. Sadly, the chief construction engineer, Victor Paganini, didn’t live long enough to see the railway become operational, dying just a few days before the opening ceremony.

The Bar to Virpazar railway was in use

by November 1959. In the same year another railway was built connecting Bar to the then Titograd (now Podgorica), with a tunnel through the Sozina Mountain. The Virpazar railway began to lose popularity and today we have a motorway in its place, which is quite a tourist attraction in itself.

Montenegro had two more railways that became defunct. One connected Podgorica

to a town called Plavnica, on the shores of Lake Skadar, while the other was built between Nikšić, Bileća and Mostar. The Skadar Lake railway line was also closed down in 1959, just like the Bar to Virpazar line. This railway was built in 1927 and it was used to transport goods to Plavnica, where they were loaded onto a ship. Today,

AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN EMPIRE

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ontenegro got its first railway in 1901. This was a railway from Gabela, Dubrovnik and Zelenika to Herceg Novi, but this territory was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at that time. This railway was supposed to be a section of a future railway leading to Skadar. King Nikola refused to carry out this plan, since he knew that the Empire wanted the railway for its own strategic interests.

The Dubrovnik to Herceg Novi railway was shut down after World War II. There are only several short tunnels left, between Herceg Novi and Zelenika, near the seashore, to remind us that there was a railway there a long time ago.

this is a motorway which leads to a contemporary tourist resort where you can take a sightseeing boat around the Skadar Lake. There is also an idea for Montenegro and Albania to re-connect via Lake Skadar and the Bojana River. Until the 1950s,

ships were allowed to sale on the lake.

Podgorica had a shiping line to Dubrovnik, Trieste and Venice through the Plavnica port on the lake’s shores. However, after relations between Yugoslavia and Albania took a turn for the worse, the river bed of the Bojana River was not cleared regularly, so ships were no longer able to sail in and out of Lake Skadar.

The railway between Nikšić and Bileća was closed down in 1976, due to the fact that it had become unprofitable. The same year saw the Bar to Belgrade railway become operational. The Nikšić to Bileća line was built in 1938. There are some requests for the railway to be re-opened. Representatives of Montenegro and Bosnia & Herzegovina said on several occasions that they were considering this. There are also plans to build new railway lines in Montenegro, with the Pljevlje to Bijelo Polje or Pljevlje to Prijepolje (Serbian border) sections being the most talked about. Several years ago, there was some talk of building a railway line between Montenegro and Kosovo, with a tunnel through the Čakor Mountain.

So, it seems that the railway network of Montenegro is still incomplete, regardless of its geographical limitations.

The new carriages will be very comfortable and have air conditioning and will be delivered by the summer of 2009. Also, new locomotives are due to arrive. The Railways of Montenegro will have new trains, not even slightly resembling the first train from a hundred years ago that went from Bar to Virpazar.

CorD / December 2008 45

NEW IMF AGREEMENT

VIP PARTY OF NEW SUV

AUDI Q5 ON THE RED CARPET

Slobodan Pešić, Audi Brand Director for Serbia

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he Serbian Government and the IMF have reached an agreement over concluding a five-month-stand-by arrangement which will enable Serbia to use a $520-million loan. Serbian Finance Minister Diana Dragutinović explained that that was a preventive arrangement and that the money would be withdrawn only in the case that Serbia needed the IMF’s support. She added that it was also agreed for the deficit in the 2009 budget to be 1.5% of the country’s GDP, while the salary growth should be around eight per cent and pensions around 15%. This actually means that salaries in the public sector are going to be increased as much as the annual inflation rate, which is projected to be between six and 10%, while pensions will probably not go up, since a 15% increase in 2008 is simply going to be transferred to 2009.

Source: B92, Beta, Tanjug

LOW INVESTMENTS

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oreign direct investments in Serbia, which play a crucial role in the development of any economy, are even lower than in Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Hungary. Serbia plans to provide subsidies for foreign direct invest-

TOP BRAND

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elgrade, 19th November, 2008 – Belgrade streets felt the presence of Q5 adrenalin on Monday evening, when a new Audi SUV model was presented for the first time in South East Europe. Audi Q5 was exclusively tested by Vlada Georgiev, Gordan Kičić and his wife Zorana Gajić, Jovana Janković, and Srđan Predojević. Q5 drivers toured

ments by the end of 2011, says Serbian Economy Minister, Mlađan Dinkić, adding that if Serbia hadn’t offered bigger incentives than Romania, Italian FIAT would not have come to Kragujevac. He also said that he expects the largest Greenfield investments to be made in Serbia in the coming period in the car industry, as well as the arrival of IKEA and American Citibank.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy also said that foreign direct investments in the last eight years (from 2000) amounted to $17 billion, with the biggest investments made in the banking system - $5 billion, followed by production activities with $2.6 billion, telecommunications $2.4 billion, trade $1.7 billion and real estate with $1.6 billion.

Source: FoNet, Tanjug

the city – from downtown to the Expo Centre – in this unique SUV model. At a prepared runway, with light effects and a dance performance, the Q5 VIP drivers were welcomed and greeted by numerous Belgrade socialites.

“With its Q5 model, Audi has surpassed its competition and provided German and European vision in this segment. The precise looks of Q5, designed by the leader of the design team in Audi Group, Walter de’Silva, and technical features of this model represent a combination of the exterior and interior beauty and perfection,” said Slobodan Pešić, Audi Brand Director for Serbia.

Q5 represents the best balance ever of sporty looks, design and perfect technique in the SUV segment, thus guaranteeing precision, mobility and safety.

Intergovernmental Trade Committee will take place in Moscow, despite the insistence of Serbian PM, Mirko Cvetković, that Serbia needed a bit more time to implement such a large deal – sources close to the Ministry of Energy confirm. A source close to NIS’ management claims that the ‘scuffle’ over the arrangement with Russia will be finished once a letter from the Russian Emergencies Minister, Sergey Shoigu, arrives. During his last visit to Serbia, Shoigu said that the final deadline for signing all three contracts was 22nd November.

The source also says that the same will happen if the CEO of Gazprom, Alexei Miller, sends a letter of similar content.

Source: Politika

TERMINATION OF CONACT

CONTRACT FOR NIS

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he Bank of Moscow has been deemed one of the top three banks according to the criterion of the value of Russian brands – this according to research carried out by renowned agency Interbrand Zintzmeyer & Lux. The Interbrand Zintzmeyer & Lux survey saw Bank of Moscow take 15th place in the overall ratings of the 40 most valuable brands of the Russian Federation.

In 2008, experts from The Banker magazine estimated the brand value of Bank of Moscow at $319 billion.

According to the evaluation of journalists, Bank of Moscow is among the top 250 brands worldwide.

46 CorD / December 2008

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he final agreement over the energy treaty between Serbia and Russia could be signed very soon, although there are still many unknowns in negotiations.

The contract on the sale of the Petroleum Industry of Serbia, NIS, as well as documents that will validate construction of the South Stream gas pipeline through Serbia and conclusion of the Banatski Dvor gas storage facility could be signed in late November, when a regular meeting of the

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erbian Minister of Infrastructure, Milutin Mrkonjić confirmed that negotiations over a voluntary termination of the contract with the Alpina – PORR consortium covering the construction of the Belgrade to Novi Sad motorway were almost concluded. “We thought that we were going to reach an agreement

by October and that we would start build-

HIGH ``A`` CATEGORY BUILDING

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ava Business Centre is a high A category office building, that should receive its first leaseholders at the beginning of the next year. On an attractive business location near Hyatt and Continental hotels, it offers 20,000 m² of office space in accordance with the highest standards.

The most important thing to the leaseholders is that they can move in the new space easily and quickly and to start using it.

They only need to organise the work places, bring their own computers and additional equipment and to start with the business, and thus avoid numerous obligations and redecorating and decorating expenses. The leaseholders of this space will not be disturbed by problems concerning providing quality internet connection or safety at work.

Building management system that runs the building, i.e. its lighting, heating, cooling and other features is the most advanced system which provides absolutely cost-effective energy consumption, in order to provide the ultimate comfort with the most rational spending. “Smart” building can automatically adjust its internal temperature or the temperature in every area separately, with the automatic control of heating, cooling, humidity and ventilation systems.In the capacity dimensioning, the investors tried to respect the principles of “sustainable development“ as much as they could, and the materials that were used are not endangering the natural environment.

ing the motorway by next spring, but unfortunately that didn’t happen. The negotiations are due to finish this week. They are going well and I am convinced that we are going to agree on the best way to terminate the contract,” Mrkonjić said.

Source: B92, Beta, Tanjug

INVESTORS IN SERBIA

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wenty or so factories from Romania and Bulgaria have lately expressed interest in relocating their production to Serbia, the Serbian Investment and Export Promotion Agency (SIEPA) says. Director of SIEPA, Vesna Perić, said that investors wanted to relocate their production from the said countries to Serbia due to the global financial crisis. “Several companies in the car industry - including car battery producers - and also some IT com-

Aside from the practical advantages, office buildings have a positive influence on the image of the company that is entering this kind of space, because with this act, the company is sending a positive message to its clients and to the business world.

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS OFFER

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ending the Christmas holidays, Grand Motors, the first company outside the EU with a special agency agreement concluded with the Volvo Cars Diplomat Sales aservice, has prepared a special offer for buyers who pay for their vehicles in dollars. They are offere d all vehicles from the Volvo Car Corporation programme at a favourable prices and an opportunity maximally to personlize their vehicles by selecting an equipment package.

Over the past months, Grand Motors has received an increasingly higher number of customer visits in the hours after 5 p.m. when the regular office hours in major diplomatic and consular representative offices are over. For this reasons, the company decided to offer to the staff of embassies and diplomatic missions sufficient time to see the models on show and to inquire about the techical features and terms of sale, so that as of November 1, the office hours from Monday to Friday are extended from 6 p.m to 8 p.m. On Saturdays, the office hours of the showrom situated in Milutina Milankovica street remain unchanged – from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Apart from being able to receive detailed informa-

tion about the vehicle they are interested in at the showroom, prospective buyers of certain Volvo cars are also offered the possibility of a short trial ride.

At the beginning of March 2007, Grand Motors was granted the status of an exclusive distributor of Volvo cars to Serbia and at the beginning of summer, it also concluded a special agency agreement with the Volvo Cars Diplomat Sales service which ensures the possibility of diplomatic missions and diplamats in Serbia and any other part of the world to order and take over cars on favourable terms. The advantages also include a simpler ordering and delivering procedure, special prices, a wider selection of special equipment, and the possibility of benefiting from discount sale and of vehicles being tailor-made to the ordering party.

CorD / December 2008 47

VISION OF HEDONISM

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rankovka is a type of wine from Central and South-Eastern Europe.

It was very popular in the 19th Century, from Franconia (Blaufrankisch) to Šumadija (Crna Moravka), but then its glory started to fade away, being only drunk today in the Balkan region.

Similar to a Pinot Noir, wine makers from ‘Podrum vina Aleksandrović’ (Aleksandrovic Wine Cellar) have however discovered that in the Frankovka grape there can be found completely new flavours not found in other red wines, which have spurred them into full production of this special wine.

From Monday, November 24th, wine lovers in Serbia have been offered new ‘vision of hedonism’ – VISION 2006, the new wine from Podrum Aleksandrović. VISION is a Frankovka wine which has been aged for two years in oak barrels. To mark the launch, the winery’s owner Božidar Aleksandrović says: “We have discovered that the Frankovka from our region has much more pronounced, clear and fruity aromas and tastes, but also a depth, structure and enormous potential for aging, which not a single Frankovka from other European regions has. I am sure that wine lovers will see for themselves that VISION is one completely authentic wine, completely different from other domestic red wines. Our Frankovka is a fruity, deep, soft and intoxicating wine – a vision of pure hedonism”.

VISION 2006 Colour of ripe cherry with orange glow. Impressive aroma of ripe forest fruits – cornelian cherries, blackberries and raspberries - with slight orange peel and coffee beans’ tones. The taste is full, fruity and soft, with refreshing citrus notes.

Final taste is energetic and long lasting, with a fine touch of dried fruit in the last drop.

panies were inquiring about relocation,” Perić said. Investors are not that enthusiastic when it comes to investing in Serbia because of the global crisis, she said, adding that there were no long-term delays or withdrawals. “Next year Serbia will need between three and five billion euros of direct foreign investments,” Perić said - though she could not provide an estimate of how much FDI was expected.

Source: Beta

LOAN FOR SERBIA

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he European Investment Bank (EIB) is set to grant Serbia €540 million for construction of the Corridor 10 and €250 million for SME development,” says Serbian Deputy Prime Minister, Božidar Đelić. After meeting the President of EIB, Philippe Maystadt, Đelić said that an “additional €250 million was secured through the Apex system that would make it possible for Serbian banks to finance small and medium enterprises with good projects.” Đelić did not elaborate on the details of the arrangement and repayment conditions.

Source: Beta, Tanjug

VIP INCREASES LOSSES The Serbian division of the company VIP Mobile, which is a member of Austrian Mobilkom, announced that, during the first nine months of 2005 it recorded losses of €69 million. At the end of September, VIP Mobile’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) reached €32.1 million, which is €9.2 million higher than in the first half of 2008, Telekom Austria’s website says. The total revenue of VIP in the period from July to September was €15.8 million, while the number of subscribers went up from 666,600 to 752,600 which is a quarterly increase of close to 13%. The company’s operative losses in the period from July to September were €23.6 million.

VIP ended 2007 with an operative loss of €72.6 million.

Source: Beta

OTP BANK STAYS 48 CorD / December 2008

The new Director General of OTP Bank Serbia, Henrik Auth confirmed that the bank was staying in Serbia in an attempt to gain as much market share as possible.

“We are staying in Serbia, although the plan was to move to more profitable areas, like Ukraine, Russia, and the ex-Soviet republics”, he said. According to Auth, the global financial crisis altered the plans of the bank’s headquarters in Budapest, OTP Group, so it was decided that business stability was more important than profit.

“Ratification of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement and a possibility of Serbia becoming an EU candidate led to the money flow in Serbia becoming safer. In addition to that, the National Bank of Serbia’s required reserves and money deposit regulation is a guarantee that savings deposits of Serbian citizens are safe”, Auth said.

Source: Tanjug

SALE OF MOSTOGRADNJA

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nly one bidder submitted a bid at a tender for the sale of the construction company Mostogradnja and that was a consortium of the companies Pilar from Kragujevac and Zarubezhstroytechnology from the Russian Federation. The tender commission is going to ascertain whether the bid is made in accordance with the tender conditions, the Privatisation Agency says. This is the second tender for sale of a 53.3% stake in Mostogradnja, and it was invited in July this year. Mostogradnja was founded in 1945 and has been one of the biggest construction companies in Serbia.

The company has built over 2,200 bridges of 250 kilometres total length, and constructed over 250 kilometres of sewage pipes and close to 300 halls. Currently, the company is engaged in building the Belgrade bypass, a bridge near Beška and on some large projects in Novi Sad. Source: B92, Beta

OPERATING LICENCE

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ational Bank of Serbia (NBS) has issued an operating licence to a re-insurance shareholding company Wiener RE with the headquarters in Belgrade. This is the fourth company in Serbia that is go-

STRONG CAPITAL ADEQUACY OF PIRAEUS BANK SA

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ccording to the survey of the economic magazine “Financial Times”, Piraeus bank SA in this moment has much higher capital adequacy than prescribed 8% and, according to this criteria, it is highly ranked taking the second place on South-Eastern Europe market.

Piraeus Bank SA continues to strengthen its deposit base, as well as branch network and recently Bank agreed to acquire 31.3% of Proton Bank’s share capital through an exchange of shares following the proposal by a group of shareholders. The acquisition was made under much more favorable conditions then originally planned. The agreed exchange ratio is 8.25 Proton Bank shares for each Piraeus Bank share, i.e. 19,629,247 shares of Proton Bank will be exchanged with 2,379,303 Piraeus Bank shares from Piraeus Bank’s treasury stock.Strong capital position of Piraeus Bank Beograd founder – PB SA ensures stability and successful outcome in fighting against global recession and its repercussions on Serbian market. In accordance with the financial market development, Piraeus Bank made a decision to lower interest rates on mortgage loans for 0.50% for mortgage loans indexed in CHF for

ing to be engaged in re-insurance activities. The company’s majority owner is the Wiener Städtische insurance company.

The press release says that this €5-millioninvestment in Serbia will directly lead to stronger financial potentials and is a proof that NBS has been successful in maintaining the stability of the domestic financial system despite the global financial crisis.

Source: B92

MERCATOR ON SALE

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reparations for the international tender for the sale of a share in Mercator, owned by Infond Holding and Pivovarna Laško, should be finished by the end of March 2009. These two companies, which have a combined share of 48%, have confirmed that several - mostly foreign - retail companies have expressed interest in buying Mercator’s shares, but that no talks have been held with them so far, the website of business journal Finance says. The possibility of selling Mercator to a foreign buyer caused a lot of negative reactions in the Slovenian public. After Pivovarna Laško and Infond Holding’s announcement that they were going to start collecting bids for the sale of over 48% of retail chain Mercator, the list of possible buyers included Serbian Delta, Croatian Agrokor and French Carrefour.

Source: B92, Beta

amounts up to 60,000EUR as well as 0.75% for mortgage loans indexed in EUR for amounts up to 60,000EUR, for all its clients. Piraeus Bank is also considering possibilities of further facilities for special categories of mortgage loan clients, having in mind very hard current market situation.

BANCA INTESA PARTNER TO 1.3 MILLION CLIENTSTT

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anca Intesa Beograd is the leading bank on Serbian market, a reliable partner to 1.3 million clients, physical and legal entities. It operates as the subsidiary of Intesa Sanpaolo Group, the most powerful Italian banking group that operates on the markets of 35 countries, its presence in the region of Central and Eastern Europe being the highest of all.

With balance assets of 3 billion euros, total deposits of 1.8 billion euros and total placements of over a 2 billion euros, Banca Intesa Beograd is ahead of all other banks in Serbia.

Thanks to the developed business network composed of 230 branch offices in over 100 towns in Serbia, the most-developed network of ATMs and POS terminals, the professional team of nearly 3.000 employees, the Bank has significantly grown in all business segments.

Late 2007, Banca Intesa Beograd successfully closed the process of the integration of Panonska banka, thus expanding its presence in the north of the country. Early 2008, just like all other banks that belong to Intesa Sanpaolo Group, this bank has got a new visual identity with objective to create its group’s unique and internationally recognisable brand.

Banca Intesa Beograd develops its business activities in four directions: retail and small business operations, corporate operations, operations with local self-governments and investment banking. Banca Intesa’s intensive loan and deposit activities are the result of a continuous increase in the number of clients who have fast, efficient, contemporary services in all banking areas at their disposal.

Banca Intesa is the market leader in retail and corporate banking, as well as E-banking and payment cards’ operations.

The bank issued the first MasterCard in Serbia, the first VISA chip card in the Balkan and, further from concluding an exclusive contract with American Express, it brought this most prestigious card brand back to Serbian market.

This year, the bank is planning to secure its leading position in all business segments by introducing new products, improving actual offer, improving service quality and expanding the business network. The growth of business operations in 2008 will be focused on establishing asset management companies, the development of factoring and private banking, improving leasing activities and the expansion of investment banking services.

CorD / December 2008 49

NEW MERCEDES-BENZ RECORD

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or Mercedes-Benz in Serbia New Year has arrived on 8th November.

With intensive sales campaign till the 25th December 2008, Mercedes-Benz has shown that the vehicles with the star now have the desired price and can be easily purchased.

Few days ago, Mercedes-Benz Team decided to show that not only that MercedesBenz brand is accessible for purchase, but that the myth about the high fuel consumption is not true. Although Mercedes-Benz product are known and recognised by the quality, innovations, safety and tradition, on 20th November, it was shown that there is one more characteristic to add - fuel economy.Together with the media representatives - the one who represents automotive industry and know by hart how to use and feel the vehicle, Mercedes-Benz Srbija I Crna Gora organised special Event – EconoDrive.

14 vehicles – A Class 160 CDI with only 20 l of NIS Petrol euro diesel were the vehicles for 20 journalists and NIS Petrol Representatives. Their task was to manage to respect the schedule and to cross approximately 400 km from: BelgradePancevo-Vrsac-Novi Sad-Ruma-SabacBelgrade, respecting the traffic rules. The winner was the one who have had the low-

RECIPROCITY

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ontenegrin Ministry of Transport is going to make a proposal to the Government of Montenegro to apply the same measures towards JAT, following a decision by the Belgrade Airport to raise the price for Montenegrin airlines use of this airport. At the meeting of representatives of the Montenegrin air traffic authorities, it was agreed that the proposal would wait until their meeting with the Belgrade airline, to be scheduled soon.

Source: Beta, Tanjug

est fuel consumption.During the journey, media representatives visited the new facility in Novi Sad – Auto Kuca Mikom and recently opened dealership in Sabac – ISN Automotive.

Competitive spirit, knowledge and patience of the drivers resulted with the fantastic fuel consumption. The winner was announced in Sabac: First place took Team Num 6: Mr. Zlatko Mitic, Danas and Mr. Milos Stamenkovic, Nacionalna Klasa with the fuel consumption of 4.1 l [338km, driving 54km/h] The best result was accomplished by the Mr. Stavros Paraskevaides, CEO Mercedes-Benz Srbija i Crna Gora wit the fuel consumption of 4.0l [ 338km, driving 55km/h] The brawest team was Team 2 who decided not to refuel the vehicle in Sabac, but to continue on the fuel reserve to Belgrade. Mr. Hugo D. Mirkovic from TV Metropolis and Mr. Branislav Sikman from SAT Media Group, made trip to Belgrade with 7hours and 46min of drive, crossing 432 km, with the average fuel consumption of 4.2 liter Among the vehicles, the E 200 CDI also competed and accomplished great result with the average consumption of 4.7 liter [341 km and average speed of 51 km/h]

provoking a conflict with Delta Holding because Miroslav Mišković’s company had plans to construct the second Delta City shopping mall on that location. Delta already owns a land plot there, bought through a privatisation of the Autokomanda company and the company planned to construct a shopping mall twice the size of the one in New Belgrade, a hotel and business premises. The fact that Delta took part in the tender speaks volumes about how important those three land plots are to Delta.

There were even cardboard dummies of a new Delta City showing that the mall would stretch over the land plots that are now likely to be leased long-term to MPC Properties. Source:Danas

SPOILED PLANS NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN

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PC Properties has rented a plot in Belgrade’s Autokomanda area, thus

50 CorD / December 2008

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he Serbian Privatisation Agency has announced that it will start negotiations over the sale of Industrija motora Rakovica (IMR) with the only bidder, a

consortium of companies Clear Vision and Lilly Drogerie. As the press release says, the commission in charge of negotiating the sale of a 90.05% stake in IMR will be formed within seven days’ time. Factory IMR employs close to 860 workers and owns 22.3 hectares of land. It produces diesel engines, tractors and spare parts, and the company’s total capital is estimated to be worth around €28 million while the company debts, according to information from the privatisation prospectus, are around €33 million. Source:Tanjug

AUCTION

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n 16th December, the Privatisation Agency will offer some of the Jugoexport property in Kolarčeva Street for sale at the initial price of RSD4.2 billion. The auction deposit is set at RSD1.69 billion (around €19.7 million), while the deadline for submission of a first-class bank guarantee and purchase of the sale documentation is 9th December.

The subject of the sale is a six-storey building, minus the sixth floor because this floor is owned by a Belgrade company, Osnova projekt. The total surface of the business premises that are going to be sold and are made of a basement, ground floor, first, second, third and fourth floor is 5.505,45 square metres.

INFLATION IN KOSOVO

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he October inflation rate in Kosovo was around one per cent, while the annual inflation was 4.5%, the Kosovo Statistical Office says. In comparison to September, the price of vegetables went up by 19%, electricity, gas and fuel by 11.5% and meat by one per cent, while the

retail price index went up by 0.1%. At the same time, the price of bread and wheat products was reduced by 1.8%, fruit by 7.1% and cooking oil and butter by 4.5%.

Source: Beta

tourist company Falkensteiner Miheller.

Source: B92

AUTUMN/WINTER 2008

MERKUR OPENS A FACTORY

SOLE BUYER The Serbian Privatisation Agency has decided to commence negotiations with MK Group, the sole bidder at a tender for sale of tourist facilities owned by Internacional CG at Kopaonik Mountain. MK Group offered €23 million for the Hotel Grand and other facilities owned by Internacional CG at Kopaonik, which was also the lowest qualifying bid. MK Group will participate in the tender in a consortium with Austrian

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lovenian company Merkur has opened a factory in Gornji Milanovac for the production of metal joinery and welded pipes in which the company invested €2.5 million. At the opening ceremony it was said that the factory employed 115 workers and that over 50% of its production would be exported. Only three years ago, Italian company Seco was producing the same products in the factory, but this company went bankrupt. The pro-

MESSER HELPS THE DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL SCHOOLS

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he Serbian government building recently hosted the signing of contracts on business-technical cooperation between Company Messer Tehnogas and five mechanical and technical secondary schools in Belgrade, Niš, Kragujevac and Čačak.

Ernst Bode, CEO of MesserTehnogas, signed the agreements on co-operation with the Serbian Ministry of Education and the Bureau for the Improvement of Education – both institutions with which the company co-operated in the establishment of an experimental department for machine restoration for the mechanical engineering sector.

Education Minister Žarko Obradović said that the establishment of experimental departments, which have been running since 1st September, was achieved with the full co-operation of a number of institutions ranging from ministries, mechanical-technical schools, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and companies whose funds were used to equip schools.

According to Minister Obradović, students who completed this subject would be given ample opportunity to apply their knowledge, because such a profile is highly sought in the Serbian economy, while they would also be trained and would continue studying at technical schools. Obradović stressed that this sort of co-operation ensured that students could also receive practical experience, coupled with their theoretical knowledge, thus ensuring that potential employers would receive graduates with both practical and technical skills that respond to the demands of the market.

Messer Tehnogas made an initial donation of around €30,000. However, according to Minister Obradović, this only the first phase of co-operation which will result in more similar long-term projects in the future.

CEO Bode emphasised the importance of investment in the development of new technologies, but also said that such investments are pointless if the same attention is not paid to the implementation of these technologies for in order to improve education levels.

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he collection’s inspiration was a mixture of personality and style of extraordinary women like Katherine Hepburn, Greta Garbo and Marlene who started a history of strong, contemporary women. The impeccable, effortless style of these casual and confident urban woman inspired the silhouettes, shapes and styles of the collection. A tout around the world to completely different places stimulated the colors and fabrics. From Chicago to Berlin, from the Shetland to Switzerland, she travels the world. Mixing and matching colors, fabrics and yarns in an ultimate downtowns spirit, the collection allows her to live a more distinguished and casual lifesyle.

CorD / December 2008 51

KUĆNA IZLOŽBA SIMPO, 45 GODINA KOMPANIJE, PUT USPEHA

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wedish furniture producer, IKEA is willing to invest between €875 million and €1 billion in constructing new production and retail spaces in Serbia and hiring 9,250 people, according to the President of the Board of Directors of IKEA, Mikael Olsson.

IKEA has expressed interest in two locations in Belgrade, and one in each of the Serbian regional centres of Novi Sad, Niš and Čačak. IKEA has asked the Government of Serbia to secure 35 to 45 hectares of land per location, at no charge or at minimum cost. duction was then renewed by a Belgrade company, Avala metal promet, only to be taken over by Merkur this summer.

Source: Beta

EQUIPMENT BY FIAT

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atest equipment from FIAT is set to arrive at the Zastava factory in April 2009, since relocating obsolete machinery and tools is going to last until 31st March.

THE BEST FROM SERBIA

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he initiative to choose the best Serbian commodities and corporate brands - Best from Serbia - focused this year on promoting the values of the domestic economy, brands and market, as well as new ways of thinking and participation in the initiative aimed at contributing to the strengthening of its own brand, market position and, therefore, the development of the economy of Serbia,” said Serbian Trade & Services Minister Slobodan Milosavljević.

Since its launch, the initiative has spread to new segments. As a result, corporate and production brands have now been joined by brands from the service sector.

This year this the Best from Serbia initiative will include a new special fiveyear award in recognition of the best brand for the period from 2004 to 2008.

52 CorD / December 2008

When it comes to Belgrade’s metropolitan area, IKEA is interested in locations near Zemun Polje, and close to the Bubanj Potok bypass. In addition to these two locations, IKEA is interested in a location on the road to Smederevo, due to its good transport infrastructure. The Government of Serbia also needs to provide commercial and building permits in the shortest possible amount of time, tax reliefs, the Swedish company being given the trusted importer title and harmonisation of Serbian and Swedish laws and standards.

Following the FIAT management’s consent, the Managing Board of Zastava vozila group made a decision to start clearing out the factory. Companies like Delta Engineering were selected to clear the first three floors for 35 Italian managers.

The machines from Mehanička obrada, Preseraj and Karoserija (Zastava’s departments), which are going to be used in a new factory, are being marked.

Close to 1,000 workers are going to be hired to clear out the smaller equipment.

Source: Novosti

Electric Power Industry of Montenegro (EPCG). In 2009, Montenegro will probably buy electricity from London-based company EFT and Belgrade’s Rudnap.

These two companies, as EPCG says, have the best chance of selling the electricity to Montenegro, since they offered the lowest price. Since the offer was four times bigger than the desired quantity, the maximum offered price for a megawatt hour is €79. Source: Beta

GORENJE EXPANDS

INTER GAS BUYS KERAMIKA

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he new holder of a controlling interest in Keramika Mladenovac is a consortium of two companies: Inter Gas from Belgrade and Oil BG from Sofia. The consortium bought a share package from the Share Fund on the stock exchange. The new owners say that there have been no major investments made in Keramika while announcing their plans for investing at least €3 million to modernise the company’s production of bathroom ceramics and gas furnace pipes in order to increase the production volume and product quality. Keramika Mladenovac is the only such factory in Serbia and one of only three in the Balkans. The factory has a clay pit which not only provides raw materials, but also generates revenue from selling clay.

Source: Tanjug

PURCHASING ELECTRICITY

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hirteen bids have been submitted at a tender for purchase of over a million megawatt hours of electricity from the

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lovenian company, Gorenje, which has already opened a refrigerator factory in Valjevo, plans to expand its factory circle by additional 4.81 hectares.

Gorenje will rent this land plot for the period of 99 years at a price of RSD180 million. The Velenje-based company offered a much better bid than Delta Maxi and agreed to hire 500 new workers in the following four years. According to earlier Gorenje announcements, the eletrical appliance company is probably going to build a washing machine factory on the above mentioned location in Valjevo.

Source:Beta

SPAR IS NOT COMING TO SERBIA

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ustrian retail chain, Spar is not coming to Serbia, Internet site Emportal says, citing Spar’s PR, Nicholas Berkmann.

Berkmann says that this retail company is “closely monitoring the market” adding that “there are no concrete plans as yet”. Serbian Minister of Trade and Services, Slobodan Milosavljević announced at the press conference marking the first 100 days of his Ministry that Spar was definitely coming to this area. He also said that Spar was going to open its first facility in Subotica.

Source: Beta

MEBLO IS MOVING

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ompany Meblo Jogi from Slovenia’s Nova Gorica will try to solve problems caused by the global economic crisis by relocating some of its production to Serbia.

“Jogi is already exporting most of its products to the former Yugoslavia and could strengthen its position in the Balkans,” says

the Director of Meblo Holding and Meblo Jogi, Boris Lozej. He also announced that final negotiations on relocating the production could take place in the near future, adding that the relocation would not jeopardise the company’s employees in Nova Gorica.

Source: Beta

OPENING OF BELGRADE DEPARTMENT STORES

WORK STOPPAGE

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ar producer Dacia-Renault announces that it will close down the production facilities from 20th November to 7th December due to a drastic drop in sales.

The company’s Director, Francois Furmoin, said that the sales went down by 30% due to Romanian banks granting fewer car loans and the sale of used cars going up. Dacia – Renault has decided to reimburse 6,000 workers with 85% of their salaries during this temporary slow down in the production. At the same time, a metallurgy combine, Arcelor Mital Hunedoara is stopping its production until the end of this year.

Source: Beta

n the following month or so, the Belgrade Department Stores (RK “Beograd”) are going to open three renovated retail facilities in Belgrade, in Terazije, Dušanovac and Zemun. Also, works are being carried on adapting the Beograđanka building, and they should be completed by February 2009, while the supermarkets are going to be opened by January 2009. Italian retail group, Coin, which also owns retail chains in Italy, is going to rent the biggest premises in the Terazije department store in addition to the clothing company, Oviesse, which is also going to rent some premises. The new supermarket chain, called Familija market, will be opened in Dušanovac and Zemun department stores, as well as in the underground passage in the Nušićeva Street in Belgrade.

Source: Beta

LONG-TERM PLANS

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harmaceutical company Sanofi-aventis has opened its new premises in Belgrade. Speaking during the opening of the new facility, Claude Perollo, deputy president of Sanofi-aventis for Eastern Europe, Poland and Greece, said: “By opening new, modern premises, Sanofi-aventis wishes to again confirm the longevity of its plans in Serbia. Our plans are based on our commitment to improve health levels and our co-operation with all relevant institutions in the health system in improving health care. Our desire is that the latest achievements of the pharmaceutical industry be available to the citizens of Serbia and that our employees are an ethical example of efficient and professional business”.

CorD / December 2008 53

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H.E. Algerian Ambassador and Mrs. Abdelkader Mesdoua welcome French Ambassador H.E. Jean-François Terral to a 31st October Hyatt Regency reception marking the National Day of the Algerian People’s Democratic Republic.

Angola’s Charge d’Affaires, a.i. and Mrs. Vincente Muanda, pictured welcoming guests to their 11th November City Hall reception marking the 33rd anniversary of the independence of Angola.

Polish Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Maciej Szymański, welcomes Japanese Ambassador, H.E. Tadashi Nagai, to a Hotel Continental reception marking the 90th anniversary of the Restoration of Polish Statehood and Armed Forces Day on 13th November.

Left-to-right: Boris Dežulović, Croatian publicist, Dejan Petrović, Project Manager of Erste Foundation, Ivan Vejvoda, Executive Director of the Balkan Trust for Democracy and Miljenko Dereta, Executive Director of Civil Initiative, pictured at an Erste Foundation roundtable event entitled ‘why all these integrations?’ at Belgrade’s Centre for Cultural Decontamination on 6th November.

54 CorD / December 2008

Director General of DIN Philip Morris, Skip Bornhuetter (left), and Božidar Đelić, Serbian Deputy PM, pictured on 14th November at a ceremony marking the 5th anniversary of the privatisation of Tobacco Industry Niš (DIN).

H.E. Christos Panagopoulos, Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic to Serbia (right), chats to guests at a 20th November reception at the Greek Ambassadorial Residence, marking the Armed Forces Day of the Hellenic Republic.

H.E. Chéhadé Mouallem, Lebanese Ambassador to Serbia, welcomes Egyptian Ambassador, H.E. Adel Ahmed Mohamed Naguib, to a 20th November reception at Belgrade’s Aero Club, marking the 65th anniversary of the independence of Lebanon.

Left-to-right: Manojlo Vukotić, Editor-in-Chief of Večernje Novosti, Rian Harris, U.S. Embassy Press Secretary, H.E. Cameron Munter, U.S. Ambassador to Serbia, and Robert Csoban, CEO of Press Group, pictured on 18th November at a traditional Serbian Media Association dinner that featured Ambassador Munter as the guest of honour.

Belgrade-based Brazilian artist, Andre Coelho De Lima, pictured alongside some of his paintings at a New Moment Ideas Gallery exhibition of his latest works on 13th November.

H.E. Cameron Munter, U.S. Ambassador to Serbia, and Ivica Dačić, First Deputy PM of Serbia and Serbian Interior Minister, pictured on 5th November during the signing of an agreement on the donation of speed boats for the Special Anti-terrorist Unit of Serbia’s Interior Ministry.

CorD / December 2008 55

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Milorad Dodik, Prime Minister of Republika Srpska, Rajko Kuzmanović, President of Republika Srpska, Boris Tadić, Serbian President, and Mirko Cvetković, Serbian Prime Minister, pictured on 7th November toasting the establishing of a Republika Srpska Representative Office in Belgrade.

Serbian President Boris Tadić and Director of Serbia’s VBA Security Agencies, Svetko Kovač, pictured at a reception held in honour of VBA on 12th November.

Left-to-right: EU Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Josep Lloveras, Pierre Mirel, Director of the EU Enlargement Commission’s Western Balkans Division, and Božidar Đelić, Serbian Deputy PM, pictured on 7th November during Mirel’s visit to Belgrade.

Serbian Foreign Minister, Vuk Jeremić, and his British counterpart, David Miliband, pictured at a press conference following their meeting in Belgrade on 5th November.

56 CorD / December 2008

Nadežda Gaće, Andrej Nosov and Milica Tomić, pictured at a debate regarding the establishing of better communication between the Serbian and Albanian societies, under the organisation of the Belgrade Centre for Cultural Decontamination on 12th November.

H.E. Wolfram Maas, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Serbia, and military personnel, pictured during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Monument to Fallen Serbian and German soldiers in Belgrade’s Košutnjak Park, on the occasion of Germany’s National Day of Mourning on 16th November.

H.E. Alexander Konuzin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Belgrade, pictured during a wreath-laying ceremony marking the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War on 11th November.

Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Army, General Zdravko Ponoš, and Commander-in-Chief of the Romanian Armed Forces, Admiral Gheorghe Marin, pictured at the General Staff of the Army of Serbia on 11th November.

French Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Jean-François Terral, pictured at Belgrade’s New Cemetery during a ceremony marking Armistice Day on 11th November.

H.E. Clara Birgin, Australia’s Ambassador to Serbia (centre), chats to fellow senior diplomats in Belgrade at an Aero Club reception hosted by the Australian Embassy on 11th November to mark the 90th anniversary of Armistice Day. CorD / December 2008 57

Miljenko Jergović, writer and journalist

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The most fertile ground for oblivion is found in devastated souls. It does sound pathetic, but it’s true. Remembering is a characteristic found in a noble and rich world.The poor ones don’t remember. Of course, I am not referring to being poor money wise, or to collective poverty, nor to the collective and individual memory of what happened in Kosovo in 1389 or in 1573 with the peasant rebellion in Croatia.

BY ŽARKA RADOJA

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iljenko Jergović is one of those young writers from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina whose books are popular all over the region. His novel, ‘Mama Leone’, has been translated into 20 foreign languages, while Goran Rašinović made a film based on the book ‘Buick Riviera’, which won the first ‘Heart of Sarajevo’ award at the last Sarajevo film festival. Jergović is also a columnist for the Jutarnji list daily, and has written pieces for the BH Dani and 58 CorD / December 2008

Globus weeklies. He is one of the main critics of the social and political events in Croatia, which didn’t do him any favours with the Croatian establishment.

Recently, he came to the centre of attention again by supporting the Serbian writer and President of PEN for Serbia, Vida Ognjenović’s initiative to create a Balkan PEN. We spoke to Miljenko Jergović about the relations between the writers of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRJ), the situation with the Croatian media, youth delinquency and an ultra-right-wing singer Marko

Perković Thompson, the biggest star of the Croatian teens.

In Serbia, you can buy books by Croatian authors and they are very popular. What is the situation in Croatia with regard to Serbian writers? Is there any interest shown in them or is this award just an attempt to try to fix the attitude towards writers from Serbia?

I would say that Croatian writers a bit more popular in Serbia than vice versa. I think that the reason for this is because your media, almost all of them, pay a lot more attention to culture and literature than the Croatian ones. In Croatia, nobody is writing about books at all, with the exception of Rijeka’s Novi list. This is why nothing has been written about the books of Serbian authors which have been released in Croatia, so even if somebody is interested in finding out more about Serbian literature, they have nowhere to turn to. There are probably

other reasons for the lack of interest, but I think that this is one of the most important at the moment.

What is the co-operation between Croatian, Serbian and Bosnian publishers like?

Worse than the one between companies, smugglers, mobsters and footballers....

What is your view of contemporary Croatian, Serbian and Bosnian literature? Several young writers have emerged in the last few years, especially in Croatia who have become popular all over the region. What is their advantage?

I am not sure that they have an ’advantage’ as such. It just so happened that, at a certain moment in time, they were the focus of interest in the region. Nothing more, nothing less. With regard to Serbian and Bosnian literature, they are interesting, each in their own way, but I would prefer to talk about individual writers rather than the whole literary scene. Literature is not a militant discipline, determined by the quality and number of soldiers. Literature is made of individuals who are often displaced from a certain ‘scene’.

You gave your support to Vida Ognjenović’s initiative for creation of the Balkan PEN. Is this possible bearing in mind what contemporary writers in Serbia are like?

Well, is it possible with the contemporary writers in Croatia? After I allowed myself to agree with Vida Ognjenović, the President of the Croatian PEN called me a ‘janissary’ (derived from the Ottoman Turkish meaning ‘new soldier’). The specific context in which Maković used this word led me to believe that his is a classic racist invective. I say this in order to

underline that I don’t view the idea of the regional, Balkan PEN through Maković or his like-minded racist and chauvinist pals.

You can find such people among Belgrade writers too. I see this idea as the way to protect the Balkan literature and culture from the bad aspects of the globalisation and for these ‘worlds’ to take the same side when it comes to the cultural interests too, and not only mafia and business interests.

Why did you leave the Croatian Writers’ Society?

Because I did not like their company and because I couldn’t tolerate the terror exercised by weak writers and even worse human beings who were deciding what was the society going to look like.

Ivo Pukanić was murdered in Croatia recently. What has changed on

MAGAZINES

LITERATURE

NEWSPAPERS

In Croatia, nobody is writing about books at all, with the exception of Rijeka’s Novi list.

This is why nothing has been written about the books of Serbian authors which have been released in Croatia.

I would prefer to talk about individual writers rather than the whole literary scene. Literature is not a militant discipline, determined by the quality and number of soldiers. Literature is made of individuals.

The newspapers are worse than what they used to be 20 years ago.They are more primitive and there is much more hatred, intolerance, ignorance and primitivism.

However, our societies are like that too.

the Croatian media scene since then?

Nothing. I doubt that Croatian media are that sensitive to death.

Nobody has resolved the cases of journalists being beaten up as yet, and nobody cared much about them except for the relevant guilds and their colleagues.

The Government raised the alarm and relieved three ministers of their duty after Ivo Pukanić’s murder. Is there no good will toward others at all?

I honestly can’t tell you as I don’t know. But it seems that when a public person in our country is beaten up, quite a few people say that he deserved it. If the police catch those who beat him up, like in the case of Igor Rađenović, the former CEO of a public enterprise who was critical of the city authorities, then they don’t want to disclose who ordered the beating. They say: “Oh, no. We are not going to say anything.” The police shrug their shoulders and say: “OK, then. Everything’s fine.” When the thug doesn’t want to say who his boss is, then the kind police explain to him the consequences he will suffer if he keeps silent.

And these consequences, as we’ve seen in many movies, could be painful, sometimes even fatal.

A well-known Croatian writer, Slavenka Drakulić and a US journalCorD / December 2008 59

ist, Jeffrey Kuhner, accused the Government of Ivo Sanader and the whole political elite in the country of being corrupt and that there would be no real fight against the corruption while they were in power. Do you agree with that?

When today’s opposition parties were in power, nothing was done to stop the corruption and to arrest those responsible.

On the contrary. Hence, my conclusion is, regardless of whether it is wrong or right, that fighting corruption does not depend on whether Sander or his clique are in power or not. In Zagreb, they haven’t been in power for almost 10 years, still that didn’t prevent most of the affairs from taking place in our capital city.

Are you satisfied with the way in which the Croatian Government and Ivo Sanader are behaving when it comes to fighting the corruption? He said that Croatia would not share the destiny of Beirut.

It’s not up to me to be satisfied or dissatisfied with the statements that any politician makes in Croatia. I don’t take any pleasure in analysing their statements.

In the last month or two, two youngsters were beaten to death by their peers. As the culprits admitted later, they beat them up because they were bored. How come young people have become so violent? Has the silent support given to Thompson, as the most popular music star among teens in Croatia, contributed to that in any way? Or maybe not sanctioning those responsible is to blame?

Nobody tried to prevent this, since you 60 CorD / December 2008

cannot prevent it. The young people are not structured as a terrorist organisation. If Bush failed to stop Al Qaeda, how can a society stop young thugs? With regard to support given to Thompson, it is pretty clear. Earlier, the right wing in HDZ was the source of this support, but ever since SDP and Zagreb’s Mayor Bandić organised and paid for his concert at Zagreb’s main square, it is safe to say that our most respectable neo-nazi, or, to use a kinder word, “cultural animator” of all

goslavia or any other country for that matter.

Can mostly positive emotions help in overcoming or at least making us forget all the bad memories from the 1990s?

In which of the former Yugoslav republics does the oblivion work the best?

The most fertile ground for oblivion is found in devastated souls. It does sound pathetic, but it’s true. Remembering is a characteristic found in a noble and rich

When today’s opposition parties were in power, nothing was done to stop the corruption and to arrest those responsible. On the contrary. Hence, my conclusion is, regardless of whether it is wrong or right, that fighting corruption does not depend on whether Sander or his clique are in power or not our neo-nazis and their affiliates, enjoys the support of those who is he fighting against from time to time. They kind of want him to like them, and he is just using that.

What is your view of today’s journalism in Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina?

The newspapers are worse than what they used to be 20 years ago. They are more primitive and there is much more hatred, intolerance, ignorance and primitivism.

However, our societies are like that too.

You do follow what is going on the Serbian political scene. What do you, as a bystander, think of it?

It looks pretty sad to me. Always going back to the same. I feel quite sad when I see it since I view Serbia as a part of my spiritual, cultural and emotional space. I’m not Yugonostalgic in any way. I don’t care about Yu-

world. The poor ones don’t remember. Of course, I am not referring to being poor money wise, or to collective poverty, nor to the collective and individual memory of what happened in Kosovo in 1389 or in 1573 with the peasant rebellion in Croatia.

Did you find your own place in today’s Sarajevo?

I don’t know whether I can find my own place in today’s Sarajevo. I don’t know whether I can find it in Zagreb or any other place in the world.

Do you follow up on your stories in local taverns? Do such places, like Sarajevo’s Writers’ Club, still exist?

Sometimes I do. But not always. That depends on the story. And the taverns where you can find good speakers and good listeners will always exist. They are a part of our Balkan and Slavic tradition.

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Interview: Miha Mazzini, writer and collector

BY SONJA ĆIRIĆ

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iha Mazzini is, by training, an IT specialist. He has written eight IT manuals and he earned his Masters Degree in Creative Film and TV writing from the University of Sheffield in the UK. He applied this knowledge to writing two screenplays for feature films and four for short films. A feature film called ‘Slatke sanje’ (Sweet dreams) won a Gold Palm award at the Valencia Film Festival and the FIPRESCI (the International Federation of Film Critics) award in Troy, Portugal. The movie called ‘The Cartier Project’ won the CIRCOM Award as the best European movie.

Miha Mazzini is not a favourite of the Slovenian book critics; he has never been a guest on a TV show or ever personally won an award. He doesn’t like to spend his 62 CorD / December 2008

days giving cáfe talks, he doesn’t care much about contemporary trends in literature, but he does collect covers of old records released in the former Yugoslavia and has a collection large enough for a museum! Safe to say he is not your typical writer.

Your latest work, ‘Hana’s Bodyguard’, is your first book to be translated

into Serbian. Slovenian books translated into Serbian are very rare, so maybe we should start our conversation with that.

But before we do, would you agree that the most noteable piece of information in your CV is the number of music records that you have collected so far?

Yes, everybody finds that the most interesting thing, which is quite understandable,

TRANSLATED

CULTURE GAP

HISTORY

If I am correctly informed, only three per cent of books in circulation in the U.S. have been translated from foreign languages.

As far as I know, only three Slovenian 20th century writers have been translated in the U.S.

I can’t think of much Serbian contemporary literature that has been translated as yet [into Slovenian]. Obviously, our two cultures lost touch.

Who is to blame? But at least we have connections that are very much alive – turbo folk music and food.

Nobody told me what was good and what wasn’t. The same goes for literature: I don’t mix genres and I don’t think “Oh, I should write this or I shouldn’t write this.”

The story is the most important and most beautiful thing.

because it is very unusual. But let’s make one thing clear: I don’t collect records to listen to them, nor because of their music. The only thing I am interested in are their covers and the story they tell. I am looking for covers that are special in a way that speaks to me.

Record covers can tell a story about people whose songs they show. Mica Trofrtaljka, the famous folk singer of the 1970s known for her horrendous lyrics, was asked in an interview once what she thought of Bach. She said: “Good fellow, this Bach person, but he needs to practice a bit to be better than me.”

Or, there is a wonderful story about how William Shatner, the lead actor of the Star Trek series, became a singer. He was riding his motorcycle through the desert, fell off and after a day spent lying on the hot sand without water, he thought: “I spent my whole life fighting Martians and nobody will remember that. So, God, if you help me, I will make a record.” According to him, his motorcycle then stood itself up, all on its own, he got up and the motorcycle took him straight to a recording studio and he made a song! A wonderful story, isn’t it?

What you would say are the gems of your collection?

Yugo-Mexicans! I was writing a screenplay some time ago and I was wondering how Mexican movies and music had come to Yugoslavia. Those were quite some stories! For example, the first Mexican record that Nikola Karović made sold 600,000 copies - bear in mind that this was at a time when record players were a rarity. One day the phone rang and the caller informed him that he had been made a member of the Dom JNA chorus and that Tito would like to hear him sing, so he should probably get ready as a limo was on its way to pick him up. So, Nikola Karović became Tito’s singer of Mexican songs. At the party, Tito’s guests were in the middle of the dinner when Tito said: “I have a Mexican singer and I am going to send for him now.”

So Nikola sang all the way through the dessert course. But when Tito died, Nikola was left without a career. Some two years ago, I conducted an interview with him and he told me that he was sorry that he chose to sing only Mexican songs. If he hadn’t, he would have had a career today. Excellent story, isn’t it? I also want to interview Slavko Perović, now he is a man that has an interesting story to tell!

Maybe you could publish all these stories. That would certainly make for an interesting history of Yugoslav popular culture. It’s a phenomenon that would be interesting to the foreign market too.

While we’re on the subject of translation, the papers say that your books haven’t been that widely translated into foreign languages...

EVERY COVER TELLS A STORY (but some stories are more interesting than others!)

THE MOST WELL KNOWN RECORD COVER EVER

What happened afterwards: “The only thing this band is remembered for is the cover of their debut album. At first glance, the cover looks innocent enough. It shows a kindly looking farmer’s wife holding forth a freshly baked pie with one slice removed. Upon closer examination, however, you can see that the pie is very special! Right at the tip of the missing slice in the filling of the pie can be seen a very nice rendering of female genitalia.

Why I bought it: “I’m returning back to the youth” with the help of “Original water for men” or “Casanova Water” as was the export title of the product? Natural mineral water better than Viagra? How could I resist?

What happened afterwards: Completely forgotten. The well is patrolled by SFOR forces in Bosnia, so, there might be still hope when the soldiers return home and start spreading the news ...

Why I bought it: What a story! He invited her on a date and we can see that his intentions were serious - he didn’t take her to some beer joint but to a very fancy restaurant (in the 1970s). He drank two large bottles of brandy while she just had one beer. Then ... something happened. She is contemplating leaving while he stares into a void preparing to sing a song called “Come back so I can give you my love”.

What happened afterwards: Nobody knows.

Why I bought it: This is not just a record; it’s a study in ying-yang of male character. On side A, he’s tender, loving, dreaming of her in a love song, while on side B, he sings about the war and he has dressed appropriately – what kind of uniform is this? Tarzan meets hippies meet hillbillies?

What happened afterwards: Nobody knows.

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Why I bought it: did the world's first CD appear in Yugoslavia in the 1970s?

Mišo Kovać was a very popular singer in the ‘60s and ‘70s. His last name means blacksmith, so somebody came up with the bright idea to shoot him in blue overalls and a very socialist working environment as "the blacksmith of golden records", as the caption says. If you look closely at the product he's holding you'll see it's not golden.

It looks a lot like the first CD ever invented!

Why I bought it: I’ve never seen more sombre looking hippies.

What happened afterwards: “Jon Abnor was the son of the owner of Abnak Records. Robin was not related to him. Jon had mental difficulties and in the ‘70s he was treated at a Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, where he had an affair with a psychiatric nurse. After he was released, they lived together and he ended up murdering her. I think he committed suicide.

Why I bought it: Neighbour, make me a coffee? And what a neighbour! Young, sexy, in a mini skirt – our hero is not looking at her legs but into her eyes!

What a character! Dressed up in his best suit, he’s flashing his wedding ring to her in self defence while grabbing his thigh with the other hand.

What happened afterwards: The titles of all 4 songs are revealing: 1. Neighbour, make me a coffee 2. I can’t live without her 3. I want to get drunk 4. Farewell letter

Why I bought it: While Americans were launching the Apollo 9 mission in 1969, this Serbian singercomposer already knew the truth behind it: “the men want to go into space flying/just not to hear at home their hungry children crying”. Right on!

What happened afterwards: “Obren Pjevovic, a composer, song writer, poet and bohemian of the highest class, created over 170 songs that have become a part of the cultural heritage of Šumadija and the Serbian people.”

Why I bought it: The year is 1956 and they’re already have orgasms on the cover?!?

What happened afterwards: “Diminutive big band singer best remembered as vocalist on the 1939 Orrin Tucker hit ‘’Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh!’’ Born Evelyn Nelson, she was known as ‘’Wee’’ Bonnie Baker due to her short stature.”

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I am not sure that this is a fact; it’s more of an impression. If I am correctly informed, only three per cent of books in circulation in the U.S. have been translated from foreign languages, not including things like cook books, manuals and so on. As far as I know, only three 20th century Slovenian writers have been translated in the U.S. This is probably what people mean when they say that my books are not translated that much.

When it comes to Serbia, very few Slovenian writers are translated here and we are almost completely unfamiliar with your literature. Who is to blame for this?

Well, how many Serbian books have been translated into Slovenia? I read Danilo Kiš back when I was a student, Pavić’s ‘Dictionary of the Khazars’ was translated and that’s all I can remember. Some Croatian literature was translated, some Bosnian literature too, but I can’t think of much contemporary Serbian literature that has been translated as yet. Obviously, our two cultures lost touch.

Who is to blame? I couldn’t tell you. But at least we have two connections that are very much alive – turbo folk music and food.

And what is contemporary in Slovenian literature?

I don’t know either. But I am not the one to ask. Ever since I was six years old, I’ve been reading and going to the movies, following my own taste and the choices that I’ve made. Nobody told me what was good and what wasn’t. The same goes for literature: I don’t mix genres and I don’t think “Oh, I should write this or I shouldn’t write this.” The story is the most important and most beautiful thing in literature. I am only a story teller. I am not interested in what is hip at the moment, like post-modernism or whatever. I just want to tell a story. I will give you an example from anthropology - in which I am writing a PhD thesis now, so with which I am a bit preoccupied. Prehistoric people gathered food all day long.

All day! Imagine if one of them said: “Now, I am going to tell you a story.” Everybody would stop for a moment to listen to him.

The story would be stronger than their need for food. So, if you have a good story, you will always have an audience regardless of what genre of literature is currently popular.

The critics are not too fond of you. You don’t get many awards, but the readers think that your books are excellent. Is that a fair statement?

Slovenian critics like to know the book’s topic, what genre it belongs to, whether it is fancy literature or not, and so on. Well, in my case they cannot decide since everything is mixed up. But I have to say that new critics are coming, young people who have

some nice things to say about me, although I haven’t paid them to do so! With regard to my readers, you are probably referring to the unbelievable number of copies of ‘Small Things’ that were sold. I think that this was just pure luck. The publishing house did something that nobody had ever done before in Slovenia: they hired students as travelling salesmen, to sell the book door-to-door, and they sold 54,000 copies! That was wonderful, but I wasn’t too happy since I felt that the book was only bought in such numbers because nobody could bring themselves to turn down a poor student, rather than because of what I wrote. However, after two years, an acquaintance of mine told me that a student of the Faculty of Economics fell down laughing while reading my book!

Some people bought a book from a student because it was a rainy day and they had nothing better to do, but once they started reading it they couldn’t put it down.

One of the critics objected to the characters in your books being too different and not like regular people.

I had a neighbour who was the most average man you will ever meet. But one morning I saw him washing his car and cleaning the tracks in his car tyres with a tooth brush.

What did I do? I took a very ordinary man, put him under the magnifying glass and got a brand new picture of him. The main character in ‘Hana’s Bodyguard’ does not have a high opinion of himself. But this has more to do with his personality than real life. He is secluded and enjoys it. Through Hana, he shakes off this self-pitying state that he’s fallen into and starts making friends. True, it is quite risky to write about people who are different because readers cannot find anything to relate to in the book, but I do that out of spite. Let me explain. When I got in touch with U.S.-based book agents for the first time in my life, they sent me instructions on how to write a novel. I know how to do that, I was taught to do that during my Masters stud-

WRITING AS A PROFESSION Only five per cent of writers can live off writing although they are forced to do a hundred other things to survive, like write for a newspaper. During the day I work as an IT specialist, I have a job, and in the evening I write books. Everyone else is doing the same, but the difference is that they write for newspapers in the morning and deal with the book in the evening, so they can say that technically they do live off writing. ies at the University of Sheffield, but I just didn’t want to write a novel which is like any other American novel. Well, this is where the spite kicked in. I wrote my book differently and was immediately assigned an agent.

How do your colleagues react to your success abroad?

They pretend not to notice. One of my colleagues came up to me and said that I might be more successful than him, but he was better looking. That’s how they react.

The prologue of ‘Hana’s Bodyguard’ reads: “Oh, how I tried! And I screwed up everything!” Is this sentiment any reflection on your life?

No, not any longer, that was in the past.

When you grow up in a family where you are never good enough, regardless of how much you try, you do feel that way. But let me tell you something – Hana’s bodyguard did not screw up in the end.

It sounds like a love story?

No. Well, not in the Hollywood sense of the word. There is love, but a man in such a psychological condition as my leading character doesn’t feel capable of great love. He is capable of loving only an authority figure – a father or a mother. However, just like climbing an invisible ladder, he transitions from that kind of love to a mature one. This is an intimate novel, with two people in the

room, in love. However, I think that I am going to leave these internal topics and turn more toward the outside world.

Can you live off writing in Slovenia?

Only five per cent of writers would say ‘yes’ to that question, although they are forced to do a hundred other things to survive, like write for a newspaper. During the day I work as an IT specialist, I have a job, and in the evening I write books. Everyone else is doing the same, but the difference is that they write for newspapers and deal with the book in the evening, so they can say that technically they do live off writing.

Do you feel like you’ve made a connection between the two nations because ‘Hana’s Bodyguard’ was translated into Serbian? Are the people being connected by culture?

It is important to be in touch with other cultures. If, for example, it is customary in your house that after you drink tea, you smash the tea cup over your head and later you discover that in other houses people just chat instead after they’ve had their tea, then you are given a chance to have a retrospective look at yourself and question whether what you’re doing is better or worse than the alternative. This is culture’s primary task – to find out whether the things you do are okay I think that culture connects people. It connects humankind. That is the point.

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Ancient history on Serbian soil

D C DECIPHERING THE EN Historically speaking,Vinča is the most important late Stone Age site in South Eastern Europe, dating back to 5500 BC. Vinča is also one of the first Neolithic sites ever to be discovered and lends its name to the name now used to describe that period’s culture: Vincan culture

“To this day, his work serves as an example how to publicise archaeological material. His records, photographs, and drawings are regarded today as a bedrock for anyone studying the Neolithic age“, says Dubravka Nikolić, one of the exhibition authors and the Head of the Archaeological Collection

BY SONJA ĆIRIĆ River, 14 kilometres downstream from of the Faculty of Philosophy. “Vasic was a Belgrade, in a suburban part of the city which stubborn man. All the way to the very end t the time when Miloje M. probably resembles any other suburb. he claimed that Vinča was an Ionic colony Vasić started the first excavaThe central part of the ‘Vinča – the although he knew from the very beginning tions in Vinča, he could nev- Prehistoric Metropolis’ exhibition is ded- that he discovered a Neolithic site. When er have anticipated that he icated to Miloje Vasić and his successors the German archaeological school came up would be remembered as the archaeolo- who have been researching Vinča to this with a theory that the Indo-Germans were gist who discovered a Stone Age metrop- day, so it is fitting to dedicate the beginning the founders of the European civilisation, olis over 7,000 years old”, reads the pref- of this article to Vinča’s archaeologists. he was well aware that they were wrong. ace of a pamphlet distribResearching ancient uted at the exhibition in At its peak, the Vincan culture evolved over the territory history was very unthe Serbian Academy of dervalued back then; on which the so-called Starčevo culture was present Science and Arts. everybody was more during the lower and middle Neolith. The territory The exhibition will be interested in ancient open from 24th October covered the Danube River and its confluents at that time, Rome and Greece. to 5th December, and has and this is one of the reasons why Vinča was a central hub In order to preserve been put together by the Vinča, Vasić startof what was then South Eastern Europe University of Belgrade’s ed advocating a theoFaculty of Philosophy, the ry that Vinča was acNational Museum, the City of Belgrade We are well aware today that Vinča tually an Ionic Colony, founded by ancient Museum and the Serbian Academy of might have not happened if it hadn’t been Greeks. He maintained this to the end of Science and Arts Gallery. The exhibition’s for Profesor Miloje Vasić and his persist- his life, although he knew that he wasn’t creators (Dubravka Nikolić, Stevan Đuričić, ence. From his written records we can see right.”

Nenad Tasić, Jasna Vuković and Milorad that he insisted on excavation being carried What did Vinča look like 7,500 years Ignjatović) want to show the public just how out on large areas in a systematic fashion, ago and why did prehistoric man live there significant this archaeological site is. rather than on many small separate sites, for over 1,000 years? One of the creators The Vinča site is located on the Danube and that he neatly publicised his findings. of the exhibition and the Head of the cur-

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IGMA THAT IS VINČA rent research expedition on the site, Nenad Tasić, says: “At its peak, the Vincan culture evolved over the territory on which the so-called Starčevo culture was present during the lower and middle Neolith. To be more precise, this is the territory of today’s Central Balkan region stretching over some 500,000 square kilometres. The territory covered the Danube River and its confluents at that time, and this is one of the reasons why Vinča was a central hub of what was then South Eastern Europe.

Also, the site is located on a large Danube curve which stretches from North to East, some eight kilometres upstream and downstream. So, the inhabitants of Vinča were always ready for the arrival of friends and enemies alike. Just below the settlement, there was a small Danube confluent called the Bolečica, which used to flood the land thus creating fertile grounds suitable for agriculture. The Avala Mountain was rich in venison and raw-materials like rock, cinnabar, and lead sulphide which was one of the most important resources for the settlement. Good geographical position, fertile land and easy access to various raw materials made it possible for the people of Vinča to have a safe and long life in one place.”

The settlement had densely positioned houses along the streets, evidence that the people lived very close to each other and brings us to the conclusion that Vinča was a town. “All archaeological findings point

to the fact that the inhabitants were active all year long and that this wasn’t just a seasonal settlement”, Nenad Tasić explains.

Fishermen, farmers, weavers, hunters, pottery makers, cattle breeders, sorcerers, and stone cutters all lived in Vinča and everyone was sharing the load. “The most obvi-

ous example of this was fishing. Weaving nets, of which we found only weights, transporting wood, trimming the boats and fishing would have been highly specialised crafts. We need to also think about how they made fish hooks, harpoons, stones and needles for patching up fishing nets and,

MILOJE VASIĆ: ‘THE PRE-HISTORIC VINČA’ Miloje Vasić was the pioneer of Serbian archaeology. He studied in Germany, where he also got his PhD, taught archaeology at the University of Belgrade, was a director of the National Museum and, during his term, opened a museum to the public. His scientific work shows that he was well acquainted with almost all historical periods from ancient history to the middle ages. He published his works in leading archaeological magazines around the world thus earning the respect of his fellow scientists abroad. Vasić wzrote over 50 papers about Vinča with the most important among them being ‘The Pre-Historic Vinča’.

His field work depended a lot on the available money. After the first year of his research which was funded by the state, he had to take a two-year break. Vasić continued with his work all the way up until the World War I, thanks to the funds provided by Fyodor Ivanovich Uspensky, a well-known Russian byzantologist who lived at the beginning of the 20th century and was the founder and director of the Russian Archaeological Institute in Tsarigrad. After that, the money usually came from abroad with the following being one of the most interesting stories: in the summer of 1929, a wealthy owner of a publishing company from Birmingham, Sir Charles Hyde, placed an ad in the London Times offering money for antiques excavation. Wanting to help Vasić, Catherine Brown, the wife of the writer and translator Aleck Brown who was friends with Vasić, started writing to Charles Hyde which resulted in the setting up of the Archaeological Collection of Seminars and made it possible for excavations to continue all the way to 1934, thanks to Hyde providing the money.

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The exhibition of Vinca, Stone Age metropolis in the Serbian Academy of Science and Arts will be open from 24th October to 5th December, and has been put together by the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Philosophy, the National Museum, the City of Belgrade Museum and the Serbian Academy of Science and Arts Gallery

of course, the fishing lines. Making fish- tinct facial features, wanted to emphasise 26 of them. Given the time at which they ing lines was closely related to weaving the archetype of a female figure which held were developed, he believes it is a safe asand it was probably a topic of conversation a special place in the belief system of the sumption that many other alphabets were for both men and women. In our archae- Neolithic inhabitants of Vinča.” based on the Vinča alphabet, making this ological excavations, we found many top There is many a hypothesis about the alphabet the foundation of literacy in many quality arts and crafts items, so it is safe role that the anthropomorphic figurines following civilisations. to presume that there were several special- have in Neolithic society. Some say that Archaeologists say that that is not true. ised activities. The pottery making was the figurines were an integral part of some They claim that you cannot say that somecertainly one of them, since according to sort of ritual; some view them as portraits; thing is an alphabet if you don’t know the our experts the pottery found in Vinča was while some say they were just children’s language associated with it or if you don’t at the pinnacle of pre-historic production. toys. Nenad Tasić says that the figurines have a sample against which to decipher During this period, it was unparalleled in “don’t have too many details showing the the symbols, for example, like the clay tabEurope.” lets or the Rosetta stone. Nenad Vinča is famous for its ceTasić says that “the discovVinča is famous for its ceramic figurines. There ered symbols on ceramic dishramic figurines. From the time are some real beauties among these figurines of Miloje Vasić until today, es are not grouped in any way”. close to 2,000 of them have “The symbols are there just with the most famous being the Lady of Vinča been found in different places to embellish the dish, and we and the Vidovdan Girl, discovered on the and we can clearly discern sevhaven’t made any discoveries Serbian religious holiday of Vidovdan in 1930. eral different styles. Still, durthat would help us in deciphering the entire period of their deing this enigma. This is the onvelopment, they usually comprised a stand- identity of the represented model, so may- ly thing that we can say for certain”, Tasić ing female figure, standing, of a cylindrical be they were of a religious character, while adds. “It is safe to presume that these symshape, with stylised arms often spread in the the figures with clear facial features were bols were probably there as a sign ownshape of a cross. There are some real beau- probably used in some kind of a cult or ership. Maybe, in the future, we will find ties among these figurines with the most other symbolic activities.” something that will help us understand famous being the Lady of Vinča and the However, the most famous enigma of the what the symbols mean exactly, or mayVidovdan Girl, discovered on the Serbian Vinča locality is certainly the Vinča alpha- be things will stay this way forever”, Tasić religious holiday of Vidovdan in 1930. The bet. These are rectilinear symbols carved concludes.

Vidovdan Girl is considered a supreme ex- on a baked ceramic surface. Some linguists During the first two weeks, more than ample of the Neolithic figurines. As the cat- have even recognised letters in these sym- 15,000 have visited the exhibition, and its alogue says, “This is a standing female fig- bols. They think that the traces of Vinča’s creators hope to stage it all over Serbia. urine of calm and dignified posture without literacy have been preserved in messages The exhibition had aroused the interest of pronounced individual features.” Large, ex- carved on ceramic dishes that were used foreign scientists even before it opened and pressive eyes dominate the face which has every single day. The most famous ad- its organisers hope that it will serve to rethe shape of a typical pentagonal Vinča vocate of this thesis is historical linguist mind the authorities that it is about time for mask. It seems that the author, through the Radivoje Pešić. He says that the symbols Vinča to get the museum it deserves and to figure’s size, fine modelling and lack of dis- are undoubtedly letters, and that there are make it accessible to everybody.

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Beyond Translation

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DD BY KATE DEBUSSHERE-NIKOLIC

If you ask me, weddings are the best thing about Serbia.They far surpass our prim and proper American ones where you spend a year planning so your family and friends can show up, eat and go home within a few hours

Serbia, not so much. It took a lot of hard work and persistence to catch my Serbian guy, but attaining the marriage certificate was a labor worthy of Hercules. I think I made a total of 14 visits to puberbian weddings are real. Three days of trubaci and tam- lic offices in an attempt to gather all of the necessary documents bura music, rakija, pecenje, and togetherness. This is what and stamps. I learned that, in Serbia, stamps are the way of the makes Serbian weddings special, the togetherness. Having world and that it is very important to be able to prove that I was, in all of your friends and family together for three days is unheard fact, born. This is because a federally issued document like a passof in the States, but is requisite here in my second home. As the port isn’t good enough for the municipality of Savski Venac. “An brass band pulsated through the original birth certificate issued withtown and I took those first few in the last six months? That doesn’t I learned that, in Serbia, stamps are the way of swigs of domaca rakija as a re- the world and that it is very important to be able even make sense”, I told the mual Srpska Snajka, I thought to mynicipal clerk. “An Apostille from to prove that I was, in fact, born.This is because self, this is the best day of my life. the Superior Court of Georgia? I a federally issued document like a passport isn’t But before this, before finding the good enough for the municipality of Savski Venac haven’t been to Georgia since I was perfect dress, before choosing the 2 years old, plus I live in Belgrade. flowers, before finding the perfect How am I supposed to get that?” rings you will wear for life, you have to go through the obligato- Ok, I thought to myself, well other Americans have been married ry Serbian and, in my case American, bureaucratic systems. in Serbia, I’m sure I can figure it all out too. In addition to the origBeing proposed to can be the happiest, most wonderful over- inal birth certificate issued within the last six months from my birth whelming experience of your life. Getting a marriage license in state of Georgia with the Apostille, I also needed my white card

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(this is another long story for another issue), a legal declaration that I have not been married before, a certificate stating the marriage would be valid in the US and in Serbia, and of course my passport. Some of these items came from the US Embassy and some of them came from long hours spent on the phone with the Georgia Secretary of State. Once I received all of the documents it was time for me to get them officially translated and stamped. Did you know that there is only one person in all of Serbia who can stamp these documents? This person works at the Foreign Ministry and is always either at lunch, in a meeting, or out of town. So, I went there four times and waited and waited and waited and finally, the golden stamp! Ok, it wasn’t golden but I felt like I won the lottery. I could finally get married in Serbia.

I was the happiest person in the world standing on Kneza Milosa, at the Savski Venac Municipality, across the street from my freshly burnt embassy, with the police in their riot gear all around me, with the number 23 roaring in the background. I would be marrying my best friend, the love of my life, this tall Serbian man I met in Italy three years ago. As I signed my new name in a book that could be used as a side of a house, I couldn’t stop thinking about how my life had changed so much over the past few years, and I was excited that I would be the bride in my own Serbian wedding. We actually held our svadba a few weeks later in Pozega and the preparations were well underway for that, but for now we had to have our first dinner as a married couple. The Lada that took us to Dva Jelena was nothing short of spectacular as the driver screamed out the window to his colleague asking him to take some “plum juice”.

Who wants a limo anyways?

Two weeks later, my parents are here, the dress fits perfectly, the menu is set, the flowers are chosen, the van arrives to take us to Pozega. The home town of my betrothed is about three hours south of Belgrade, and what do we need for this ride? Rakija of course. I think my dad had a water bottle filled with Rakija by his side at all times through the nuptial festivities. And, I’m quite sure his memories of his daughter’s wedding will taste like refined quince, apricot and pear rakija. I think the Rakija served as a good buffer for she’s getting married. The moment was perfect. We danced for our parents’ first meeting. And then of course there was the bour- about an hour and then it was off to the church. This is the part of bon that comes from my native land. Along with love, liquor has the wedding that my family refers to as “the parade”. We had two to be an international language. There was a lot of sign language, a flag carriers. One named Bimbo who carried the Serbian flag, lot of bad interpreting on my part, but my husband pulled it off and and my brother who toted the American flag through the streets we only had a few misunderstandings while my parents and 7 foot of Pozega. With the brass band behind us, about 50 of our friends tall brother visited Pozega. and family members, and some strangers we picked up along the After a few days of taking my family to the sites around way, we were off to Sveti Constantine and Jelena.

Zlatibor, the wedding day finally arrived. Now, for those laOriginally, Marko and I decided not to have a church weddies who might be planning their ding, but the thought of wearown weddings at this minute, your Weddings are a big deal in Serbia.This is what I ing crowns made us think otherwedding day is not the day to ex- kept telling my family and friends on my recent wise. I mean, when else in your periment with hair and makeup. life are you going to be able to trip to the States.They are important and they wear a real crown? It soundLet me just say that after my visit signify something more than marriage to the salon I resembled what one ed good so we went for it. The would refer to as a “lady of the Serbian Orthodox Church also night”. I panicked, but I knew I still had an hour before Marko requires a few documents to be officially translated by the court. and our crowd of international friends would be there to take me Seperation of Church and State anyone? We barely scraped by with away. So after I re-fixed my hair, washed off the blue frosted a photocopy of my baptismal certificate and a promise that my pareye shadow and looked like myself again, that’s when I heard it. ents would mail the real one when they got back to the US. I did That beat that is synonymous with Serbia, with Guca. The brass feel like a queen in the church. It’s an amazing feeling knowing band was here! Ever since I saw the movie “Underground” I have that this is your special day and that the person next to you is gowanted a brass band to follow me around town and now it was go- ing to be your partner in life whatever it may bring. ing to happen. I peaked out the window and saw all of our friends Weddings are a big deal in Serbia. This is what I kept telling my dancing and indulging in rakija and I was jealous. I wanted to be family and friends on my recent trip to the States. They are imporout there kolo-ing too! So, I threw on my dress and was about tant and they signify something more than marriage. They signify to join the party when the photographer knocked on the door. community and togetherness. Brass bands, roasting lambs, homeUgh. Thirty minutes of pictures. As I walked down the steps of made rakija… these things are all significant staples of Serbian the apartment building and out through the front door on the arm weddings too, but it’s the sheer joy of sharing something special of my father, the band played one of my favorites….”Moja mala with friends and family and knowing that it’s special to them that nema mane”. This is really the only song a girl should hear when makes weddings in Serbia so great..

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FILM FESTIVAL ‘SLOBODNA ZONA’ (’FREE ZONE’) CLOSES

there were 17 regular screenings, six reruns and three extra screenings for high school students in the Hall of Belgrade’s Culture Centre. The festival shows documentary and socially engaging films that deal with human rights issues on a global scale. This year, 8,800 people visited the festival, an improvement of more than 150% than in 2005 when the festival was founded. 16 regular screenings were completely sold out and the audience was given a chance to talk to six foreign guests including directors, producers and organisers of other festivals. All the money from tickets will be donated to teaching doctors how to use a mobile mammograph that is going to be bought thanks to the campaign launched by media company B92.

130 YEARS OF KOLARČEVA ZADUŽBINA (THE KOLARAC FOUNDATION)

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he audience chose Miloš Lončarević and Asger Leth’s film ‘Ghosts: Cite Soleil’ as best film at the fourth Free Zone Festival. Runners up that made it to the top five according to the audience were: ‘Vote for Me’, ‘The English Surgeon’, ‘This is England’ and ‘The Visitor’. The three best films are to be shown on TV, thanks to the festival’s organiser, the Rex Culture Centre. This year, the festival ran from 7th – 12th November and during the six days

The Kolarac Foundation marked its 130th anniversary on 16th November.

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festival of Amsterdam’s contemporary art culture was held in Belgrade from 28th to 30th November.

The Festival was organized by Belgrade’s Dom omladine (The Youth Centre), within the programme entitled ‘The Guest City’. The latest trends in Amsterdam’s culture were shown, with the most significant young music, theatre, visual arts, new media and film artists participating in the programme.

A Dutch pop attraction Room Eleven held a concert in Dom omladine thus officially opening the Festival. Also, the Dutch rave band Aux Raus and Belgrade rave band Banana Rave held concerts on 29th November.

Edith Kaldor and the Max theatre group took part in the theatre programme, while films ‘The Skies above The Netherlands’ and ‘Skin’, which talk about crimes and controversies in the modern society, in these cases the murder of film director Theo Van Gogh and the Neo-Nazi movement in The Netherlands, respectively, were screened.

There were many debates and workshops held during the programme, which dealt with the current global political issues including the relations between The Netherlands and Serbia in the light of European integration.

The Festival was held in the Dom omladine, The Centre for Cultural Decontamination, The Magacin Club in the Kraljevića Marka Street, The Belgrade Culture Centre, Art Cinema and other premises.

‘The City Guest’ programme was held for the first time four years ago, and, so far, there have been cultural exchanges with Ljubljana, Budapest and Bergen.

72 CorD / December 2008

The hall of the Foundation’s building in Belgrade, which is known for many classical music concerts and programmes that are vital to the cultural life of the capital, was opened thanks to benefactor Ilija Milosavljević Kolarac, who left this hall to the people in his will from 1878 in order to advance science and culture. In his will, Ilija Milosavljević Kolarac (1800-1878) wrote: “A foundation should be established from everything that I own and, in time, this foundation will become a Serbian university.”

According to Milosavljević’s wish, the building was named ’Kolarčev narodni univerzitet’ (The Kolarac People’s University). Before the war, the foundation was funded from its own revenue, i.e. from the land that Kolarac owned.

The building that houses the Kolarac People’s University was designed by Serbian architect, Petar Bajalović and the construction works started on 19th October, 1932. The building stretches over 4,500 square metres and cost 15 million Dinars to build at the time. The Kolarac Hall is among the top three music halls in Europe in terms of acoustic clarity.

The Foundation is 75% financed from the revenue it generates from its own activities carried out through specialized centres for teaching, music, foreign languages and publishing. It has a book shop,

art and music gallery and library.

Aside from holding many science and cultural seminars, the Foundation teaches 10 foreign languages as well as Serbian for foreigners. Literary evenings are held once a week, and over 300 concerts and other music programmes take place there each year, in addition to 20 or so art exhibitions.

The Kolarac Foundation has its own award that is given out each year. This year’s winners are the Borislav Pašćan Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, Radio Belgrade 2, Shepherd Advice Centre and Stari grad Municipality.

DAYS OF NEW SERBIAN FILM IN VIENNA

On 8th November, the Serbian Minister of Culture, Nebojša Bradić opened ’The Days of New Serbian Film’ in Vienna.

Five Serbian films were shown at this traditional event which is was held for the eighth year in a row and which lasted until 11th November.

After the Serbian Ambassador to Vienna, Dragan Velikić and Minister Bradić addressed those present, the festival was opened with a screening of the latest film by Goran Marković ‘The Tour’, which is also the Serbian candidate for the Academy Award (Oscar).In a Vienna cinema called Metro, the audiences were given an opportunity to see the following films – Dejan Zečević’s ‘The Fourth Man’, ‘On the Beautiful Blue Danube’ by Darko Bajić, ‘Miloš Branković’ by Nebojša Radosavljević and Svetislav Perić’s ‘The Lost Things Office’.

During his three-day-stay in Vienna, Minister Bradić, his assistant in charge of the international cooperation Branislav Dimitrijević and the State Secretary in the Ministry Nadica Momirov met with the Vienna City Councillor for Cultural Affairs Andreas Mailath-Pokorny and the Head of the Cultural Policy Section at the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, Emil Brix.

‘The Days of the New Serbian Film’ are being held in the Metro cinema every November and the event is organized by the Serbian Embassy in Austria. The event’s creator is Mihailo Kovač, who was the Serbian Ambassador in Austria eight years ago.

SERBIAN ART IN SAINT-ETIENNE

A Serbian contemporary art exhibition called ‘Disclosure – Underlined Memory’ was opened in the Museum of Modern Art in Saint-Etienne, France on 15th November and will last until 25th January, 2009. The exhibition was put together by the Belgrade Culture Centre (KCB) and the French public will be able to see the works of 11 Serbian artists in different media. The following artists, of different generations and styles, are presented: Mrđan Bajić (‘I will give you what I don’t have’, ‘Trash’ and 51 individual projects), Anica Vučetić (‘Disclosure’, video), Gabriel Glid (‘Organic Mini Bar’ and ‘Chauffeur Woman’, combined techniques), Marija Dragojlović (‘Black Powder Compact with Silver’ and ‘Gold Powder Compact’, oil on canvass), Biljana Đurđević (‘Pieta (Laziness)’ and ‘Entombment’, oil on canvass), Zdravko Joksimović (‘About me or about you’, sculpture), Dušan Otašević (‘Monument to an unknown walker’, in-

SRDJAN VALJAREVIC IN ZAGREB

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he promotion of a Croatian edition of the Srđan Valjarević novel, ‘Komo’ took place at the Zagreb Interliber Fair on November 15th.

The novel ‘Komo’ was published as the first book of the ‘Adventure’ edition released by Sandorf publishers from Zagreb.

Valjarević’s novel, which was published

by Samizdat B92, was given many literary prizes and has been one of the most popular Serbian novels in the last ten years.

Srđan Valjarević was born in Belgrade, in 1967. His most significant books are ‘A leaf on the cover’ (novel, 1990), ‘Joe Fraser and 49 poems’ (1992), ‘The people at the table’ (novel, 1994), ‘Winter journal’ (prose, 1995), ‘The second winter journal’ (prose, 2005) and ‘Komo’ (novel, 2006).

Valjarević is one of the most interesting Serbian writers of his generation and his books have been translated into English, German, French and Swedish.

CorD / December 2008 73

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stallation), Vladimira Perić (‘Cutout’, installation), Mileta Prodanović (‘Rolling Skies III’, ‘Rolling Skies V’, ‘Rolling Skies VI’, photographs), Aleksandar Rafajlović (‘Street of Joy’, photograph) and Vera Stefanović (‘Portrait for my mother / Portrait for my daughter’, video).

The exhibition curator is Aleksandra Estela Bjelica Mladenović, who handpicked the artists on the basis of their production pace in the last 20 years.

The KCB established cooperation with the Museum of Modern Art in SaintEtienne by staging an exhibition called ‘The Parallel Stories’, which was made of the pieces from the collection of the French Museum, and was held in the Belgrade Museum on 25th May. What followed was an exhibition at the 48th October Salon called ’Micro-narratives’ which was first held in Belgrade and then in Saint-Etienne.

After the French premiere, the exhibition ‘Disclosure – Underlined Memory’ will be moved to the National Gallery in Skopje and the Republic of Srpska Museum of Modern Art in Banja Luka. The exhibition will also be staged at the Thessaloniki Biennale in 2009, where Serbia will be an honorary guest.

ECO-CHIC ENVIRONMENTALISM, ARTAND DESIGN

A series of exhibitions, workshops and seminars were held within the project entitled ‘Eco-chic from the top of Europe’

TREASURIES OF CHILANDAR MONASTERY Museum of Applied Arts Until 15. January 2009 Author Dušan Milovanović

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epresentative exhibition Treasuries of Chilandar Monastery, curated by Dušan Milovanović, museum councillor, presents varied material discovered by the team members followed the longstanding research and the creation of systematic inventory. The results will be published, in a systematic order, as separate volumes, in years to come. The present, first volume can be understood as introductory, as it contains the review of items that should help us understand Chilandar material, those precious, inestimable, examples of the applied art as well as simple objects for day-to-day use.

The exhibition Treasuries of Chilandar Monastery consists of several segments: documentary, comparative, section dealing with the treasuries of Chilandar along with the material in Museum’s collections related to the Monastery either by style, time period or some other charYacteristic; segment featuring photographs of the Monastery and its ambience; special segment dedicated to the reconstruction of Chilandar and original items from Holy Mountain and Chilandar.

in Belgrade from 17th November to 5th December. The project, which brings together art, design and environmentalism, was implemented in cooperation with the Belgrade organization called ‘The Culture Front’ and the Swedish Institute with the aim of introducing recycling, environmental design, green design, and pollution problems to the wider public, as well as to present the latest fashion trends in the Nordic countries.

An exhibition of young fashion designers Rickard Lindqvist (Sweden) and Daniel Palil (Finland) was staged in the

The exhibition features sacral objects from Chilandar and Holy Mountain, as well, that found their way to cultural institutions in Serbia thanking to various historic circumstances. Ten manuscripts belong to these (gospels, menaions and corpuses) from Chilandar kept in Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences, The National Library of Serbia and The Historic Museum of Serbia. There are also some of the most precious objects from the collections of the Museum of Applied Art, The National Museum, and other institutions, as well as valuable collection of icons from the Legacy of King Peter I at Oplenac. It contains items that were gifts made by monks from Chilandar and other monasteries at Holy Mountain, to King Peter I on his coronation and during his reign, as well as during the reign of King Alexander. Objects featured at the exhibition belong to the highest category of Serbian cultural and artistic heritage.

O3one Gallery. Then there was an exhibition entitled ‘Eco-chic – towards sustainable Swedish fashion’ held in the Belgrade Department Stores on Knez Mihailova Street, student workshops at the Faculty of Applied Arts called ‘Using 100% of material when tailoring’ and ’Recycling’, a lecture at the Pedagogy Museum called ‘Eco-design and sustainable development’ and an exhibition held by Serbian fashion designers called ‘Eco-fashion to go’.

Edited by Jelena Jovanović

FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE Museum 25. May (Museum of National History) 5, 6, 7. December he “laboratory” of Artistic-production group “Museum Night” has prepared for faithful and curious public a new, larger and more interesting Science Festival! Everybody from 7 to 77 is invited. Join us and step into the magic word of science and ideas that move the world. Come and ask, look, listen, feel, smell…

SCIENCE. Exciting presentations - Bio-logic , Ahead to the past , Everybody is watching, but... , Nature=Chemistry , Alchemists’ Secrets, It`s curves` fault!, Astrohodgepodge, Hand in dough , Moleculs inside us , Sectrets of DNA code, Organic agriculture and other stories, Journey to the center of the Earth , I`m watching You , Experiments LIVE , Physics rules , Science Time

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74 CorD / December 2008

Mileševa artists’ colony – thirty-five years of gathering under the wings of the White Angel

D Artists’ colonies in Serbia represent a special opportunity for communication between the artists of this country. During the summer there are over a hundred such colonies. Isolation and self sufficiency are a big part of the artistic process, and an important element in these gatherings

BY MILA KORUGIC

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rtists’ gatherings in bespoke colonies have become “the last defence against personal alienation,” as poet Dragan Jovanović–Danilov modestly put it, “from the provincial spirit of pretentiousness, defence of the artistic brotherhood and spirit of friendship and closeness. The best form of mass therapy and mental cleansing for an individual, a way of communication and socialisation of artists, a way to overcome artistic egoism, self-love or even envy”. Jovanović–Danilov said this when explaining the mission of another, significantly younger colony that has been held in Trnava on Zlatibor for 16 years.

Djordje Kadijević was the spiritual creator and art director of the Mileševa colony for 34 years. Over these years, artists in Prijepolje have produced hundreds of paintings, photographs, sculptures from wood, stone and ceramics; videos, installations and a wide range of other media.

The artists’ colony is now able to establish a gallery of contemporary art, comprised of pieces of work that have been given to the colony over the years.

The list of the winners of the medallion of the White Angel, created by academic sculptor Dragan Mileusnić, is a representative selection of the most significant names from the Yugoslav and Serbian art scene at the end of the 20th century.

It has been awarded to Milan Blanuša, Gordana Jocić, Miodrag Protić, Božidar Damjanovski, Jarmila Vešović, Miroslav de stil Marković, Ivo Eterović and Tijana Fišić, to name just a few.

The Prijepolje colony has made many significant international connections over the years and managed to keep these relations intact even during the most difficult periods of the ‘90s. From time to time problems do arise, however, as long-term art director, Djordje Kadijević, wonders. “Has the golden period of the artists’ colonies gone? They used to be the centres of creation in painting and visual arts in our country.’’

But, under the wings of the White Angel, there are always good vibrations and good news! Communication between artists from around the country and abroad always provides an inexhaustible source of inspiration, as well as that which they receive from the wonderful Prijepolje area.

At the 35th gathering of the colony, with the selection made by the new art director,Goran Čpajak - a sculptor and professor born in Prijepolje - there will be many artists of great international repute as well as emerging and established local artists, including Maja Trišić, Irina Tomić, Gunter Stilling,

PIETRASANTA

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ietrasanta is a town at the epicentre of the world of sculpture. There is barely a great sculptor that hasn’t had their own studio in this town, which has all the necessary infrastructure for mining and transporting stone.

Michelangelo was the first among artists to show the world the glory of the local marble. The main square of Pietrasanta is surrounded by the studios of numerous artists. “The square is our living room” says Gordana Čpajak.

A living room he shares with legendary sculptors like Fernando Bottero, Igor Mitoraj, Kan Yasuda, Flaming and Gunther Stilling. As art director, Goran Čpajak has easily achieved his goal of brining world names to Prijepolje: Stilling, Sato and Tufan.

Akiko Sato, Kemal Tufan, Miloš Milošević, Ranka Marković and Ivan Jeremić.

Goran Čpajak, has been living and working in Pietrasanta, a town famous for sculpting, where Tuscany meets the sea.

This year, the highest marks of all the works of the artists at the 34th gathering and the medallion of the White Angel were awarded to sculptor Vukašin Milović for his sculpture ’’Hand.’’

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CLASSICAL MUSIC Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra

Kolarac Hall at 20:00 7. December Lior Shambadal, conductor Katarina Peetz, soprano Yaron Windmuller, baritone Programme: G. Mahler: Adagio from Symphony No. 10 G. Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn (fragments) A. Zemlinsky: Lyrische Symphonie 14. December Robin O’ Neill, conductor Isabelle Faust, violin Programme: J. Haydn: Symphony No. 86 I. Stravinsky: Concerto for violin and orchestra I. Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring 21. December Uros Lajovic, conductor Artem Chirkov, double bass Ljubinko Lazic, double bass Programme: J. M. Sperger: Ankunftsymphonie N. Rotta: Divertimento concertante for double bass and orchestra G. Bottesini: Passione amorosa for two double basses and orchestra J. Haydn: Abschiedsymphonie 28. December New Year’s Concert with Aleksey Igudesman, conductor Art Centre Gvarnerius , Džordža Vašingtona 12

Piano duo Svetlana Krstić - Dejan Subotić 2. December at 20:00 Svetlana Krstić and Dejan Subotić, who perform as a duo since 2004, will make their debut to the Guarnerius audience.

Programme: Schumann, Rachmaninoff, Barber, Belafronte Robert Lakatoš, violin 16. December at 20:00 Fifth Concert in the cycle “jovan kolundžija to young violinists”

won many prizes in respectable competitions, home and abroad.

Programme: Bach, Paganini, Brahms, Ravel Do you love Beethoven?

21. December 2008 at 20:00 This ambitious and exceptional project has never been performed in our country, and is rarely seen even on the great concert podiums of the world. It requires of an artist to be very devoted, to havegreat experience and to put into it hours and hours of hard work, because the performance of such a capacious Programme is extremely demanding for a musician. Maestro Jovan Kolundžija is the first Serbian violinist who will bring this kind of project to life.

21. December.

Jovan Kolundžija, violin and Natalija Mladenović, piano Programme: Ludwig van Beethoven Sonatas Op. 12 No1, Op. 12 No2 & Op.

76 CorD / December 2008

OPERA Giuseppe Verdi: Aida

Sava Centre, Great Hall 3. December, 19:00 In co-operation with the National Theatre Belgrade. Director:Karel Dragac (Austria), Conductor: Johannes Harnait(Germany) Aida: Jasmina Trumbetaš-Petrović i Ana Rupčić Amneris: Dragana del Monako & Jelena Vlahović Radames: Dušan Plazinić & Hon Li DANCE Russian Cossak state dance company

Sava Centre, Great Hall 1. December, 20:00 POP, ROCK, ETHNO CONCERTS Alice Cooper

12 No 3 22. December Jovan Kolundžija, violin and Nada Kolundžija, piano Programme: Ludwig van Beethoven Sonatas Op. 30 No3, Op. 23 & Op. 30 No 2 23. December Jovan Kolundžija, violin and Natalija Mladenović, piano Programme: Ludwig van Beethoven – Sonatas Op. 39 No1 & Op. 96 24. December Jovan Kolundžija, violin and Nada Kolundžija, piano Programme: Ludwig van Beethoven – Sonatas Op. 24 & Op. 47

Belgrade arena 4. December, 20:00 Alice Cooper (born in 1948) is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans five decades. With a stage show that features guillotines, electric chairs, fake blood, and boa constrictors, Cooper has drawn equally from horror movies, vaude-

Festival Art of Sounds - AOS

25. December 2008 at 12:00 Guarnerius, The Centre of Arts, announces 1st annual Festival of Electronic, Radiophonic and Multimedia works, “Art of Sounds”, to be held on 25-28 December, 2008, at the Guarnerius Centre of Arts in Belgrade.

A little Nightmare music Igudesman and Joo

This year’s final concert in cycle “Jovan Kolundžija to young violinists”, will present talented artist Robert Lakatoš, who

show, full of virtuosity, enchanting music and zany, outrageous humour.

Since the success, both critically and publicly, of the 2004 world premiere of “A Little Nightmare Music” at one of the most prestigious venues in the world, Vienna’s Musikverein, Igudesman & Joo have been delighting audiences all around the world in theatres, concert halls, and international festivals

Kolarac, Great Hall 29. December, 20:00 A Little Nightmare Music” is a unique

ville, heavy metal, and garage rock to create a theatrical brand of rock music that would come to be known as shock rock.

Mariza

Sava Centre, Great Hall 2. December, 20:30 One of the greatest stars of Fado music is performing in Belgrade as part of her World Tour.

In honour of Šaban

(Šaban Bajramović, great singer of Gipsy and Serbian folk music who passed away a year ago) Sava Centre, Great Hall 6. December, 20:00 Đorđe Balasevic

Sava Centre, Great Hall 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24. December at 20 00 New Concerts of Đorđe Balašević, prominent Serbian singer-songwriter Darko Rundek & Cargo Orchestra

Sava Centre, Great Hall 17. December at 20:30 The audience will have the unique opportunity to get the new live CD “Live in Dom omladine”, that will not be on sale.

This concert will mark the end of this band’s set-up, whose members are planning to activate other music and solo projects. Darko Rundek is a Croatian rock singer, songwriter, poet, and actor.

Diorama

Dom Omladine Belgrade 20. December at 20:00 Diorama are - Torben Wendt - words and music, vocals, keys, percussion, Felix Marc - co-production, keys, vocals, Sash Fiddler – guitars and Marquess -drums Diorama, was founded between 1994 and 1996 by Torben Wendt.

Masimo Savić

Sava Centre, Great Hall 23. December, 20:30 performance as part of the promo tour of the new album “The sun is rising again”.

Rade Serbedzija & friends

Sava Centre, Great Hall 29. December at 20:30 An ethnic Serbian actor, director and singer of Croatian nationality, one of the most popular Yugoslav actors in the 1970s and 1980s THEATRE Small Bird or Justice for Sigfrid

-Staffan Valdemar Holm

Premiere - National Theatre, 6.

December Directed by Anja Suša Holm (born in 1958) is a Swedish theatre director, trained at Statens Teaterskole in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Since 2002 he is the managing director of the Royal Dramatic Theatre (Dramaten), Sweden’s national stage.

Small bird or the justice for Sigfrid is his absurd and drastic drama about children and their world imperilled by adults.

Translation and dramatisation – Vesna Stanišić Cast: Feđa Stojanović, Branislav Trifunović, Sena Đorović, Milena Đorđević ART Inscription

Group photo exhibition of Art Photographs: Momčilo Vuković, Rajko Karišić, Tomislav Peternek, Milinko Stefanović, Dragan S. Tanasijević MUSEUM OF APPLIED ARTS Jade Gallery December 2008 - 15 January 2009 Applied Nostalgia

French Culture Centre 16. December - 17. January Exhibition of photographs of Belgrade and Paris, by Nebojša Babić, Belgrade artist.

Photohraphs were made during one week in 2008 while Babić has been making photos of various plasec and details in Paris which has been reminding him on Belgrade. In the same year, but another month, Parisian artist Vencian Vergeten, has visited Belgrade and made photographs with the same topic - Nostalgia. Project was supported by the Goverment of the Republic of Serbia, French Embassy in Belgrade and Serbian Cultural Centre in Paris.

The Day The Earth Stood Still From: 11. December Director: Scott Derrickson Starring: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connolly. Genre: SF Four Christmases From 18. December Director: Seth Gordon Starring: Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon, Robert Duvall, Pride and Glory From 25. December Director: Gavin O’Connor Starring: Edward Norton, Colin Farrell, Jon Voight, Genre: Drama Madagascar: escape 2 africa Premiere: Sava Centre, 7. December In cinemas from 7. December Director: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath.

Genre: Animated, Adventure, Comedy What just happened In cinemas from 25. December

FILM 12th International Underwater Film Festival

Sava Centre, Amphitheatre 12, 13. December at 18:00, 20:30, 23:00 More information can be found on www. kpa.co.yu Cino Club on Thursday Nights Organised by French Culture Centre Art Museum Movie Theatre, Uzun Mirkova 2 18. December at 20:00 Les Poupees Russees (Russian Dolls) Director: Cedric Klapisch Starring: Kelly Reilly, Audrey Tautou, Cecille de France, Gary Love Film Premieres in Belgrade Cinemas

The Tourist (Deception) From 4. December Director: Marcel Langenegger Starring: Hugh Jackman, Ewan McGregor. Genre: thriller

Screenplay: Art Linson – after the book “What Just Happened?: Bitter Hollywood Tales From the Front Line”) Director: Barry Levinson Starring: Robert De Niro, Catherine Keener, Sean Penn SPECIAL EVENTS Kings of Ads

Sava Centre, Great Hall 4 and 5. December at 20:00 Night of Commercials: 6 hours of the best commercials from all around the globe + choosing best Serbian commercial, billboard and advertising campaign CorD / December 2008 77

The fastest automobiles in the world

e r the Mercedes-Benz 2008 Stars and Cars, left): Bruno Spengler, m drivers (2nd row, fro milton, Heikki Ha s wi Le l, ge En rco Ma tt, Paul di Resta, Ralf Kovalainen, Gary Paffe , from left): Bernd row t Schumacher ; (fron rt, la Rosa, Susie Stodda Schneider, Pedro de n ee Gr ie Mathias Lauda, Jam

The 2009 Formula 1 race season will be the sixtieth in this prestigue competition of the world’s fastest and most technologically advanced automobiles. It all started in 1950 when the first World Cup was held under the patronage of the International Automotive Federation (DTM).

BY DRAGAN VUJIČIČ

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he Formula 1 championship consists of several races, the most famous among them being the Grand Prix, which normally carries the names of the country in which the race takes place and which is held on especially built circuits or on closed streets prepared for the race. There had been competitions before of course, but 1950 was a turming point due to strict rules that DTM defined for both the automobiles taking part in the competetion and circuits on which the compe-

78 CorD / December 2008

tetions were to be held. The characteris- have been built specially for Formula 1 ractic circuit for a race consists of a combina- es though there are a handful of street races, tion of flat surfaces, a series of combined most famous among which are the Monaco slow curves and Singapore and fast tracks. The The 2009 Formula 1 is probably the biggest set curves and first of these of aerodynamic regulation changes in Formula also a pit is held largely 1’s history. Almost everything – the front and lane where for historical rear wings, the diffuser, floor and bodywork – is pit-stops reasons and its affected.You’ll see teams doing bigger upgrades. are made glamour, al(where the though it does tyres are changed and the cars re-fueled). not meet safety standards of the DTM, and The majority of the circuit races are the latter became famous for the first ever driven clockwise. The majority of circuits race driven at night under artificial light.

o orm

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2009

Lewis Hamilton, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, 2008 Formula 1 World Champion

New circuits are held to high technological and safety standards. After driver Ayrton Senna was killed on the circuit in Imola in 1994, the DTM changed security conditions on circuits by adding drive out zones, and new rules governing the speed limits of the cars were introduced. The most popular constructor of modern circuits is a German architect, Herman Tilke.

The number of races within a season has gone up since the first World Cup in 1950 when only seven races were driven. It has gone up to seventeen, the number of races that will be driven in 2009. Six out of sev-

en races in that first season were driven in Europe, and one was driven in Indianapolis (the Indie 500) which is now known as the US Grand Prix. In the course of time, the Formla 1 World Cup has spread to other continents as well. The first SouthAmerican race was held in Argentina in 1953, and 1958 saw the first Grand Prix of Morocco in Africa, followed by the Grand Prix of Japan in 1976 and the Grand Prix of Australia in 1985. The US and Canadian Grand Prixs will not be held in the following season, but the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has been confirmed as one more proof that

With ďŹ rst week’s of december threeday Barcelona kicking off preparations for the 2009 season, the celebrations of Brazil already seem a distant memory for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team. Indeed, everybody at Woking and Brixworth is fully focused on preparations for the new season and the introduction of some of the biggest and most comprehensive rulechanges in Formula 1 history.

In order to provide a clear idea of the scope and extent of the regulation changes, and just what Vodafone McLaren Mercedes will be doing over the winter in preparation for the new season, mclaren.com sat down with our top engineers, aerodynamicists, engine expert, test team manager and test driver to prepare an exhaustive analysis of the changes. gasoline dollars can do wonders.

Due to the prohibitively high cost of building and maintaining a circuit, during the year, when they are not used for testing or Formula 1 races, other categories of racCorD / December 2008 79

RACE REPORT Lewis Hamilton - 2008 FIA Formula 1 World Champion Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton is the 2008 FIA Formula 1 World Champion.In one of the most dramatic finishes to a world championship ever, Lewis took the title by a single point after securing fifth position on the final corner of the final lap of the final race of the 2008 season. Lewis finished the year with 98 points, one point ahead of Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, who won his home race at Interlagos this afternoon.

Heikki Kovalainen finished seventh - a result

es are held, including the Porsche Carrera Cup and the DTM championship. To gain a DTM licence a driver has to go through automobiles categories such as GP-2 series or Formula 3. Only successes in these series and attracting great sponsors results in a Formula 1 invitation.

The chances are that the new season is going to be far more interesting due to both new circuits and new rules. Slick tyres without tread patterns are back on the circuits again, and the new KERS system for recycling energy is being introduced which experts claim will increase the cars’ power.

The effect of these modifications remains to be seen in the first races. At a

that helped the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team to second in the constructors’ championship with 151 points. Ferrari amassed a winning total of 172 points.

At the age of just 23 years, 10 months and 26 days, Lewis is the youngest champion in Formula 1 history. He takes McLaren’s 12th drivers’ world title, and the third for the McLaren Mercedes partnership, which won the drivers’ title in 1998 and ’99 with Mika Häkkinen.

meeting held in October this year many suggestions were made for changes in the race timetable; increasing their number of races in a season; unification of motors; changing the method by which points are awarded; all with the aim of upping viewing figures while cutting down on costs, although thus far nothing has been changed.

Formula 1 races consist of three different parts: a racing weekend that begins with an unofficial training which is held on Friday and is used for adjusting things like aerodynamics, suspension, traction control and so on. On the Saturday morning an unofficial training during which all adjustments are checked is held, and in the afternoon there is an official training in which a

Autographs from the World Champion: Lewis Hamilton and his fans

LEWIS HAMILTON 2008 FIA FORMULA 1 WORLD CHAMPION “The most dramatic race of my whole life. It’s pretty much impossible to put this into words: I’m still speechless. It’s been such a long journey, but I’ve always had the support of my family, the team, our partners and the fans.We did a fantastic job throughout the whole year and, with all the sacrifices we made, I’m so thrilled to be able to win this for everyone.

“Before it started to rain I was quite comfortable, and I was just focused on having a clean race.Then it started to 80 CorD / December 2008

drizzle and I didn’t want to take any risks - but Sebastian got past me and I was told that I had to get back in front of him. I couldn’t believe it.Then at the very last corner I managed to get past Timo - it was just amazing.This was one of the toughest races of my life, if not the toughest. I was shouting, ‘Do I have it? Do I have it?’ on the radio. It was only when I took the chequered flag and got to Turn One that the team told me I was world champion. I was ecstatic.”

Heikki Kovalainen, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, fifth car’s position on the grid is determined.

According to the new rules the official training consists of three qualifying parts.

The first part lasts for twenty minutes and fifteen fastest drivers are qualified for the continuation of the training, and then the second part of the official training is held in which, depending on timing, five more drivers are excluded, and this part of the training lasts for fifteen minutes. In the third part that lasts for ten minutes, re-fuelling is allowed and the remaining ten drivers start from positions that are determined based on their qualifying timing. The main race is driven on Sunday, cannot be longer than 310km, and can last for up to 2 hours.

The race begins with a warm up lap, after which drivers take their starting positions. If a driver for some reason does not take part in the warm up lap, they start the race at the back of the grid. In case of bad weather the director of the race has the right to decide that the race will begin in a so-called ‘rolling start’, where the cars are led on a parade lap behind a safety vehicle before the start of the race.

The 2009 season will bring some changes with regard to team members, with driver Sebastian Buemi now racing for Toro Rosso-Ferrari; while in the Red Bull-Renault team replacement for retired David Coulthard Sebastian Vettel will be behind the wheel. Also, in the Honda team another driver will make his debut, Bruno Senna, replacing Rubens Barrichello.

The Force India team has changed motor supplier and instead of Ferrari engines will be using McLaren-Mercedes engines in the new season. Whether or not the above changes will affect the results of the above mentioned teams remains to be seen in the first race of the next season in Melbourne on the 29th of March in 2009, when the Australian Grand Prix will be held.

It is very difficult to predict the winner of 2009 Grand Prix given all the changes in the rules. But whatever the case, with so many changes to the classic formula, Masa, Hamilton, Kovalainen and Raikonnen will have to make a great effort to keep their prestigious positions.

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SOVIET OFFICER WHO ‘SHOT DOWN MCCAIN OVER VIETNAM’ SPEAKS OUT

U.S. Senator John McCain 1974 MOSCOW - An ex-Soviet officer who claims to have shot down U.S. Senator John McCain’s plane over Vietnam in 1967 has said he is happy the ex-navy pilot lost his bid for the White House, a Russian paper said on Monday.

McCain was shot down over Hanoi while on a bombing mission on October 26, 1967, and taken captive by the North Vietnamese. He spent five and a half years in a POW camp, and claims that he was tortured. His time in captivity left him unable to raise his hands above his head.

Although McCain’s former Vietnamese prison guards have said that they have forgiven him for his bombing raids, and that they even rooted for him in the U.S. presidential elections, 70-year-old Yury Trushyekin has no such warm feelings.

“It’s good that he didn’t become president.

Even in the camp they said how he really hated Russians, as he knew it was our missile that shot him down,” Trushyekin told the MK v Pitere paper. “Russian-American relations would have suffered, that’s for sure.”

There has never been any official acknowledgement that Soviet soldiers served in Vietnam on the side of the communist North Vietnamese in the 1960s and 1970s.

However, Trushyekin, currently in a hospital 82 CorD / December 2008

in Russia’s second city of St. Petersburg, had no qualms about speaking about his time in the jungles of Southeast Asia.

“I got to Vietnam at the time when there were mixed units with Vietnamese,” he said, adding that he had served as an officer in a missile unit.

On the fateful day that McCain was shot down, Trushyekin recalled that his squad was getting ready to leave their post defending a local bridge when two U.S. planes came into view.

“We were preparing to leave when the sirens sounded again,” he said. “Two American F-4 Phantoms flew in. We had two missiles out of six left. The Vietnamese fired first. Their rocket missed, it fell into the jungle. One plane went round the hill, the other came over the bridge. We fired at this one.”

After McCain’s plane was downed, the North Vietnamese quickly discovered him in a nearby lake.

“His hands were covered in blood and he was in a state of shock,” said the former Soviet officer. “It’s lucky that he was able to put his pistol into the air, or they would have shot him straight away.”

McCain, as the son of a top U.S. admiral, was a major catch for the North Vietnamese.

Trushyekin recovered McCain’s identity card, and even brought it back with him to the Soviet Union. However, he has since mislaid it.

The ex-Soviet officer says he did not hear or think about McCain again until he became the senator of Arizona in 1986.

“They were showing archive pictures, of how he was sitting in his plane, looking so young. And I thought, ‘he looks awfully familiar,’” said Trushyekin.

FOR YUGO, A PLACE OF ETERNAL RUST, ER, REST

By Richard S. Chang How do you make a Yugo go fast? Push it off a cliff. What do you call the passengers in a Yugo? Shock absorbers.

Why do Yugos have heated rear windows? To keep your hands warm while you push it.

The list goes on and on. But the factory that built the cheap car, which became the butt of countless jokes, has come to a screeching, clanking, rattling halt.

(Yes, just like the cars.)

Yugo has become the first automaker to fall in the face of the global financial crisis.

The Yugo factory in Kragujevac, Serbia, will be transformed to make cars for its new owners, Fiat.

Introduced in 1980,Yugos had not changed all that much. “At its factory in central Serbia, it is almost as if you are transported back to the former Yugoslavia,” reports the BBC. “The cars, which were named after Yugoslavia, are put together by hand, as the factory couldn’t afford an automated system.”

The Yugo brand was introduced in the United States in 1985 by Malcolm Bricklin, the entrepreneur who had brought the first Subarus into the country, according to John Matras of the Auto Review Examiner.

“Selling for $3,990, the Yugo GV (for “great value”) was significantly the cheapest new car for sale in the country,” Mr. Matras wrote. “Sales were initially strong as car buyers were attracted to the low price, but the cars could charitably be described as

being unsuited for American driving.”

For instance, Consumer Reports called the car a “barely assembled bag of nuts and bolts.”

Sales of Yugo in the United States ended in 1992. The company managed to chug along in Serbia under the auspices of Zastava Automobili, which is owned by the Serbian government, until 9 a.m. on Nov. 11, when the last Yugo rolled off the assembly line — or what workers there like to call a drag race.

vent the world financial crisis from turning into a human crisis.

The conference, the 10th German World Bank Forum, was devoted to “The Asian Century” now beginning.

“It’s important that rules apply to everyone, that there are no blank zones,” Merkel said, referring to efforts to reform the world financial system. “That will only happen if Asia, and its big emerging economies such as India and China are involved.”

Fair world trade without protectionism

VLADE DIVAC TAKES ADVISER ROLE IN SERBIAN GOVERNMENT

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Former NBA star Vlade Divac has become an adviser in Serbia’s government.

The 40-year-old says he will be in charge of humanitarian issues and sports, and will work with Vice Premier Ivica Dacic.

The former center, who played for three teams over 16 NBA seasons, told reporters Thursday he has taken up the post in order to help promote humanitarian work in Serbia.

After retiring from basketball in 2005, Divac moved to his native Serbia where he has a business and runs a humanitarian organization.

Divac, an All-Star in 2001, averaged 11.8 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game in his career for the Lakers, Hornets and Kings.

CONSULT CHINA AND INDIA IN FINANCE CRISIS, MERKEL SAYS

Asia should be involved in solving the world’s current financial difficulties, said the German chancellor, while the World Bank president warned of a human crisis.

Emerging economies such as China and India must be consulted in forging a solution to the world economic crisis, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday, Nov. 20.

Speaking at the same conference in Frankfurt, World Bank President Robert Zoellick warned that more action was needed to pre-

Merkel added, “I can only hope that in this crisis we achieve more open trade, fair world trade, and that we don’t collapse into protectionism.”

Zoellick told the conference, “We must remind ourselves that the poorest countries have faced the most serious difficulties as a result of the crisis.”

He said the moves launched by the weekend summit of the world’s 20 major economies in Washington for a reshaping of the international financial architecture had been encouraging.

“But we have to do more if we want to avoid a human crisis,” the World Bank chief said.

With this in mind, he called on the G20, which includes the Group of Seven leading industrial nations as well as China, Russia, India, Saudi Arabia and Brazil, to be expanded to include more nations from Africa.

“It’s worth looking into whether you add a representative or representatives from the poorer countries” to the G20, Zoellick said.

“It is important that poorer nations come and speak for themselves,” he said.

DPA news agency (kjb)

COME IN, RATKO, WHEREVER YOU ARE

By Tony Barber The global economic downturn is hitting

Serbia hard, so you’d think quite a few Serbs would be interested in the €1m reward the government is offering to pay for information leading to the arrest of Ratko Mladic. Curiously, however, the trail of the fugitive Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect never seems to get any warmer.

Roughly two months ago, a western government passed a tip to the Serbian government as to Mladic’s whereabouts. A raid was carried out, but the tip turned out to be a dud. Wisely, perhaps, the Serbian authorities chose not to publicise this incident.

In contrast, a police search of a factory in the central Serbian town of Valjevo on November 10 received extensive media coverage, although it led to no better results. This operation took place just a week before Serge Brammertz, the chief United Nations war crimes prosecutor, arrived in Belgrade to prepare his report on how actively Serbia is co-operating with the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague.

If Brammertz’s report is positive, it will strengthen Serbia’s case that the European Union should accept it as an official candidate for membership. In this sense, the Valjevo raid was conveniently timely.So where is Mladic, and who knows where he is?

The former Serbian government, led by Vojislav Kostunica, knew perfectly well where Mladic was, until at least January 2005. But Kostunica refused to have him arrested. The former Bosnian Serb military commander then faded from sight.

However, he is known to have a heart condition and in recent years some interesting evidence about the use of certain heart prescription drugs has been picked up in various parts of Serbia.

According to Ivica Dacic, Serbia’s interior minister, “nobody in the world has the impression that the Serbian government is protecting and hiding Mladic”.

Western governments would agree, in the sense that they do not think President Boris Tadic, prime minister Mirko Cvetkovic and other ministers are shielding Mladic.

However, they suspect that other elements in the Serbian power apparatus do know the whereabouts of Mladic, who is assumed to be being guarded by a corps of diehard loyalists.

The ease with which Serbia’s authorities arrested Radovan Karadzic, the Bosnian Serb political leader, in July suggests it ought not to be impossible to catch Mladic one day, too - even if he is in a bizarre, Karadzic-like disguise.

On the other hand, Osama bin Laden is still on the run more than seven years after the attacks of September 11 2001 - and the reward for information leading to his capture is up to $25m.

CorD / December 2008 83

TOS and CorD recommends

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Grab your snowboard and hit the slopes of Mount Kopaonik. Discover hidden Byzantine ruins of Mount Tara. Or drop a few kilos at the famously discerete Cigota weight loss clinic of Mount Zlatibor

84 CorD / December 2008

PHOTO BY S. JOVANOVIĆ & D. BOSNIĆ

KOPAONIK Kopaonik, the largest mountain range in Serbia, stretching over 80 kilometers at its base and up over 2000 meters at its peak, is home to the country’s top winter resort.

Since it establishment as a skiing center in the 1930s, Kopaonik has used its location amidst beautiful glades and pristine forests to attract a hip skiing crowd to its fine mountain lodges. With its 200 sunny days a year, Kopaonik was dubbed the “Sunny Mountain.” The highest peak is Pancicev Vrh (2017m). Because of its stunning natural beauty, Kopaonik was declared a national park in 1981.” In summer the beautiful natural surroundings attracts hikers, mountaineers, bikers, river rafters and the relaxed

tourist seeking respite. Accommodation has been developed to excellent standards for enjoyment in all seasons. To the east the slopes of Kopaonik blend into the Zupa Valley, known as the ‘mother’ of Serbian vineyards. The western side of the mountain is bordered by the Ibar river and canyon, home to many of the region’s most noted Medieval Orthodox monasteries in an area called ‘The Valley of the Kings’. Whether taking part in winter sports or simply enjoying nature, Kopaonik gives a rush of senses to all who visit.

Serbia’s tallest mountain, Kopaonik, was designated a national park in 1981. The park covers roughly 12,000 hectares and has its park management offices in Raska.

The range of mountains in the area, wooded slopes and picturesque valleys, rivers and streams, are all home to many species of protected flora and fauna. The middle of this national park, the Suvo Rudiste plateau, cut by the Samokovska River, stretches between peaks and slopes. The flora is characterized by a large number of autochthonous plant species (the Balkan beech, fir, spurce, yew, several kinds of maple, pine and oak).

The fauna is also diverse but its concentration varies, depending on the quality of the habitat. The vast wilderness of the park offers many opportunities for hiking and exploring, as well as hiding the warm waters of the Josanicka Banja spa, highly attended for its curative properties.

Well-developed facilities for tourists are located at the Kopaonik ski resort, including an information center in the resort village. Kopaonik lies near the main transportation routes in Serbia. The closest airport is in Nis. Kopaonik is the most developed ski resort in Serbia, boasting the most snow while having over 200 sunny days a year.

With over 44 kilometers of groomed trails beginner to the most difficult, off-piste skiing in the forests and 22 ski lifts, Kopaonik competes with any of the region’s ski resorts. And with a bustling nightlife of lodge parties, restaurants and bars, a long day is rounded off nicely as Serbian jet-setters mix with outdoor enthusiasts in Kopaonik’s alpine village. Kopaonik has undergone extensive renovation in the past few years, adding top quality high-speed quad lifts and improving accommodations in the area.

Rentals ranging from hotel rooms to fullsized family apartments with fireplaces can be found just next to the slopes, and equipment for skiing, snowboarding and crosscountry skiing is available in the many mountain shops located in Kopaonik’s village. Active ski slopes are between 1650 and 2017 meters, and well-marked and maintained 20 km of cross-country skiing trails.

Snowboarding and nightskiing are popular with the younger crowd. At a lower altitude, in Brzeće, there is a skiing complex for

KOPAONIK Kopaonik national park offers different guided hiking tours. From the management building to two different viewpoints: Karaman Greben (1900m) 5km and Pancicev Vrh (2017m); ranging from 1700m to 1900m and 2017m above sea level; the route is about 10km long Tour of Markov Kamen; 1700m above sea level; the route is about 4km long Tour of Kukavica viewpoint and Kozja Stena reserve; ranging from 1700m to 1600m above sea level; the route is about 14km long Tour of Metodje reserve; ranging from 1700m to 1600m above sea level; the route is about 10km long Tour of Semetesko lake; ranging from 1700m to 800m above sea level; the route is about 20km long Tour of Jelovarnik waterfall; ranging from 1700m to 1200m above sea level; the route is about 24km long Tour of Ostri Krs reserve; ranging from 1700m to 1600m above sea level; the route is about 4km long Tour of Crkvine archeological site; ranging from 1700m to 1800m above sea level; the route is about 10km long

children and students. Lift tickets, accommodation and meals are still a bargain compared with its European neighbors. Many well ordered trekking trails and mountaineering routes provide great opportunities to enjoy nature and landscapes of Kopaonik National park and its 200 sunny days a year.

Kopaonik Mountain, the biggest mountain range in Serbia, spreads some 80km from the northwest to the southeast. With its 200 sunny days a year, Kopaonik was dubbed the “Sunny Mountain.” The highest peak is Pancicev Vrh (2017m). Because of its stunning natural beauty, Kopaonik was declared a national park in 1981.

ZLATIBOR Situated in the western part of Serbia, the ‘golden mountain’ of Zlatibor has been a beloved nature retreat for generations. Its cool mountain climate, clean air, long summer days and heavy winter snows, along with its position on major transportation routes connecting Serbia and Montenegro, make it an ideal getaway in any season.

In the central village resort of Partizanske Vode there are well-developed tourist facilities, modern hotels, restaurants and conference halls for corporate retreats. The areas around Zlatibor offer ample opportunity for sightseeing, including collecting of medicinal herbs and wild mushrooms the area is famous for, visits to hidden mountain monasteries and quaint villages, and hikes to tall peaks, past waterfalls and through dense forests. Close by there is the famed ethnovillage of Sirogojno and Drvengrad creation of world-renowned film director Emir Kusturica. A ride on the Sargan 8 steam enCorD / December 2008 85

TARA ROUTES: Kadinjaca - Planinarski Dom (Mountain Lodge) “Javor” - Borovo Brdo; ranging from 805m to 1055m above sea level the route is 10,5km long Planinarski Dom (Mountain Lodge) “Javor” - Bulibanovac Zborista; ranging from 1055m to 1544m above sea level; the route is 14km long Planinarski Dom (Mountain Lodge) “Javor” - Kaludjerski stanovi - Vidikovac - Manastir Raca; ranging from 1055m to 260m above sea level; the route is 10,5km long Planinarski Dom (Mountain Lodge) “Javor” - Kaludjerski stanovi - Vidikovac; ranging from 1055m to 1000m above sea level; the route is 5km long Raca Monastery - Kanyon of the river Raca - Planinarski Dom (Mountain Lodge) “Javor”; ranging from 260m to 1055m above sea level; the route is18km long Zboriste - Sekulica Voda Mitrovac; ranging from 1544m to 1084m above sea level; the route is 9km long Mitrovac - Peri Do - Perucac; ranging from 1084m to 241m above sea level; the route is 5km long Mitrovac - Krnja jela - Cemeriste - Predov Krst; ranging from 1084m to 1138m above sea level; the route is 13km long Mitrovac - Kozje stene; ranging from 1084m to 962m above sea level; the route is 6km long Mitrovac - Crvene Bare; ranging from 1084m to 1100m above sea level; the route is 1,5km long Mitrovac - Vezanja Lake; ranging from 1084m to 890m above sea level; the route is 5km long Predov Krst - Canyon of the river Brusnice; ranging from 1138m to 846 - 291m above sea level; the route is 6km long

86 CorD / December 2008

gine, which ascends the side of the mountain in a figure-8 pattern, is an enjoyable experience and feat of engineering. Nearby Stopica Cave is one of Serbia’s great natural wonders.

Zlatibor is quickly gaining popularity as one of Serbia’s favorite winter resorts. The Zlatibor Mountain is located in the southeast part of Serbia, 238km from Belgrade and its height ranges from 700 to 1500m above the sea level. The highest peaks are Tornik (1496m) and Čigota (1422m). Tracks registered for cross country and biathlon in the central part of Zlatibor are among the most beautiful in Europe because of their visibility and terrain. Murtenica, one of the few remaining primeval forests in Europe, has a cross-country running and biathlon trail.

TARA The regal mountain of Tara stands at 1500 meters and dominates the surrounding country with its beautiful forests, numerous clearings and meadows, cliffs, ravines and caves. The Tara National Park is well preserved from outside influences and is a secret destination still untouched by mass tourism. The park can be reached directly from the municipality of Bajina Basta.

The park has a good ranger service and is home to many children’s summer camps. The forests contain unique species of plants and trees and are home to indigenous animals, including a refuge of the diminishing European bear. Of particular

beauty is the stunning Drina River Gorge, which separates Serbia from Bosnia and can be experienced on an exhilarating raft trip down the river. Tara is a great opportunity for an active holiday in nature, whether camping or hiking in its forests, fishing on Perucac Lake or an adventurous raft ride down the Drina River. It is also close to the resorts at Zlatibor, ethnovillages of Sirogojno and Mecavnik (the creation of world-renowned film director Emir Kusturica), and many quaint villages and hidden medieval monasteries.

The Tara National Park in the mountainous region of western Serbia was designated a national park in 1981. The 19,200-hectare park, with administrative offices in Bajina Basta, is spread out over a group of mountain peaks in the Tara, Crni vrh, Stolac and Zvezda ranges, the Canyon of Drina with Perucac and outskirts of Bajina Basta.

National park covers a large bend in the Drina River bordering Bosnia. Known for its beautiful peaks, thick forests, and deep caves, the park’s highlight is the massive Drina River Gorge, where rafting and boat trips are organized. The park is home to the rare Pancic Spruce (Picea omorica), which dates to the pre-historic Tertiary era. Also in its forests are many varieties of wild animals. Waterfalls within the national park are also part of its impressive beauty along the course of mountain rivers and streams.

The Tara National Park can be reached from Bajina Basta directly (by the Bajina

DIVCIBARE ROUTES: Center - Golubac 1050 m above sea level; the route is 1,9km long Center - Paljba 1051 m above sea level; the route is 2,4km long Center - Velika plec 1036 m above sea level; the route is 2,5km long Center - Crni vrh 1093 m above sea level; the route is 1,5km long

Basta - Kaludjerske Bare road), from Bajina Basta via Perucac (by the Perucac - Mitrovac road) and from Kremna (the Kremna Kaludjerske Bare road). Favourable climate conditions, lot of sunny days, average altitude about 1000m and nature beauties enable pleasant sojourn, walking and trekking. Lake Perucac on river Drina and Lake Zaovine in Beli Rzav valley are very convenient for water sports, mountain slopes for winter sports and variety of game for hunting tourism.

There are three tourist facilities with accommodation in the park, at Kaludjerske Bare with two hotels, at Predov krst (hunters lodge) and at Mitrovac, where there is a well-known children’s camp. Tara National Park has 18 well marked trails going through spectacular mountainous areas of this wild forest refuge. Trails are mostly medium difficulty, ranging from 3 to 18 km.

DIVCIBARE With a temperate local climate and beautiful flora and fauna, the mountain resort of Divcibare, located on Mt. Maljen southeast of Valjevo, is a favorite getaway for Serbians seeking to relax in untouched nature. Divcibare is set in the Kolubara region of Serbia, known for its rolling hills, low-cultivated mountains and idyllic countryside. Belgrade’s elites have known of the Divcibare resort for years and many writers and artists keep country retreats in these hills.

Perfect for a summer nature holiday of hiking, trekking and camping, the resort also has skiing facilities at its 980-meter peak. Many of the region’s villages have local festivals and small farms that have been converted into bed and breakfast hotels for an authentic stay in the countryside. The Gradac River Canyon, a protected nature reserve, is a stunning day trip from Divcibare.

There is a lot of easy hiking routes in Divcibare, at mean altitude of 980 m. All routes are marked with hiking signs on the trees.

ZLATAR The famed mountain resort of Zlatar is located in the southwestern part of Serbia near Montenegro. Best known for its winding Uvac River Canyon, where the last population of the white-headed vulture can be found, the area around Zlatar is sparsely

populated and well protected from urban influences by its rugged qualities. Several rivers flow from the mountain forming four lakes along the way, a paradise for sports fishing.

Several beautiful Serbian Orthodox monasteries are close by, Mileseva and Banja being the biggest; they make for a nice one day excursion. Zlatibor is also a good idea for a one day trip.

STARA PLANINA Stara planina is the highest and most beatiful mountain in eastern Serbia, 70km from Niš. The highest peak is Midžor at 2169 m.

Good skiing slopes, a large artificial lake,the 16th century Temska Monastery and Temska river with abundant fishing,medicinal herbs and wild mushrooms are just a few of the tourist attractions.

Outdoor activities in the area include skiing, hiking and mountaineering, paragliding, and fishing.

Babin Zub is one of the peaks at the 1758m above the sea level. Entering the rocky Babin Zub complex is easy, but climbing any of the rock formations requires climbing experience. www.kopaonik.net www.zlatibor.co.yu www.raftingtara.com www.divcibare.co.yu www.zlatar.co.yu

CorD / December 2008 87

Restaurant Review – Le Moliere

e r ood

re c e r de

Le Molière Restaurant Français Opening hours: 09:00-23:00 Zmaj Jovina 11 Closed on Sunday

BY JELENA MICKIĆ PHOTO ČASLAV VUKOJIČIĆ

W

hen we think of French restaurant food we usually think of fancy dishes elaborately served by a Michelin starred chef with an appropriately sizzling price tag.

Well, this month in a search of a city centre lunch spot I came

88 CorD / December 2008

across a recently launched French restaurant. Appropriately named after a French comedy playwright, Molière, this new eaterie/wine bar, a bit on a fancy side, is the latest addition to this already thriving shopping, banking and café city zone.

Le Molière is located just around the corner of Knez Mihailova street, in the neighbouring French Cultural Centre’s former classroom.

The restaurant has two levels: the smaller street level and the basement level, which offers a bigger seating area, which is unfortunately a little claustrophobic as it has no windows therefore no daylight.

The street level room has about 30 seats and a bar.

Appropriately Bordeaux coloured brick walls are decorated with black and white reprints of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s and Robert Doisneau’s La Vie Parisienne. The wooden chairs and tables are

simple and brown. So far so good, except for the TV screen in one corner on the wall, which makes this place immediately lose some of its smart appeal. The background music is appropriately French, ranging from Manu Chao to Charles Aznavour.

This is a French restaurant/bar but don’t expect impossibly fancy or formal food. Au contraire, mes amis, the menu is short and simple, with veal and pork being the staple ingredients. So if you fancy a bit of French home cooking you may want to try Tete de veau (veal head), Jarret de veau (veal shank) or the tripe.

The service is friendly and unobtrusive, though the staff should probably work harder on knowing the ingredients that go into each dish. We skipped a starter and went straight for the main course.

My partner ordered veal cutlets served in cream and mushroom sauce and white rice. I had beef steak in a red wine sauce on a grated potato patty. The mushroom and cream sauce was very bland and should have been richer as the veal meat is plain and mild. The good thing was the dish was barely seasoned, which I personally prefer, as you can always season it to taste. The rice was also a bit gritty and could have been cooked a bit less. All in all this was rather average.

On the other hand, my medium done steak was nicely cooked, tender and juicy. The sauce made of red wine and coarsely chopped onion was sweet and the potato patty the steak was served on very salty, which at some point caused almost bitter sensations on my palate when those two clashed.

With rich food like this you have to have a salad. We had a mixed green salad, simply seasoned with oil.

Choosing a wine to match your veal dish can be tricky sometimes. Veal is considered to be “white” meat, but you can easily pair it with selected red wines like Merlot, Pinot Noir, Red Burgundy and Côtes du Rhône. We chose a red house wine, Vin Rouge Le Molière by the glass. It was very drinkable, light and barely tannic, but if you come to Le Molière for a glass of good wine, I suggest you choose something more rounded.

As the portions at Le Molière are sensible, we still had room for a dessert. We skipped crème brûlée; an epitome of every restaurant or café even remotely associated with France.

Apple tart Alsace seemed to be a good choice. I was a bit disappointed to taste a cold apple tart after the warm and hearty food we had. I would have definitely appreciated it more had it been warmed up and not made with cooked apples as they mulched down into a purée. Unfortunately the cold and lifeless apple filling couldn’t make my taste buds jump with joy.

Wine glasses hanging above the bar and a full height wine rack suggest this place can operate as a wine bar too. The wine list is made of a limited and selected choice of Serbian and more extensive choice of regional French wines, some of them on the high end of the price range.

But they could expaned the range with especially with the new selection of imports , such as from Australia.

Le Molière serves rich and hearty food for cold days and it will be interesting to see how it will change its menu when the Belgrade streets start to melt.

Until then, au revoir.

CorD / December 2008 89

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GETTING THE BEST SHOT

Sony Ericsson C905 Cyber-shot™ phone Price: 529 eur

and album instantly.TrackID records a few seconds of a song, runs it through online music recognition service and within a few seconds tells you the title and artist of a song and which album you can find it on.

Sens me option sorting music files according to style (romantic, techno, rock’n’roll etc.)

CAPTURES AMAZING PICTURES IN SECONDS

Sony Ericsson C902 Cyber-Shot™ phone Price: 361 eur

C905 is an 8.1 megapixel Cybershot™ phone designed to capture and share the best moments of your life – in high quality.The camera functions are easy to use and the C905 comes in three stylish colors.

With the Smart contrast function, light and color balance is automa tically generated giving you pictures as you would see them with the naked eye.

TAKE PICTURES EVERYWHERE - ANY ANGLE, ANY WEATHER

Sony Ericsson C702 Cyber- shotTM phone Price: 285 eur

The C702 Cyber-shot™ is a camera phone you can use in many different environments. It can withstand rain, sand and dust. Designed to make it easy for you to take pictures in any position, the C702 camera key is placed so that you can stabilize the camera and capture the moment with one hand. Share your experiences online and let friends and family see where you’ve been.

The C902 Cyber-shot™ camera phone is a slim and stylish digital photography device. Behind a discreet slide out lens cover, it has a 5 megapixel camera waiting to take great pictures. If there are people in your picture, the camera will find and focus on a face. If you need to adjust the camera settings, onscreen touch keys appear.

A WIRELESS SPHERE OF MUSIC

Sony Ericsson Portable Bluetooth Speaker MBS-100 Price: 57 eur You want to enjoy music with powerful sound wherever you are, but preferably without entangled cords or a complicated setup.The Portable Bluetooth™ Speaker MBS100 is the answer to your dream.

Connected wirelessly to your phone, this musical sphere allows you to share your favorite songs with others in an instant.

FEATURES TrackID™ – record a clip from the radio and identify the song, singer 90 CorD / December 2008

FEATURES The Face Detection capability enables the camera to detect and focus on the face of your subject rather than the background, so that you can take sharp and high quality

pictures of your friends BestPic™ feature lets you take nine photos in quick succession, choose the best and delete the rest Picture blogging feature creates web address, so user can simply place the picture on the web Geo tagging is process of adding geographical identification to photographs and video

actually works for photos, videos and games too. Just twist the phone to change view.

INTUITIVELY YOURS

Sony Ericsson G900 phone Price: 361 eur

information on the outside. Inside is an inspiring and colorful experience.

Picture messaging, Web browsing and a graphically enhanced Walkman® player. See it. Feel it.

Enjoy it. W380 is made for music.

Raised music controls which react at a touch let you play, pause and skip track.

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BE TRUE TO THE ORIGINAL

Sony Ericsson W980 Walkman® phone

Sony Ericsson Bluetooth headset HBH PV-740

Price: 423 eur

Price: 70 eur

The W980 Walkman® phone makes the most out of your music.

It’s equipped with unique audio enhancing technology resulting in richer bass without distortion and improved stereo quality – a clear audio experience. And a sound that is as true as possible to that of the original recording.

TWIST AND SHAKE

Sony Ericsson W760 Walkman® phone Price: 294 eur The W760 lets you play your music anyway you like it.

Loud through the external stereo speakers placed on the front.

Randomly by simply shaking the phone. Or in landscape viewing mode with the auto rotate function turned on.

Auto rotate

Stay in touch. Stay organized.

Capture and share moments. G900 is the ideal phone for an active and busy life.You have your calendar, names and numbers, email and all the notes and reminders important to you. G900 does it all.The G900 5 megapixel camera lets you take print-quality photos and share them with friends and family straight away. When you’re taking a picture, you can decide where you want the focus of the picture by simply touching the screen.Touch someone you want to call, a song you want to hear, and a link you want to go to.

A powerful assistant - The HBHPV740 is a true work horse, developed to assist you in your busy working life. It offers a standby time of up to one month and a talk time of elev¬en hours, making it one of the market’s most powerful headsets.

UP TO SPEED. UP TO DATE

Sony Ericsson G502 phone Price: 153 eur

MUSIC WITH FEELING

Sony Ericsson W380 Walkman® phone Price: 164 eur

A sleek clamshell phone with gesture control, easy-touch music controls and current track

Stay updated with the latest news as it happens. G502 supports news CorD / December 2008 91

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feeds from hundreds of Web sites including popular picture and video blogging sites.You’re never far from where it’s happening.You also have a pre-loaded weather application which provides you with 3-day weather forecasts wherever you are.

GET MORE FROM YOUR PHONE BY ADDING GPS TECHNOLOGY

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FOR AN ACTIVE DAILY LIFE SMALL SIZE, BIG PERFORMANCE

Sony Ericsson Bluetooth™ Car Handsfree HCB-105

Sony Ericsson GPS Enabler HGE-100

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Targeted at people look¬ing for a convenient and safe way to communicate while on the road.

The solution should be simple to use yet offer powerful performance and clear audio.

Assembled for the de¬manding audio environment of the car, the HCB-105 has integrated Digital Signal Processing (DSP) with digital noise cancellation, echo re¬duction and Fast Automatic Volume Adjustment.

The GPS Enabler HGE-100 is an excellent way to enable powerful GPS functionality with mobile phones that are not equipped with GPS technology.This handy solution comes packaged as a high quality portable handsfree that can be used with more than one phone for sharing with other family members as well.

setting, from coffee bars to client meetings.The color and materials are designed to please and you can enjoy taking pictures and listening to music on the move.

Sony Ericsson K330 phone Price: 67 eur Capture video, send messages and lis¬ten to the radio. Nice to hold and easy to use, the K330 is a solid phone for an active life. Stay in touch with ease thanks to storage for up to 1000 contacts and 450 text messages. In addition, you can store and capture up to 250 photos or 12 minutes of video.

OPEN UP TO FASHION

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A SHINING STAR

Sony Ericsson T280 phone Price: 79 eur Slim and elegant, the T280 is designed to make communication easy and fun.

Shining metal details and a balanced look and feel combine to give this phone its sophistication.

The navigation key has stylishly embossed shortcut icons.

Press once to activate the 92 CorD / December 2008

Small and compact, the T303 is a fun and stylish slider phone. Soft edges, metal details and mirror glass that cover more than half of the front make the T303 fit any

The Z555 is designed to reflect your style and get you noticed.

When a call comes in, a simple movement of your hand over the phone will mute the ringtone – gesture control.You can also use this function to put your alarm clock on snooze. The caller’s name appears, as if by magic, on the outer shell of the Z555. Bring your music with you.

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bunny rattle, a calming lullaby CD for baby, a pastel print baby bottle, pastel baby socks, silver plated Baby’s First Curl container, and a multi-colored resin photo frame - 7 x 5 Price: $93.95 1/2.

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Our adorable baby basket arrives bursting with goodies for the new baby. Tucked inside this precious basket is Sugar holding her blankie, a plush receiving blanket, a soft

So what do you give someone under the weather who’s Board Silly? We’ve combined a fantastic collection of crosswords, puzzles, Sudoku, and word finds combined with a delicious chicken noodle soup mix and Patches, the feel good teddy bear.

Send them on a trip Around the World from the comforts of their own home! We’ve searched far and wide for this collection of tantalizing treasures which includes the Story of Coffee coffee gift book (assorted coffees with interesting coffee facts), Starbucks House, French, and Breakfast coffee, Wolfgang Puck coffee, an assortment of hazelnut and French vanilla coffees, almond biscotti, gourmet chocolate chip cookies, rum cake and more!

Price: $119.95 http://www.designityourselfgiftbaskets.com/ CorD / December 2008 93

Going to the doctors can be daunting at the best of times, but doing so in a foreign country is an added worry. It is therefore worth bearing in mind a few pointers when it comes to going to the doctors in Serbia for the first time: If it isn’t too serious a medical complaint it may well be worth trying your local pharmacy (in Serbian – Apoteka). There are plenty of them around town, they generally are helpful and speak English and if you know what you need, you can acquire most medication without prescription.

If you require the services of a doctor, ask Serbian or international friends or colleagues if they can recommend to you a good, English-speaking doctor or surgery. It is however quite possible that they don’t know of one. If this is the case; or you are new to Serbia; the second option is to Ex-Pat’s directory(www.expat.rs) of recommended doctor’s surgeries.

The final option, if you are not happy consulting Zute Strane, is to ask your embassy for a recommended clinic. Embassies may well have differing recommendations, so try your embassy for consular medical advice.

You can receive public healthcare if your employer provides you with state health insurance. The obvious benefit of state healthcare is the cost but standards and waiting times are preferable in the private sector.

The Serbian medical profession has a respectable reputation internationally, but having said that, I would always recommend a trusted, private clinic. Standards at such institutions are higher than at state practices and conform to good European standards.

Medical Center Emergency Room Tel. 381 11 361 8444

...Traveling to serbia with your pet Entering Serbia with your pet isn’t as difficult as getting into certain other countries. Please check your airline’s policy and contact the Serbian Embassy or Consulate in your country (http:// www.europe.org/serbia_embassies.html ) for current information regarding other pets. To enter Serbia your pet will need a current Certificate of Health issued from your veterinarian, a microchip, and proof of a valid rabies vaccination. Note that Serbian authorities require a certificate less than a month old, but your airline may require an even more recent one.

Don’t expect your dog to be welcome in many places. Many landlords will not accept dogs or cats either, kept indoors or out. If you’re being transferred here and your housing is being selected ahead of time, inform your firm or embassy that you have a pet.

There are no specific dog parks in Serbia, and there are leash/ muzzle laws, though for the most part, they are ignored.

There are lots of veterinarians around and many, many pet shops that offer most popular European and American canned and dry dog foods such as Iams, Pedigree, and Royal Canin, along with all kinds of leashes, toys, brushes, etc. The Veterinary Faculty has a clinic (no appointment necessarily for routine services) and emergency care. Most of the time you will find a vet there who speaks English, even though their site http://www.vet.bg.ac.yu/ has no English link yet, despite the little British flag in the corner.

When traveling from Serbia with your pet, in addition to standard check-in procedure before flight, it is necessary that you contact veterinary service at the airport. Usually when you check in, the agent will call them over or send you to another counter. For further information on transport of animals, contact Veterinary Service at the Belgrade “Nikola Tesla” Airport at (011) 209-4273

…Hire a limousine?

Luxury transportation is available from Limousine Service. With their luxurious, stylish and glamorous vehicles, Limousine Service will ensure an unforgettable ride for those choosing to hire one of their cars. Make reservations by email, fax or phone. First-time riders should visit the centre in person with valid ID. Subsequent trips can be booked 48-hours in advance over the phone or via email. Contact Limousine Service on 063 1235555 or visit them online at www.limoservis.co.yu.

98 CorD / December 2008

CROSSWORD

Solve this crossword puzzle and test your Serbian – the clues may be in English, but the answers should be entered in Serbian

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 ACROSS: 1. Russian composer, Modest Petrovich, 2.

Macedonian male name – symbol for Radon, 3. Vagrant, rambler – bee product, 4. Country in the highest marks Asia, Persia – classes or lectures, 5. Front car light – hero, 6.

Swedish composer, Gunnar – Croatian opera singer Milka 7. Symbol for sulphur – Greek love poetry muse – symbol for neutron, 8. Dry granulated pasta – sound of being impatient 9. Peninsula in Greece – statue, 10. Nickname for Spasenija – harbour embankment, dam, 11. First name of Peruvian singer, Sumac – news announcer, drummer, 12. Personal pronoun – large tropical lizzards, 13. Greek island in the Cyclades.

DOWN: 1. A public display, 2. A week day – the Kozak elder, 3. Wooden saddle – a poetess from ancient Greece – symbol for ton, 4. Juda’s son – ribbon, tape – personal pronoun, 5. A job – a dish - a river in Siberia, the Tobol confluent, 6. Fourth and twenty first letter of Serbian cyrillic alphabet – a town in Bačka County – standard size, 7. Sign for Siemens – first name of opera singer Del Monaco – a type of craftsman, 8. A fabric – a town in Italy, 9. The capital city of US state of Indiana ANSWERS: Musorgski,Atanas, rn, Nomad, med, Iran, sati, far, heroj, ek, trnina, s, erato, n, tarana, ma, atika, kip, Cana, molo, ima, telal, ja, varani, Antiparos.

…Get medical care

Author: Branko Polić