Friday • June 13 • 2008 NEWS NEWS 1

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771820 833000

ISSN 1820-8339
01
Issue
Weekly Issue No. 30,No. 1 / Friday,
Friday, Apr. 03June 13, 2008
- Thursday, Apr. 09, 2009

Lure of Tadic Alliance Splits Socialists

EDITOR’S WORD
POLITICS
Political Predictability
Dependence on the Pensioners’ Party
has tied the government to big spend-
While younger Socialists support joining a new, pro-EU government, old ing
Byincreases
Mark R.when
ing cuts.
it should be mak-
Pullen
Page 2

Milosevic loyalists threaten revolt over the prospect.

Socialist leader Ivica Dacic remains the Serbian kingmaker
By Rade Maroevic in Belgrade
to Serbia’s late president, Slobodan
Milosevic, and reformists who want
faces extinction unless it changes.
However, a strong current also
party over which way to turn.
“The situation in the party seems
extremely complicated, as we try
to convince the few remaining lag-
gards that we need to move out of
Milosevic’s shadow,” one Socialist
Party official complained.
“Dacic will eventually side with Many of us who have experi-
BELGRADE
Tadic in a bid to guide his party into enced numerous Serbian elections
the European mainstream, but much Weratetake a trip down
ourselves memory
as pundits whenlaneit
with Kapitalina Eric-Bogdanovic and
of the membership and many offi- comes
her to predicting
reminiscences election
of 70 years re-
of the
cials may oppose that move.” sults and
Belgrade post-election
theatre scene. moves.
Nikolic agreed: “The question is We feel in-the-knowPage 4
because
will the party split or will the ‘old- our experience of elections in Ser-
timers’ back down,” he noted. bia hasOUT shown &usABOUT
that (a.) no single
Fearing they might not cross the party or coalition will ever gain the
5-per-cent threshold to enter parlia- Our correspondent
majority visits
required to form Stara
a govern-
Planina to check out the local at-
ment, the Socialists teamed up with ment, and (b.) political negotiations
tractions.
the Association of Pensioners and the will never be quickly concluded.
United Serbia Party, led by business- Even when the Democrats
man Dragan Markovic “Palma”. achieved their surprising result at
Pensioners leader, Jovan Krkoba- last month’s general election, it
bic, Palma and Dacic are all pushing quickly became clear that the re-
for a deal with the Democrats. sult was actually more-or-less the
The reported price is the post of same as every other election result
deputy PM, with a brief in charge of in Serbia, i.e. inconclusive.
security for the Socialist leader. This is likely to continue as long
In addition, the Socialists are bar-

T
as Serbia’s politicians form new
Photo by Sophie Cottrell
ense negotiations on a new gov- the party to become a modern Euro- flows in the opposite direction, led gaining for other ministries, includ- political parties every time they
region’s ing
Page 9
61,000ernment havetodivided
people flocked the Uscethe pean
ranksmall on
shopping social
its first day, democrat to snap up promotionalby
some eager organisation. party
offers, othersveterans enraged
just to browse throughbythe the capital
biggest investments,
shopping centre. Kosovo and disagree with their current party
of the Socialist Party, which holds After eight years of stagnation, prospect of a deal with Tadic. education, Belgrade media reported. leader (thereMUSICare currently 342 reg-

Usce Draws the Crowds

the balance of power between the the Socialists returned to centre stage Mihajlo Markovic, a founder of Tadic has denied talk of horse- istered political parties in Serbia).
Is bureaucracy stifling young talent?
main blocs and has yet to announce after winning 20 of the 250 seats in the party, recently warned of a crisis trading with the Socialists, maintain- Drawn-out negotiations are also
Our music correspondent investi-
which side they will support. parliament in the May 11 elections. if Dacic opts for the pro-European ing that ministries would go only to gates. norm. One Belgrade-based
the
“It looks as if the Socialists will With the pro-European and nation- bloc, abandoning the Socialists’ “nat- those committed to working for the Ambassador recently told me he
The Balkans newest, biggest mall attracted crowds on its opening day, eager to check it out.
move towards a government led by alist blocs almost evenly matched, ural” ideological partners. government’s “strategic goal”. was also alarmed by Page 11
the distinct
the Democrats,” political analyst Mi- the Socialists now have the final say Markovic, a prominent supporter At the same time, Dacic seems re- lack of urgency among Serbian
lan Nikolic, of the independent Cen-
out the new centre and also a large of opening but right now, there are
on the fate of the country. of Milosevic during the 1990s, is
Marija, 40, was impressed with
luctant to call off negotiations with GOING
politicians. OUT is at a
“The country
By Tom Fuller contingent of pensioners, who ar- still a number of units not trading. some of the brands on offer. “It’s
tre of Policy Studies, said. “But such rived Nikolic believes
as early as 6 the
a.m.Socialists,
to snap up seen ofasthe
led Much representative of the and
third floor is empty, “old- greatthethat
nationalists.
we now have somewhere standstill
Batler and I the
is possibly don’t understand
hippest place in
a move might provoke deeper divi- free by Ivica Dacic, will
and heavily come over
discounted foodto thetimers” in theand
multiplex party who want
bowling stay to buy“Ifbrands
alleytoare we don’t reachGlou,
like J.Lo, an agreement
Ko- town
theirright
logic.now.
If they are so eager to
sions and even
“There split the
are some party.”
classy brands,” and Tadic, if onlyfrom
groceries out of
thea 4,000m
pragmatic
2
Idea true
de- still to the
being former regime’s policies, ton with
constructed. and, the DSS and
of course, Radicals,
Armani, who theispar- progress towards the EU and en-
saidSimultaneous
Nevenka, 54, negotiations
“but they’re veryheld supermarket
sire to ensureintheir thepolitical
complex. Over
survival. Likethough
even malls the world
these over,
almost you’llthe my ty
ruined favourite designer.”
leadership will decide on future courage investors, how come they
expensive. I’m not sure I’d come the course of the day, some 61,000 see pretty much the same fascias With the Serbian retail market
with the pro-European and national- “The group of younger Socialists Socialists for good. steps”, Dacic announced, following go home at 5pm sharp and don’t
here to buy, but for window shop- visitors passed through the centre. selling pretty much the same things starting to feel the effects of declin-
ist blocs
ping have drawn attention to a
it’s great.” gathered
With much aroundceremony,
Dacic seems to be but itSome
Serbia’s was the younger Socialist
sheer scale place ing the
of theofficials first session
consumer of country’s
spending, newatpar-
retailers work weekends?”
deep
Theriftstore
insideowners
the Socialists.
at Belgrade’s Deputy in the majority”, Nikolic opened
Prime Minister said, adding
the thathaveimpressed
voiced frustration over the we
one youngster con- Usceliament on Wednesday.
will need to work hard to at- Surely the situation is urgent
Thisshopping
newest divides mall
“old-timers”
will be hoping that these
loyal centre reformists
earlier this week.believe the party
“We wish tinuing
eve- spoke impasse
to. “It’s within
so big; muchtheir own tractSource:
bigger customers to come
Balkan Insight and spend,
(www.balkaninsight.com) enough to warrant a little overtime.
that Nevenka, an accountant, is not ryone who starts a business every suc- than Delta City and all the brands after the initial flurry of interest.
expressing a widely-held view and, cess,” said Bozidar Djelic. “It’s good you’ve heard of are here,” she said, Centre managers, ECE Projektman-
having spent a reputed €150 million for this shopping mall to succeed.” but added that there weren’t enough agement, part of a group that man-
THIS ISSUE
on the Balkans’ biggestOF shopping Business
The mall, Insight
which covers an area coffee Neighbourhood
shops or placesMatters for young ages 112 centres and 3.4 million
BelgradeMPC
mall, developers InsightProperties of 130,000m2 with 50,000m2 of people to hang out. square metres of retail space in Eu-
Page 12
wouldIS noSUPPORTED
doubt agree. BY:
Costs Mounting
retail space, has 150 stores and a
Football Rebellion
Maca, 65, wasn’t so impressed, rope and the Middle East, will also
Shoppers were certainly out in number of brands new to the Serbian describing the centre as modern, but find it difficult to generate as much

E W
force on the opening day at the Usce market. very crowded on opening day, and buzz about this centre, as that which
conomists are warning that pro- hile the football world watch-
Shopping Center, which drew huge The developers claim that the she thought it didn’t have the friend- surrounded the launch of Delta City
crowds, both of those eager to check centre was fully let one year ahead ly feel ofesDelta
longed uncertainty over Serbia’s events unfold at the Euro- just over a year ago.
City.
future could scare off investors, lead pean Championships in Austria and
to higher inflation and jeopardise Switzerland, Bosnia is experiencing
DINING prosperity
OUT for years to come. a soccer rebellion, led by fans, SPORT play-
“This year has been lost, from the ers and former stars who are enraged
Makao II is part of a succesful chain standpoint of economic policy,” says The by college
what they see as corrupt
basketball season leaders
in the
of Chinese restaurants. Trencherman Stojan Stamenkovic of the Econom- USA of the country’s
reaches football Our
its climax. association
sports
wonders why. ics Institute in Belgrade. leaders.
correspondent looks forward to the
page 5 finals. page 10
Page 10 Page 14
Source: www.weather2umbrella.com
2 serbia
Serbia Feels the Chill
Winds of the World
Recession
Justin Yifu Lin, World Bank Chief Economist, is cautious about the future.
A
s the World Bank issues its
latest report, which forecasts
the first global recession since
World War II, the chill winds of eco-
nomic slowdown are increasingly being
felt in the Balkans.
The current unprecedented eco-
nomic downturn has forced the World
Bank to adjust its estimates and warn
that the recession could continue into
2011. The report forecasts that the
global economy will contract by 1.7
per cent this year, with GDP project-
POLITIKA - The government
has developed new proposals on
Vojvodina’s autonomy and sent
them to the Vojvodina govern-
ment. The most important change
is that Vojvodina will no longer
have the right to make interna-
tional agreements without the
central government’s prior ap-
proval.
ed to decline by 3 per cent in OECD
member countries, and by 2 per cent
in other high-income economies.
“Financial stress is highest among
several Central and Eastern European
countries which had drawn in foreign
capital to feed domestic lending,”
reads the World Bank report, Global
Economic Prospects 2009 - Forecast
Update, which was published simulta-
neously across the world on Tuesday.
While in absolute terms the global
recession will most affect developed
Weekly Press Roundup
DANAS - President Boris Tadic
met with The Hague Tribunal’s
Chief Prosecutor, Serge Bram-
mertz, saying that “the Serbian
government and all of its bod-
ies will fully cooperate with The
Hague Tribunal.” President of the
National Council for Cooperation
with The Hague Tribunal, Rasim
Ljajic suggested that Serbian
countries, the effects will be felt most
severely in developing or underde-
veloped countries, which are less
prepared, have weaker institutional
and legal capacities and less knowl-
edge of how to deal with a crisis of
such proportions.
“Across the developing world,
we see that the conditions of reces-
sion are affecting the poorest people,
making them even more vulnerable
than before to sudden shocks—but
also reducing opportunities available
to them, and frustrating their hopes,”
said Justin Yifu Lin, World Bank
Chief Economist and Senior Vice
President. “This could reverse years
of progress,” he added.
These problems are becoming
increasingly obvious across the Bal-
kans, as governments intervene to
support their currencies, foreign in-
vestment remains on hold, demand
for exports decline and countries
are finding it harder to access credit
to finance their deficits. Serbia has
already turned to the IMF and the
World Bank for help.
The IMF and other lenders re-
cently agreed access to €3 billion in
stand-by funding for Serbia. While
this comes as a relief and should
cover the country’s financing gap,
some analysts have doubted the
government’s ability to adhere to
the rigid fiscal discipline the lenders
require.
Mijat Lakicevic, an economist,
told Belgrade Insight that taking on
new loans now, will pose a problem
in the future. “In two to three years
we will have to pay back debts, and
that may cause a dramatic fall in
the value of the national currency.
It will have an unbearable impact
on national industry and trade,’’ he
said.
citizens sentenced in The Hague
should serve their prison sentences
in Serbia.
KURIR - Mirjana Markovic, widow
of former Serbian President Slobo-
dan Milosevic, claims that her son,
Marko, will not come back to Ser-
bia, even though a court in Pozare-
vac threw out the accusations made
against him by several former mem-
bers of anti-Milosevic movement
Otpor, who claimed Marko Milo-
sevic tortured them in Pozarevac in
2000.
POLITIKA - After several
hours of negotiation, the anti-
terrorist unit of the Serbian po-
lice shot an armed man who was
holding a family of four hostage
in Grabovica, a village near Des-
potovac.
VECERNJE NOVOSTI - Five
Serbian ministries that must finish
technical preparations for getting
Serbia onto the ‘white Schengen
list’ by the end of April, are al-
ready late. Representatives from
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ad-
mit that they are likely to miss the
deadline by a month.
Friday, Apr. 03 - Thursday, Apr. 09, 2009
Radicals Obstruct
Work of Serbian
Parliament
Radical parliamentarians wearing T-shirts carrying a picture of Vojislav Seselj.
T
he Serbian Parliament was
forced to adjourn its sitting on
Tuesday after opposition Ser-
bian Radical Party deputies refused
to sit in the seats assigned to them
by the Administrative Board two
months ago.
Parliamentary speaker Slavica
Djukic-Dejanovic issued a number
of warnings to the Radical deputies
after they refused to take up their
designated seats in the newly refur-
bished chamber of the National Par-
liament building, before expelling
them from the session and calling a
15-minute break. After the break, she
had no option but to suspend the ses-
sion on the grounds that it was not
possible to continue work under the
prevailing conditions.
Radical deputies, who wore T-
shirts with the face of their party
GLAS JAVNOSTI - Serbs who
decided to stay in Kosovo after its
declaration of independence have
been selling their houses and land
to Albanians and moving to Serbia.
Albanians are offering to pay above
market price for the properties.
BLIC - According to the law on
political parties, which is cur-
rently being discussed by deputies
in the Serbian Parliament, all po-
litical organisations and parties in
Serbia will have to re-register. In-
stead of the previous 100 members
required for registration, 5,000
members will be required under
the new legislation.
DANAS - After meeting with
the Serbian Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Vuk Jeremic, the Aus-
trian Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Michael Spindelegger, said that
Austria will do everything in its
power to unblock the progress of
the Stabilisation and Association
Agreement between Serbia and the
European Union.
POLITIKA - UNMIK police sent
evidence of war crimes regarding
the so-called ‘yellow house case’
leader Vojislav Seselj, refused to
sit in their assigned seats, and were
asked to leave the session after re-
ceiving three verbal warnings.
The session got off to a slow start
initially because of problems with
the electronic voting system in the
new parliamentary building, which
deputies entered on Tuesday for the
first time.
There are 49 items on this ses-
sion’s agenda, including the draft law
on the appearance and use of the coat
of arms, flag and national anthem, a
set of laws in the field of ecology and
a draft law on political parties.
Adoption of the law on the ap-
pearance and use of the coat of arms,
flag and national anthem will legalise
the symbols of statehood laid down
by the Constitution that was intro-
duced in November 2006.
to the Serbian prosecution author-
ities. The evidence that UNMIK
collected during the investigation
in 2004 show that organs harvest-
ed from the bodies of Serbs kid-
napped in Kosovo were later sold
on the black market in Turkey.
BLIC - An NGO, the Network for
Restitution, protested in front of the
Serbian government headquarters
because of a statement by Finance
Minister Diana Dragutinovic two
days ago, in which she announced a
new law on properties nationalised
after World War II.
BORBA - A Serbian NGO, the
Lawyers’ Committee for Human
Rights, accused writer and former
President of Yugoslavia, Dobrica
Cosic, of hate speech and national
and religious discrimination. The
accusation relates to a sentence in
Cosic’s new book, ‘Time of Snakes’,
in which he calls Albanians “social,
political and moral dregs from the
tribal and barbarian Balkans, which
took the USA and the European Un-
ion as its associates in battle against
the most democratic, most civilised
and most educated Balkan nation –
the Serbian nation.”
 Friday, Apr. 03 - Thursday, Apr. 09, 2009
Irresponsble
Coalition
is Ruining
Serbia’s
Finances
Dependence on the Pensioners’ Party has tied the
government to big spending increases when it
should be making cuts
Comment By
Miroslav Zdravkovic
S
erbia’s coalition government is
treating the economic crisis ir-
responsibly and shying away
from necessary budget cuts, namely
reductions in pensions and public sec-
tor salaries.
One reason lies in the instability
of the coalition and its fear of new
elections, which is why they are
making concessions to their smallest
coalition partner, which represents
the pensioners.
The latest example of their folly,
announced by the media, is the pos-
sible abandonment of the agreement
made last week with the IMF on cuts
to the large budget deficit.
While the IMF suggested cuts in
pensions and civil service salaries of
5 per cent, the government first opted
for an income tax of 6 per cent on
all incomes over €130 monthly, only
now to have second thoughts.
While higher taxes - or some
other approach to reducing costs in
the public sector - look inevitable,
such measures would affect the pri-
vate sector too, because higher taxes
might force employers to reduce the
number of their workers.
Through the planned 6 per cent
tax, the state could collect around
€300 million of the missing €1.2 bil-
lion by the end of the year. The re-
mainder of the budget deficit, around
€900 million, would be covered by
an agreed programme of savings in
public expenditure.
While higher taxes - or
some other approach
to reducing costs in
the public sector - look
inevitable, such meas-
ures would affect the
private sector too
But after a public outcry, as soon
as the IMF delegation left Belgrade,
over the prospect of taxes on the
poorest sections of society, the me-
dia reported a possibility that the tax
would be given up and an alternative
source of income found.
That alternative source probably
concerns payments for pensioners.
But the government does not dare cut
pensions for political reasons and so
finds itself at a dead end.
It is all the result of the very un-
stable makeup of the coalition, which
comprises the Democratic Party, G17
Plus, the Socialists, and some other
smaller parties, including the Party of
United Pensioners of Serbia, headed
by Jovan Krkobabic, who is also a
deputy prime minister.
What did these parties promise
voters last May? A European future
in which employment levels would
rise by 200,000 and pregnant wom-
en get 100 per cent of their salaries
while on leave.
The world economic
downturn really hit
home in October last
year. The IMF pointed
out the extent of the
crisis in early Novem-
ber
There would be large investment
projects, free shares worth €1,000
and Fiat would come to Kragujevac.
The Pensioners and Socialists
crossed the parliamentary threshold at
the elections thanks to their promises
to make pensions equivalent to 70 per
cent of the average salary in Serbia.
In order for the government to win
their support for a coalition, an imme-
diate rise in pensions of 10 per cent
was factored into the budget for 2009.
But it was obvious, even back
then, that it was not realistic to ex-
pect that planned revenue, mostly
from foreign investments, would
cover these high expenses, at a time
when an economic crisis was already
on the horizon.
The world economic downturn re-
ally hit home in October last year. The
IMF pointed out the extent of the cri-
sis in early November, and the budget
was approved before the New Year.
Only a week later, the National
Bank Governor, Radovan Jelasic, and
the Minister of Finance, Diana Draguti-
novic, said the budget was unrealistic
and VAT would have to go up.
At the time it was formed last
July, the government inherited rev-
enues from privatisation worth €1.2
billion. This is being spent fast and
only around €400 million remain.
Each month around €60 to €70
million is being spent from this fund,
while investments have virtually dried
up and there is nothing to fill the hole.
The government’s promises on pensions may prove costly for the nation.
Instead of a rise in employment of
200,000, since December, unemploy-
ment has risen. It could increase by as
much as 150,000 by the end of the year.
With layoffs in the public sector
already announced, the number of
those losing their jobs could even ex-
ceed 200,000.
By the end of its four-
year mandate, the
government is unlikely
to be able to generate
400,000 new jobs, and
meet its original pre-
election promises
By the end of its four-year man-
date, the government is unlikely to be
able to generate 400,000 new jobs,
and meet its original pre-election
promises.
Meanwhile, European integration
remains frozen until Serbia hands
over the two remaining war crimes
indictees, Ratko Mladic and Goran
Hadzic, to The Hague.
Source: www.emportal.rs
The government is passive, despite
the fact that it cannot count on a rise in
tax revenues when it faces a drop in in-
dustrial production and foreign trade.
What can be expected now, if the
government does not dare to take
action on pensions and public sec-
tor wages? As said earlier, it is pos-
sible that to make up the shortfall,
VAT will go up, affecting everyone,
through a rise in prices.
Instead of boldly coming forward
with a diagnosis and explaining why
it has to cut state expenses, while
finding ways to shield those most
endangered socially, the government
behaves as if it is without a compass.
Why? Because it is afraid of losing
the support of the United Pensioners
and consequent new elections.
As this government is not expected
to take that route, Serbia may be in
for a nightmare that could end in so-
cial unrest, along lines already seen in
Hungary, Greece and the Baltic states.
Miroslav Zdravkovic is editor of
ekonomija.org
politics 3
Profile of the Week
Vlade Divac
Serbian
NBA legend
By Slobodan Georgijev
Although Sacramento is re-
tiring the No. 21 jersey, the
highest recognition for a bas-
ketball player, Divac has yet
to win his place in Serbia
V
lade Divac, 41, one of the
most famous Europeans
ever to play in the NBA,
is the president of the Olympic
Committee of Serbia. His previ-
ous careers in sport and business
were marked by controversies that
made him into a national hero, but
also aroused suspicion in the Ser-
bian circles of power.
Before he flew to his other
home, the US, to attend a cer-
emony for the retirement of his
Sacramento Kings jersey, Divac
stirred up the people of Serbia
by publicly supporting his friend
Dusan Miklja, who was fired from
his position as Belgrade’s minis-
ter for sport by Mayor Dragan
Djilas, a close associate of Presi-
dent Boris Tadic.
As nothing happens by chance
in politics, this event from the
margins of political life in Serbia
has a greater significance - Divac,
some suggested, was acting like a
member of the opposition.
Divac carefully chose his
words when criticising Djilas, but
the team around Tadic certainly
had to take Divac’s criticism se-
riously, because Divac is widely
respected, and he not only knows
how to use the media, but has
ready access to it. Besides that,
Divac supported Tadic during his
presidential campaign.
When he was just an 18-year-
old with Partizan Belgrade, Di-
vac was already the greatest talent
in European basketball. He was
one of the first Europeans to enter
the NBA, where he played with
Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Magic
Johnson. He played in All-Star
games, and won everything that
could be won.
He was considered a god in Ser-
bia for years, but when he returned
some years ago to launch a busi-
ness, he faced strong competition
from local businessmen and sur-
rounded himself with poor advi-
sors. He failed to secure ownership
of several companies in Serbia’s
privatisation auctions and then
turned to charity work, eventually
becoming president of the Olympic
Committee, although, when Divac
was selected, critics said Tadic had
personally pulled strings to ensure
Divac won the post.
In the 1990s, Divac openly op-
posed Slobodan Milosevic, and,
in an interview on returning to
Serbia, said his ambition was to
become the President of Serbia
some day. To realise this vision,zz
he will have to wait for the end of
the mandate of Boris Tadic - still
his friend - and that’s likely to be
another four years.
4 belgrade chronicle
All the
World’s
a Stage
Kapitalina Eric-Bogdanovic recalls life in 1930s
Belgrade, her famous acting colleagues and how
she got through the German occupation.
By Duska Stefanovic
“
Singing is what kept me alive,”
says Kapitalina Eric-Bogdanovic,
a former star of the Yugoslav Dra-
ma Theatre, on our visit to the retire-
ment home where she now lives in the
Belgrade suburb of Vozdovac.
Now entering her tenth decade,
she looks back on her acting career
in Belgrade in the 1930s and her first
encounter with the famous actress
Zanka Stokic. She talks of King Ale-
ksandar, too, the German occupation,
President Tito, and of her many col-
leagues from the theatre.
“Today’s fashion is
nothing compared to it:
you cannot tell a wom-
an from a man!”
“I can retell the whole history, I
remember everything very well,” Ka-
pitalina says, touching up her hairdo
and applying some fresh lipstick.
“I came to Belgrade in 1933 from
the small town of Zvornik in Bosnia.
I came with my mother, to visit my
sister, Marija, who was already mar-
ried at the time and living with her
husband. Belgrade was a small city
then, clean as a spa, without much
noise or many motor cars,” she re-
members.
The architecture was tamer, too,
mostly consisting of low-rise build-
ings. The tallest building at the time
was the four-storey Tata store, locat-
ed across the way from the Russian
Tsar.
Belgraders were as obsessed by
fashion then as they are today, how-
ever.
“Today’s fashion is nothing com-
pared to it: you cannot tell a woman
from a man!” Kapitalina exclaims,
with nostalgia. “There were no jeans
back then; we would purchase Eng-
lish textiles and silk and then sew the
finests suits. Knez Mihailova was
a place for promenades, where Bel-
graders took walks with their friends
and greeted one another. Everyone
wore hats, and men greeted women
by doffing them.
“Those were romantic times,” she
sighs. “We respected each other and
communicated in a much nicer way;
we never used impolite words,” she
adds, saddened that today’s language
has become so coarse.
“Pre-war Belgrade was well sup-
plied,” she continues, “especially
by butcher shops in which the finest
hams decorated the shop windows;
markets were blooming and milkmen
delivered goods to households on
horse-drawn carts. Life was good.”
Kapitalina’s sister, Marija, worked
Friday, Apr. 03 - Thursday, Apr. 09, 2009
as a cook at the Jockey Club, where
wealthy racehorse owners gathered
on Sundays after betting sessions
at the racetrack. She also worked
in the private household of Milan
Jovicic, the club secretary. “I often
helped out. I would pour coffee for
the guests of Milan’s wife, Jelena,
and among them was Zanka Stokic,”
Kapitalina explains.
It was Jelena who introduced Ka-
pitalina to Zanka and explained that
she wanted to become an actress.
“Then let her be one,” Zanka appar-
ently replied.
“Later I saw her in the play, the
Cabinet Minister’s Wife. Every-
one was bursting out with laughter.
Whenever she laughed, her smile
shone like a string of pearls,” Kapi-
talina says, recalling the great actress
with affection.
The Cabinet Minister’s Wife at
that time was performed in a tiny Na-
tional Theatre, where the Yugoslav
Drama Theatre is located today. It
was an adapted stable.
“I remember wonderful ac-
tors from those times, like Viktor
Starcevic, Svetolik Nikacevic, Mar-
ica Popovic, Ana Paranos, Nevenka
Urbanova, Toda Arsenijevic and
Mata Milosevic,” she continues.
Acting school entrance exams
were held only once every three
years, so that every actor who gradu-
ated would be able to find a job. Act-
ing was taught by Desa Dugalic, Vera Kapitalina Eric-Bogdanovic (left) shared her reminiscences of 70 years in the theatre.
Grec and Jurije Rakitic. As well as
drama, university professors taught then crossed the river Sava to Ruma. street, very close to the home of Kap- with Aca, who later became her hus-
psychology, ancient literature and From Ruma, another train contin- italina and her husband. She remem- band.
other subjects. ued to Zemun, where the Sava was bers that the sound of the explosions “She wore a headscarf and worked
crossed by ferry. made them jump out of bed, while around the village, like a real coun-
“Those were romantic The school Kapitalina attended the hotel was ruined. In 12 days, try woman. When she came back
times,” she sighs. “We was in Francuska, across the street the war was over and the Germans she was baptized into the Orthodox
from the Writers’ Association. She marched in with their tanks and mo- Church and took the name Marija.”
respected each other
and communicated in could walk everywhere she needed tor vehicles. Meanwhile, life had to go on. And
to go, as the tram could only take so did the theatre. “During the Ger-
a much nicer way; we people into the suburbs, to Bulevar man occupation, plays were held in
“We visited the Na-
never used impolite Kralja Aleksandra, or to Hajducka summer at the Kalemegdan fortress.
tional Assembly to pay
words.” Cesma at Kosutnjak. We organised the summer stage our-
In 1934, the French statesman our last respects to selves… We performed Ivko’s Feast,
Louis Barthou visited Belgrade and our king. There were Dundo Maroje, Shakespeare... I had a
Russians were an important ele-
was accompanied back to France by queues in front of the leading role with Nikola Popovic and
ment in the cultural life of the capi-
King Aleksandar. Both men were Viktor Starcic in a play directed by
tal. “After many Russian intellectu- building.”
als emigrated from the Bolshevik then assassinated in Marseilles. Josif Kulundzic... The text was writ-
“People were desperate,” Kapitolina ten by a Jew, so instead of his name,
regime, King Aleksandar accepted “I remember that Jews were
recalls. “We visited the National As- it read ‘No name’.”
them and gave them appointments. obliged to wear yellow armbands
sembly to pay our last respects to our Kapitalina remembers the end
Those Tsarist Russians were very and clean the city,” says Kapitalina,
king. There were queues in front of of the occupation very well. Asked
welcome in Serbia,” Kapitalina says. who recalls a young colleague, Ra-
the building.” what Belgrade was like, her memory
She herself is of Russian descent. hela Ferari, who was brave enough to
“Young King Petar II inherited runs back to Zanka Stokic, who fell
Her Russian mother went to the thea- refuse to wear it.
the crown but was too young to deal out of favour with the newly victori-
tre every Sunday in her hometown of “For a while, she hid with a fam-
with the pressures coming from the ous communists under Tito.
Tomsk in Siberia, which is why she ily at the end of Bulevar Kralja Ale-
Germans. After the government re- “In 1944, the Partisans punished
took her daughter to acting school in ksandra. When I visited her, she was
fused to sign the Tripartite Pact with Zanka for being active during the
Belgrade on a teacher’s recommen- doing her laundry with a beautiful
Germany, and Belgrade was bombed occupation and banned her from per-
dation – and against the wishes of diamond ring on her finger. She was
in 1941, the King fled to London forming for eight years. They didn’t
Kapitalina’s strict father. complaining that she was unable to
with his mother, and we were left to take into consideration that she was
Travelling to Belgrade was an sell it as no one had the money to buy
the mercy of the occupation.” ill and needed money for medicine.
adventure, she remembers. A train it. Later, when the Germans started
The first bombs fell onto the Srp- When the Yugoslav Drama Theatre
took passengers from Koviljaca Spa sending Jews to concentration camps,
ski Kralj hotel in Uzun Mirkova reopened in 1947, her punishment
to Sabac in Serbia, where a ferry Rahela went to a village in Sumadija
 Friday, Apr. 03 - Thursday, Apr. 09, 2009
Belgrade Diary
By Ian Bancroft
A
midst its more illustrious,
luminous and contrived
counterparts, some with sus-
picious and fluid sounding names,
it is the comparatively under-stated
Cvetic, one of the oldest cafes in
Vracar, where most of my week-
day Belgrade mornings begin and
end; where my slumber eventually
recedes and the day and all its impli-
cations slowly dawns.
The ease, or not, with which
Cvetic’s often troublesome door is
opened distinguishes the ‘regulars’
from the ‘newcomers’, with many
of the latter feeling eternally dis-
couraged by their failure to imme-
diately decipher this apparent code
of entry or right of passage; a trait
shared by many foreigners arriving
A Belgrade Morning
to Belgrade, impatient to unlock
the unwritten social grammar - an
understanding of which, as with all
languages unfortunately, can only
be acquired upon consideration of,
and cringing at, one’s mishaps and
mistakes. Yet those who are deterred
are severely misguided – for despite
Cvetic’s size, shape and stature, the
attention of the clientele is rarely
distracted by arriving customers;
conversations do not deviate nor
eyes shift. Only the solitary waiter
quietly and confidentially registers
your intent.
Depending on one’s mood, both
anonymity and familiarity remain
distinct and respected choices, even if
one wants one or the other inconsist-
ently and inter-changeably, seamless-
ly retracting the previous choice. As a
refreshing contrast to far too many ca-
fes, bars and restaurants, this implied
timelessness leaves one free to while
away an hour or two or three with-
out an excess of caffeine or contact;
its unobtrusiveness and easy manner
contrasting with many other aspects
of public life and space in Belgrade.
As a rule for much of Belgrade’s
architecture, it’s subdued and almost
melancholic exterior should not
prejudice judgements about the in-
terior; though it’s certainly true that
they often inflect each other, folding
elements of the former into the lat-
ter, and vice-versa. Pictures of vari-
ous cafe culture fragments adjoin
the walls – Campari-branded ash-
trays, Le Figaro, bowls of cappucci-
no, ludicrous glasses of Belgian beer
– evoking aspirational notions of
Western Europe. The artificial light-
ness, reflected through the slightly
lob-sided mirrors that deepen and
extend the room, combined with the
convivial Italian canzones, create an
atmosphere conducive to simultane-
ous contemplation and distraction.
Just prior to noon, the brigade of
pensioners, patriots, Partizan fans
and maybe even professors form an
orderly and almost perfect circle of
smoke and scepticism; sharing their
8F
GMZ
GPS
ZPVS
TNJMF
belgrade chronicle
Belgrade
Through the
Eyes of…
Zanka Stokic
It was Zanka Stokic, a queen of
1930s Yugoslav theatre, who moti-
vated Kapitalina to persue a career
on the stage when they met in the
home of Milan Jovicic, a promi-
nent businessman and socialite.
was suspended and she was hired
again. But when she heard that she
could play again she got so excited
that she died the same day!”
The Drama Theatre hired only the
best actors. “There were 60 or so of
us. I was ordered to leave the set of
This People Will Live in Bosanska
Krupa and to go back to the Yugoslav
Drama Theatre, where I was hired for
a play, which was a priority,” Kapita-
lina explains.
Decades on, not even an operation
and an injury that she sustained in the
past two years have stopped her from
being faithful to her old profession.
She happily takes part in events with
her old colleagues, organised for the
residents of her retirement home.
Along with Rada Djuricin, and
Jelena and Ivana Zigon, she will-
ingly stands and sings some Rus-
sian songs. Smiles fill the room.
The audience say no-one has made
them laugh or cry so hard in a long
time. Kapitalina spends much of
her time with her roomate, Vuka
Stokic, whose late husband was
related to the famous Zanka. They
laugh and sing together, looking
back on their careers with pleasure
and satisfaction.
considered judgements on an array
of topics, from refereeing decisions
to betting, from prices to politics. At
this juncture it is time to leave; the re-
liability of their routine signalling the
end of another morning in Belgrade.
We’d love to hear your thoughts
too. Tell us what you like about
Belgrade, what really makes you
fizz with anger and what you would
change if you were in charge.
Send us your thoughts, tell us a
little bit about yourself, and send a
photo too, if you like.
Send your contributions to:
belgradeinsighteditor@birn.eu.com
5
David
Norris
Team Leader, IPA 2008
Regional Quality Infrastructure
(EC-funded project for candi-
date and potential candidate
countries for EU accession)
Nationality: British
In Belgrade since:
August 2008
The best thing about
Belgrade is:
Belgraders: never have I been
so impressed by a group of
people who are so hospitable,
warm and friendly despite what
they have endured for almost 20
years. We have a lot to learn.
The most annoying thing
about Belgrade is:
Driving in the city, with few, if
any, drivers following the rules
of the road and a constant
battle to be first - no matter
who gets trampled on as a
result. I’m also not keen on
the packs of wild dogs.
If I was mayor for one day:
I would probably be unable to get
anything done for bureaucratic
reasons; but I might at least try
to introduce more cycle lanes
and enable open-air swimming
pools to extend their season into
September (when temperatures
hit 40ºC last autumn, all the
open air pools had closed for the
winter...)
I feel at home because of:
The aforementioned people,
our garden, our neighbours –
Serbian and (by coincidence)
British; and of course when it
rains and the sky is grey I am
transported back to England
in the spring (or summer, of
autumn or winter).
When friends visit I always
take them:
I think they’ve had enough of
our international wanderings
and are content to wait for
us to drop in on them on one
of our infrequent visits to the
UK. If friends actually did visit,
then Kalemegdan for the view;
Madera terrace for the food and
drink; and our front garden for
happy family times.
6 regional
Bulgaria to Ban Religious
Symbols
Sofia_The Bulgarian government
has approved a draft bill banning
religious symbols in schools, draw-
ing criticism mainly from the Mus-
lim community. Hussein Hafazov
from the Chief Mufti’s office told
the Reuters news agency that the
idea “ damages the rights and re-
sponsibilities of Muslim women.”
The bill calls for the banning of the
hijab and other religious symbols
in schools, though has not yet been
approved by parliament. Muslims,
who make up 12 per cent of Bul-
garia’s 7.8 million population, have
lived with Christians in relative
harmony for centuries in a culture
known as “komshuluk”, or neigh-
bourly relations.
Bosnia Priest on
Paedophilia Charge
Sarajevo_The Office of the Public
Prosecutor in Bosnia’s northern
district of Brcko has charged a local
Serbian Orthodox priest with sexu-
ally abusing two girls, local media
reported on Thursday March 26th.
The priest was charged after a year-
long investigation. Because of the
sensitivity of the case, and since it
involves young girls - one 14 and
one 16 - the Prosecutors’ office has
ordered that no further information
should be given to media until the
end of the judicial process. This
case follows that of Imam Resad
Omerhodzic who was sentenced
to 18 months in prison for sexually
abusing an underage girl. Omer-
hodzic’s lawyer appealed against
the decision and the process is still
ongoing.
Macedonia Plans
Peacekeeping Mission
in Senegal
Skopje_With several peacekeep-
ing missions already in progress,
Macedonia is considering sending
its forces to the civil-war torn Af-
rican state of Senegal. The troops
would be put under US command,
and would help train local security
forces, the local Vreme daily says,
citing unnamed high-ranking army
sources. The plan is initially to send
a smaller force and increase the
size of the contingent with every
rotation of troops, the source said.
Macedonia’s army, numbering
6,000 soldiers, participated in the
“Iraqi Freedom” mission, already
has about 150 peacekeepers in
Afghanistan and plans to increase
their number by next year. Mac-
edonia also has troops deployed in
Lebanon and Bosnia.
US Envoy: Macedonia
Name Deal in 2010
Skopje_The US ambassador to
Greece, Daniel Speckhard, voiced
hope that the burning Athens-
Skopje name row will be solved
in 2010, local media reported on
Friday 27th March.
In a speech at the Woodrow Wilson
Center, on the theme ‘Resilience
and Transition: Resetting US-
Greek Relations’, the ambassador
said, “I personally hope that next
year we will see certain progress.
I know that I said this last year,
but I’m an optimist because this
is a political season in Greece’s
neighbour,” referring to the ongo-
ing double presidential and local
election in Macedonia.
Friday, Apr. 03 - Thursday, Apr. 09, 2009
Low Turnout May
Invalidate Macedonia Poll
The only possible obstacle to the ruling party’s candidate winning the presidency - 40
per cent of the electorate need to vote for the poll to be valid.
By Boris Georgievski
M
acedonia’s centre-right coali-
tion, led by the VMRO-DP-
MNE, won most votes in the
first round of both the local and presi-
dential elections on March 22nd. With
turnout at just under 57 per cent in the
first round, the main question now is
whether voter turnout will also cross
the obligatory 40 per cent threshold to
validate the result in the second round.
The VMRO-DPMNE’s presiden-
tial contender, Georgi Ivanov, won 35
per cent of the votes, putting him in the
lead. His rival in the April 5th run-off
will be Ljubomir Frckoski, the opposi-
tion Social Democrats’ nominee, who
won 20 per cent in the first round.
A poll by the Democratic Institute
found that in the second round, 25
per cent of voters planned to support
Ivanov while 15 per cent would vote
for Frckoski. The poll also found that
45 percent of citizens do not intend to
vote in the second round of the presi-
dential elections on April 5th, and
a further 15 per cent are undecided
about whether to vote or not. This
brings into question whether the 40
per cent threshold will be achieved.
A quarter of Macedonia’s 2.2 mil-
lion population are ethnic Albanians,
whose votes have been critical in Source: www.daylife.com
meeting the turnout threshold, and
deciding the winner, in the three pre- Georgi Ivanov, leader of the VMRO-DPMNE, and their presidential candidate, celebrates his first round victory.
vious presidential elections.
The Albanian community’s piv- Political analyst Zhidas Daska- the second round of voting would Tahiri said that the Democratic
otal role in the election process has lovski told Balkan Insight that meet- probably succeed in terms of turnout Union for Integration, the largest
triggered many accusations of foul ing the 40 per cent threshold would as a result of the influence of the in- ethnic Albanian party in Macedonia,
play and fraud in the past. depend on the turnout among swing ternational community. would only have reason to instruct its
voters, including the Albanian com- “The vote will only fail if the op- supporters to vote for Ivanov if the
“I would be very munity. position parties or the independent VMRO-DPMNE pledged to resolve
“There is a possibility that the candidate, Ljube Boskoski, call for a number of issues.
cautious about Albanians will be motivated by the a boycott,” he said, adding “but that These include “the social status of
whether the 40 per candidates’ positions on the name would be devastating for democracy the former National Liberation Army
issue and on NATO integration. If and for the opposition itself.” guerrillas, closure of the cases that have
cent threshold can that is the case, then Frckoski is the Boskoski and the New Democ- been returned to the local jurisdiction
be reached in the obvious choice for them,” Daska- racy party’s Imer Selmani each won from The Hague, use of the Albanian
second round” lovski said. around 145,000 votes. national flag, and membership of NATO
However, Gordan Georgiev, direc- and the EU,” Tahiri said.
tor of the Forum Centre for Strategic Macedonia’s constitution states
In 1994, when the VMRO-DP-
Research and Documentation, a local
“It would open up a that if the 40 per cent threshold is not
MNE was in opposition, it accused
the Social Democrat-led government NGO, expects that the starkly oppos- new period of polit- reached, the whole process must be
of giving more than 100,000 Albani- ing positions of the two men in the ical manoeuvring, repeated from the beginning. Opin-
ans from Kosovo citizenship rights, run-off will encourage a high turnout. ions differ about the impact of such
in order to get them to vote for their “Ivanov and Frckoski are op- uncertainty and an eventuality.
candidate, Kiro Gligorov. posed over the name issue, and the complexity” Tahiri believes it would be “dev-
When the Social Democrats were question of our entry into NATO; I astating” for Macedonia, as “a lot of
in opposition in 1999, they, in turn, think this kind of debate will create Their share of the total vote was money would be spent at a time of
accused the VMRO-DPMNE of the necessary momentum to drive significant – and what their supporters deep economic crisis.”
fraud and ballot-stuffing to get Boris people to vote,” Georgiev said. decide now might be crucial for a suc- Daskalovski, however, said that
Trajkovski elected. Ivanov is seen as the candidate cessful turnout in the second round. “if the elections fail because of a low
It was the same story in 2004, when most opposed to Greek demands for Both Selmani and Boskoski have turnout, nothing dramatic will hap-
Branko Crvenkovski became presi- Macedonia to change its name in or- said they will not back either candi- pen, but the country will lose its le-
dent. Critics claimed he was elected der to be allowed into NATO. date in the second round or advise gitimacy until we elect a President.”
against a background of violence and After Ivanov’s victory in the first their supporters whom to vote for. The OSCE ambassador to Mac-
fraud amongst ethnic Albanians. round, one VMRO-DPMNE parlia- If Boskoski remains on this edonia, Jose-Luis Herrero, spoke of
To avoid the worst of the irregu- mentarian, Vlatko Gjorcev, told a course, then Albanian votes will be his concerns about the situation to
larities seen during previous elec- cheering crowd that people had “vot- crucial. Alsat-M TV on Tuesday.
tions, the parliament has since low- ed for a president who won’t change But Tahiri warns that ethnic Albani- “It would open up a new period
ered the threshold for voter turnout our name and won’t give up on Mac- ans may feel they have no incentive to of political manoeuvring, uncertainty
from 50 to 40 per cent. But many feel edonia’s identity!” vote in the second round. Both Ivanov and complexity,” he said.
it should be lower still. On the other side, Frckoski prom- and Frckoski have a poor image in the “Taking into account that this
“I would be very cautious about ised to reach a compromise with Albanian community, he argues. country is still politically in transition
whether the 40 per cent threshold Greece over the name issue within his Political analyst Jeton Shasivari and needs stability and predictability,
can be reached in the second round,” first three months as president, styling says the motives for Albanians to it would be more convenient… if there
former Social Democrat prime min- the parties supporting him as a “pro- vote in the second round will de- were not another period of vacuum
ister, Vlado Buckovski, said in a TV NATO and pro-EU coalition”. pend on arrangements that Albanian and a repetition of the elections.”
debate with the deputy prime minis- Sefer Tahiri, from the Southeast leaders make with their Macedonian
ter, Ivica Bocevski. European University in Tetovo, said counterparts. Source: www.BalkanInsight.com
 Friday, Apr. 03 - Thursday, Apr. 09, 2009
Romanians
Row Over
Plan to
Decriminalise
Incest
The Orthodox Church is leading vociferous
public opposition to proposals to exempt
consenting adults from prosecution for in-
cest.
By Marian Chiriac
in Bucharest
A
15-year-old girl is admit-
ted to a hospital in eastern
Romania – not stricken by
a common childhood disease – but
to have a baby.
The news, reported in a daily
newspaper in Botosani, alerted the
local authorities, because the child
she was about to deliver was her
own father’s.
“This is the fourth case of in-
cest officially recorded since the
beginning of this year alone,”
says Cecilia Spataru, deputy di-
rector for children’s protection in
Botosani, one of Romania’s poor-
est regions.
“A child having a child is pa-
thetic enough, but such cases are
made doubly worse when the girl
has been sexually abused by a
‘trusted’ adult male,” she added.
With many women toiling in
Western Europe as domestic work-
ers, the spectre of incest has reared
its ugly head in poorer households
in Botosani, where young children
are often left in the care of a father,
stepfather or uncle.
“A child having
a child is pathetic
enough, but such
cases are made
doubly worse
when the girl has
been sexually
abused by a ‘trust-
ed’ adult”
Between 65 and 70 cases of
incest are recorded in the country
every year, according to children’s
organisations. The real number
of cases is believed to be much
higher.
Currently, all forms of incest in
Romania are punishable by up to
seven years in prison.
Sexual abuse is an underre-
ported issue in Romania, but the
phenomenon of incest has begun
to be debated far more intensively
following a controversial govern-
ment proposal to decriminalise in-
cest among consenting adults.
The proposal forms part of a
range of planned reforms to the
criminal code. There is also a pro-
posal to legalise prostitution.
At present, the planned changes
to the criminal code are still being
debated by a parliamentary law
commission. No date has been set
for parliament to vote on the bill.
“We are proposing a change in
the criminal code so that Roma-
nia’s legislation can come closer
into line with that of some other
European Union members,” Ca-
talin Predoiu, Romania’s Justice
Minister, said recently.
“Incest cannot be stopped with
criminal sanctions,” he added, “but
with medical and social measures,
because incest is based on patho-
logical factors.”
“Incest cannot be
stopped with crim-
inal sanctions”
Three other EU countries,
France, Portugal and Spain, do not
prosecute consenting adults for
incest.
In defence of the proposed
changes, Professor Valerian Cio-
clei, one of the specialists work-
ing on the new criminal code,
says that while incest between
consenting adults would no long-
er be a crime, penalties for the in-
cestuous abuse of minors would
be harsher.
But not all Romanians accept
the arguments of the Justice Min-
istry or experts.
The Romanian Orthodox
Church, to which some 85 per cent
of the population belongs, is lead-
ing public opposition to the move.
“Incest should not be legalised;
it’s an abominable, sinful act by
any moral standard,” said George
Istodor, a church spokesperson.
“Such people need medical help
but should also know they should
face imprisonment for their acts.”
Many people are also sceptical
of the planned reforms, convinced
that incest can never be consensual.
“Incest should not
be legalised; it’s an
abominable, sinful
act by any moral
standard”
“Just read the newspapers. Eve-
ry time, they report that a drunken
man has violently attacked his
daughter, sister or mother,” Alice
Dumitrache, 55, says. “Why then
legalise incest?”
Romania’s Justice Minister, Catalin Predoiu, has provoked a storm of protest.
For their part, experts say a lot
of incest cases go unreported and
they want efforts made to address
the problems peculiar to rural fa-
milial structures.
“The psychological
and physical im-
pact it would have
on a child is rarely
taken into consid-
eration”
“Tight-knit family structures,
the dominant role of fathers, the
submissiveness of women who
are mute witnesses to gross injus-
tice and the tendency not to allow
‘family shame’ to be exposed,
whatever the cost, are all fac-
tors helping the abusers,” Raluca
Popescu, a sociologist, says.
“That is why most of such
crimes go unnoticed. People are
anxious to protect the child’s fu-
ture and safeguard the reputation
of the family. The psychological
and physical impact it would have
on a child is rarely taken into con-
sideration.”
Source: http://storage0.dms.mpinteractiv.ro
Popescu maintains that Roma-
nia’s medical and social services
are rarely able to meet the needs
of traumatised victims.
“It’s useless having laws that
criminalise incest when the en-
forcement of the laws is poor and,
in some cases, hampered by cor-
ruption and the complicity of local
authorities,” Popescu adds.
Source: www.BalkanInsight.com
regional
business 7
Albania and Croatia
Join NATO
Tirana_NATO Secretary General
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer invited Alba-
nia and Croatia to join the Alliance in
an official letter on Tuesday March
31st. Albania’s ambassador, Ale-
ksander Sallabanda , and his Croatian
counterpart, Kolinda Grabar-Kitar-
ovic, represented their countries at a
ceremony in Washington hosted by
US Deputy Secretary of State James
Steinberg. “Albania is ready to take
up all the challenges and responsi-
bilities that participation in the alli-
ance entails,” said Sallabanda. “We
are determined to take our share of
responsibility for global peace and
stability” said Grabar-Kitarovic.
The countries’ accession was ratified
by NATO at the Bucharest Summit
a year ago. Both countries already
have troops deployed in Afghanistan.
In Zagreb, President Stipe Mesic
welcomed the event. “Croatia has
fulfilled one of its two foreign policy
targets: to join the European Union
and NATO,” he said.
Sarajevo Shaken by Two
Earthquakes
Sarajevo_Two moderately-strong
earthquakes, just over 12 hours apart
shook Sarajevo this week. The trem-
ors caused widespread alarm but did
little damage. The first tremor, at
3:27p.m. on Monday registered 3.3
on the Richter scale. The epicentre
was some 8km east of Sarajevo. The
second, stronger, quake, at 3.46a.m.
on Tuesday, was centred 16 kilom-
eters north of Sarajevo, Bosnia’s
Seismological Institute reported. At
its epicentre, the second earthquake
registered 3.8 on the Richter scale,
causing minor damage to several
buildings and major disruption to
the power grid across the city. No
injuries were reported.
Kosovo Begins Stray
Dog Cull
Pristina_After the death of eight-
year-old Erion Funiqi, killed on
March 20th by a pack of dogs,
Kosovo municipalities launched
a campaign over the weekend to
eliminate strays. The young vic-
tim’s village and surrounding area
was finally cleared of stray dogs on
Saturday and Sunday, although the
villagers had originally requested
this in January. The Hunters’ Asso-
ciation, Thelleza, have been asked
by the Municipality to assist in the
destruction of stray dogs. Similar
campaigns will be initiated in the
municipality of Prizren, as statis-
tics show that more that 200 people
have sought medical attention for
dog bites in recent months.
8 business
Serbia to Increase
National Debt to Cover
Costs
Serbia will increase its debts by
€1.5 billion through borrowing
from banks and international
institutions, Deputy Prime
Minister Mladjan Dinkic an-
nounced on Tuesday. The plans
are in addition to the €350 mil-
lion already specified in the
budget for financing the deficit.
“The state intends to take on
an extra €500 million in com-
mercial debt,” Dinkic told Em-
portal. The rest of the money
needed for covering the budget
deficit and paying down this
year’s instalments on existing
foreign currency loans, due on
May 31st, should be provided
by loans from international fi-
nancial institutions, including
the European Union. Finance
minister Diana Dragutinovic
announced that the budget re-
balancing would be finalised
over the next three weeks. The
plans will increase the previ-
ously projected deficit by be-
tween 50 billion dinars (€525
million) and 90 billion dinars
(€950 million), about 3 per cent
of GDP. The deficit increase has
been agreed with the IMF, with
whom negotiations over a new
two-year stand-by arrangement
worth €3 billion were complet-
ed this week.
Communications Firm
Invests in Serbia
France’s Sagem Communi-
cations, and representatives
from the Serbian government
and the city of Nis, signed an
agreement enabling the open-
ing of a plant for manufactur-
ing Sagem’s electronic compo-
nents. Construction is due to
begin in the next few months.
After the signing of the agree-
ment, Deputy Prime Minister
Bozidar Djelic said that in the
first year Sagem would invest a
million euros in the factory and
that, within five years, at least
€6 million would be invested
and 250 workers employed in
Nis, a city with over 40,000 un-
employed out of a population
of 250,000. Nis was the centre
of the former Yugoslavia’s elec-
tronic industry. Partrick Sevjan,
the president of Sagem, said
that the company’s long-term
goal is to focus on the Internet
and set top box markets.
Uzice Industries Seek New
Markets to Counter Crisis
Serbia’s leading metal firms are fighting back against the global downturn and
aggressively seeking new export markets
By Biljana Pavlovic
from Uzice
W
ith production cut by as
much as half, exports deci-
mated and workers losing
their jobs, the world economic crisis
has hit Uzice, forcing its industrial
giants to seek new markets or make
painful cuts to survive.
Industrial production in the Uzice
region in the west of Serbia in January
this year was 42.4 per cent down on
last January’s figures, according to the
Regional Chamber of Commerce.
In the metals industry, the decline
in production was around 40 per cent
and exports, at US $34.5 million, were
half the figure from the same month
last year.
In the region’s six municipalities,
900 workers lost their jobs between
January and March, up 100 per cent
from the same period last year.
Although the majority of laid off
workers were full time, part-time work-
ers have not been spared either.
Businesses in the Uzice region,
which comprises ten municipalities and
has a population of around 335,000,
have long been successful.
Leading firms, such as Prvi Parti-
zan, a copper and aluminium mill; Au-
toventil; Sinter, Fasau and the Pozega
Foundry, all survived the country’s
disintegration and, until the beginning
of the recent crisis, enjoyed success,
largely through exports.
Exports from the region include
food and drinks, machines, appliances,
weapons, industrial tools, textiles and
textile products, but aluminium and
copper together make up 57.5 per cent
of the exports in terms of value.
Major export markets have tra-
ditionally included Germany, Italy,
Montenegro, Slovenia and Bosnia-
Herzegovina, and last year’s surplus in
foreign trade with these countries was
US $290.5 million (€219 million).
But in the last few months, the
number of orders from European buy-
ers drastically dropped, forcing pro-
duction decreases and obliging pro-
ducers to find new markets, use new
technologies, or reduce the number of
employees.
The Sevojno copper mill, which ex-
ports 90 per cent of its total production,
produced 10 per cent less than forecast
in January and February.
However, the firm has found new
export markets, primarily in Russia and
Bosnia-Herzegovina, enabling them to
cover production in March, helping
them to continue normal operations in
the coming months.
East Point, a intermediary company
with a branch office in Moscow, and
through which Sevojno sells its prod-
ucts, has closed a three-month contract
on exports to Russia worth US $4.5
million (€3.4 million).
General director Dragan Subotic
is reluctant to speak about the precise
agreements.
But one source close to the manage-
ment said one factor behind the mill’s
new presence on the Russian market
was that production by rival firms in
Poland and the Czech Republic had
collapsed.
A redundancy plan agreed earlier
this year saw 100 workers leave the
company by March 1st, and, by the end
of the month, the board is expected to
adopt a plan for further business sav-
ings measures in 2009.
Subotic says the remaining 918 em-
ployees have no reason to fear being
laid off. Indeed, under the plan, staff
salaries will rise by 10 per cent this
year.
The Pozega Foundry, owned by
Farmakom of Sabac and Serbian Rail-
ways since 2006, is also seeking salva-
tion from the crisis in the development
of new markets in Germany, Slovakia
and the Czech Republic.
The company exported goods worth
almost €1 million last year to markets
in the former Yugoslav republics and
Greece, and now expects to close a val-
uable contract with Germany’s national
rail company, Deutsche Bahn, in April
and is also in negotiations with Czech
railways. It has never exported to either
country before.
Foundry director Nikola Sojic says
the company has international quality
certification and that this is vital for ex-
port markets.
The factory will soon start manu-
facturing specialist equipment for
high-speed rail tracks, after making an
investment of €2 million that will be
completed by June.
Belex
By Tijana Cvetkovic
B
etween March 30th an-
dApril 2nd the Belgrade
Stock Exchange resumed
a gentle downward trend. The
Belex15, index of the most liquid
Friday, Apr. 03 - Thursday, Apr. 09, 2009
Uzice’s export markets are seen as crucial to long-term survival.
The Pozega Foundry will be the first
company in the Balkans to make such
specialist products, which are now in
high demand.
The only Uzice manufacturer of
solid fuel boilers, ABC Proizvod, is
also seeking new export markets.
The company plans to increase
their exports, which were worth around
€600,000 last year, to up to €1 million.
Their main international markets
are Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montene-
gro, and they are now in negotiations
with Slovenian DIY giant Merkur and
Austrian businesses.
The company’s director, Zoran Zu-
nic, is seeking a way out of the export
crisis by introducing new technologies.
In 2009, the firm plans to acquire
state-of-the-art presses, which along
with a laser cutting machine and weld-
ing robot, will make the company one
of the best technically equipped in its
field, improving their competitiveness
on European markets.
Serbia’s fifth largest exporter, Sevo-
jno’s Impol Seval, which produces hot
rolled and cold rolled plates and coils,
has also been affected by the crisis. As
the number of orders from European
buyers has declined, they have sought
savings.
This company now exports 95 per
cent of its production and employs 670
Declines as Foreign Investors Exit
shares dropped 0.24 points, or
0.1 per cent, while the compos-
ite index, Belexline, dipped 0.99
points.
volumes remained modest.
Over the reviewed period, total
turnover was just 124.2 million
dinars. ShEquities made up the
bulk of the turnover, with 89 per
cent. Total FX bond turnover was
€292,000 and series A2016 was
the most traded.
The most actively traded share
was AIK Bank with a turnover of
12.5 million dinars and 9,699 trad-
ed shares. Energoprojekt holding
and Becej based Sojaprotein also
saw a heavy trading with turnover
of 9.4 million dinars and 6.8 mil-
lion dinars respectively.
staff. Last year, production declined by
around 2 per cent on the previous year,
though 2007 was a record year. The
value of last year’s exports was esti-
mated at €70 million and went across
the EU, particularly Italy, Germany
and Slovenia.
However, in the second half of
last year, demand for their products
dropped and company director, Ninko
Tesic, says he had been thinking about
reducing the working week even be-
fore the government launched its own
initiative.Tesic claims they can avoid
layoffs.
However, Uzice workers are still
worried. One copper millworker said
his monthly salary of around 22,000 di-
nars (€230) did not offer much security
in the first place, but at a time when it
is difficult to find new jobs, he and his
colleagues are afraid of redundancy.
“I go to work even when I’m sick,
just in case,” he said. “I’m afraid that
if I go on sick leave, they will fire me.
They say there would be no layoffs –
but you never know!”
This worker said the crisis had exert-
ed a negative influence not only on the
business but on community relations:
“It’s every man for himself now; there’s
none of the comradeship we older work-
ers are used to. Now you have to fear
both your boss and your colleagues.”
The week’s biggest gainer
was Velefarm rising 19.4 per
cent. Among other gainers were
Banini and Telefonija, with price
increase of 16.3 per cent and 5.0
per cent. Politika was the biggest
loser dropping a massive 47.3 per
cent. Also on the downside were
Progres which declined 20.7 per
cent and Fidelinka which lost
14.0 per cent.
Foreign investors accounted
for 42 per cent of the week’s
overal trading on average with
a higher participation on the sell
side.
Tijana Cvetkovic is an analyst with
FIMA INTERNATIONAL A.D.
 Friday, Apr. 03 - Thursday, Apr. 09, 2009 out & about 9

Stara Planina National Park

Babin Zub, the distinc-
tive peak of the Stara
Planina chain, was
veiled in thick fog and
snow, but the scenery
around us was fairytale
white. We felt far from
the crowded city, even
though Belgrade was
just a few hours’ drive
away

By Duska Stefanovic

S
tara Planina lines the Serbian bor-
der with Bulgaria, in the district
of Knjazevac. We had come for
skiing, but we also wanted to explore
the region’s other outdoor pleasures.
The ski resort of Babin Zub,
which means ‘Old Lady’s Tooth’, is
in the midst of the Stara Planina Na-
tional Park and teems with animals
and birds. Clear, cold streams flow
through the forest, and meadows
drape the mountain.
The beautiful, challenging terrain
and quaint villages attract mountain-
eers, hunters, fishermen, cyclists and
hikers.
Babin Zub is an easy trip for a
weekend’s skiing on its two kilome-
tres of slopes. The resort has perhaps Stara Planina has one of the longest winter seasons of any of Serbia’s ski resorts and although the facilities are limited, more are planned for the coming season.
the longest season of any of Serbia’s
resorts, stretching from November
through to late April or even May.
I confess that this was a ‘jolly’ - a
jaunt especially for the press - and
we were met by ‘Ski Resorts of Ser-
bia’, who whisked us to the top of the
mountain by snowmobile, where we
joined a group clustered around the
hot drinks stand. The resort is best for
experienced skiers as the slopes are
steep, but the pistes were well pre-
pared. There are plans to expand the
ski area, but for now the centre has
one chair lift, one T-bar and a smaller
nursery lift, but all are modern and
in good condition. From now until
the end of the season, a daily ski pass
costs just 700 dinars (€7) and a ten
day pass (by which time you’ll defi- The region has numerous festivals and events throughout the year.
nitely be feeling that the slopes are a
little limited!) just 4,400 (€45). Chil- ta Berilovac. Bed and breakfast pric- - Pandzur Fair, in the village of
dren between five and twelve years es range from 1,500 to 2,500 dinars Jalovik, celebrates friendship on
old pay just over half price. (€15-25) per person, less for children. saint days’ feasts.
Don’t expect a wild nightlife, but this - The festival of Serbian youth
Accommodation is a great place to rest, kick back and culture, held annually since 1962,
and Food soak up the wonderful scenery. features the work of young artists.
- Kadibogaz Fair takes place in
The mountain centre, hotel Babin Events Novo Korito and Salash, villages on
Zub and the restaurants are located at either side of the Serbian-Bulgarian
the base of the jutting, toothlike peak of In spring and summer, when the border in mid–June.
Babin Zub. When we arrived at the res- snow melts, the region attracts visi-
taurant, the staff were preparing a tra- tors with a series of festivals: Getting there
ditional dinner. At the table there were - The ‘Prayer under Midzor’ is a
seasonal salads, cold meats and cheese gathering on St. George’s Day, May You can reach Stara Planina by
in clay dishes and Belmuz - a local spe- 6th, in the villages of Vrtovac and car or bus (1,200 dinars) to Knjaze-
ciality of warm cheese and cornflour. Balta Berilovac. The event starts in vac, 254 km from Belgrade, where
The resort’s restaurants offer Vrtovac, with a procession in honour you can get a cab (2,500 dinars) or
home-grown fruit and vegetables, of St. George, the patron saint of cat- a local bus (240 dinars one-way;
great soups and a range of other Ser- tle breeders. The procession ends in 330 dinars return) for the remaining
bian traditional dishes such as stuffed front of a cross with the face of St. 60 km to Babin Zub. The local bus
vine leaves with sour milk, corn George carved in it, where a lamb only operates on weekends, leaving
bread, braised beans, pies and wild garlanded with a floral wreath is Knjazevac at 8a.m. and returning
fruit desserts. You can stay in the slaughtered. The village of Balta Ber- from Babin Zub at 5p.m.
hotel’s restored wing, which offers ilovac then hosts traditional games
reasonable accommodation, or the and a cook-off. A wine fair promotes
unrestored wing, which offers more locally made vintages. www.traveleastserbia.org
basic accommodation. There are also - ‘Shipurijada’, in the village Tourist Organisation of Knjazevac:
a number of homes offering bed and Novo Korito, is a contest of crafts +381 19735230; Don’t forget to try the belmuz, a local speciality made from cheese and cornflour.
breakfast in nearby Crni vrh and Bal- made of dog-rose. e-mail: toknjazevac@ptt.rs
10 the belgrader
Dining Out
Makao II
By Trencherman
W
hen is national cuisine not na-
tional cuisine? This issue has
been bothering me of late,
since a recent restaurant visit. Is it only
‘fish & chips’ if it’s cooked by a Brit-
ish chef? Do you have to have spent
your life in the deep south to be able to
recognise southern-style ribs? Is perfect
al dente pasta only served in Italy? On
balance, I think, probably not.
So, when my meal at Makao
bore no resemblance to anything I
have ever understood as ‘Chinese’,
it wasn’t the fact that there was an
obviously Serbian lady in the kitchen
that I blamed, nor the fact that the
restaurant is not in China.
Let me explain.
We’d reserved, and this was the
right thing to do. The restaurant was
busy. We were met by a waiter who
pointed to the stairs in a perfunctory
manner to indicate where we should
go. A scrap of paper on one of the
upstairs tables displayed my name,
so we took our seats. Like many
Chinese restaurants, the decor was
shockingly bad. A huge photo of the
Great Wall runs along one side of the
room and 50¢ art adorns the others.
We Recommend
Every week we feature a selection of restaurants picked by our team. They give a flavour of what’s out there on the Belgrade restaurant
scene and should provide you with a few alternatives to get you out of your dining rut. Our choices may not always have had the full
Trencherman treatment, but you can be sure that one of us has eaten there and enjoyed it.
Bella Casa
The smart, sunny terrace with
decent views of the Danube pro-
vides a great backdrop to enjoy
the accomplished pasta dishes.
With its polished service, this
Mediterranean eatery in Zemun is
well worth a visit.
Kej oslobodjenja 37, Zemun
Tel: 011 3730925
Overly ornate light-fittings complet-
ed the look.
We ordered a Gudurica wine at
1,300 dinars, which arrived fairly
quickly but was really not good.
Very cold, but very acidic, my mouth
puckered with each sip.
To start, we ordered a hot and sour
soup and a won ton soup, and then
pork with Chinese vegetables, siz-
zling veal with vegetables and sesa-
me chicken. On the side, we ordered
a portion of boiled rice and some
noodles with vegetables.
The hot and sour soup came,
shortly followed by an empty bowl
and some chopsticks, which I pre-
sumed was for the won ton soup.
However, no soup arrived.
What did come next was a bowl of
rice, followed in fairly leisurely suc-
cession by the other dishes – but not
the soup. Each time the waiter came
I looked expectantly at the bowl, but
nothing came.
I tried to identify anything in the
pork that had more than a nod to Chi-
nese cuisine but failed. What we got
was thinly sliced pork, onions, carrot
and what I suspect was canned bam-
boo, in a meaty gravy.
The sizzling veal sizzled, but it
sizzled along with some more onions
and some more meaty gravy.
The sesame chicken could accu-
rately have been described as ‘sesame
chickens’, as there must have been at
least four chicken breasts in the huge
portion we received. These were
cut into large pieces, battered, deep-
fried and lightly coated with sesame
seeds. This was perhaps a dish that is
Stara
Hercegovina
If you ever have a hanker-
ing for the good old days of
plates pilled high with meat
fresh from the farm and ale
right out of the barrel, head
on over. You certainly won’t
leave hungry and you will
definitely get a feel for real
Serbian food.
Carigradska 36
Tel. 011 3245856
There are three Makao restaurants in town and this fact attests to their popularity. Trencherman, however, was not impressed.
about as oriental as Colonel Sanders
might ever serve, but was certainly
not what we were expecting. The
noodles, to be fair, were thin wheat
noodles, well-cooked, still firm, with
some finely sliced red peppers and
other vegetables.
The soup never came. And by the
end of the dishes above, we had no
inclination to ask for it.
So, as the tabloid newspapers say,
we paid our bill, made our excuses
and left.
This all led me to do a little re-
search. I didn’t venture to Blok 70
- I didn’t need to. My local super-
market sells, it turns out, ‘five spice’
powder, fresh ginger, pak choy,
Rubin
The obliging staff, decent Serbian cui-
sine and the interesting mix of people
here pale into insignificance in the face
of the incredible view of Belgrade on
offer. Whilst some of the meat dishes
are fairly uninspiring, the menu has
some delightful vegetable dishes,
although you’ll only register them if
you can tear your eyes away from the
windows.
Kneza Viseslava 29
Tel: 011 3510987
Friday, Apr. 03 - Thursday, Apr. 09, 2009
spring onions, baby corn and sesame
oil. Other places around town have
a raft of other ‘Chinese’ ingredients.
For those unprepared to cook things
from scratch, even Uncle Ben and
the Blue Dragon have a presence on
the shelves. Any one of these would
have added a more ‘authentic’ fla-
vour, but I’m afraid I detected none
of them in my dinner.
You see, I’m certain that good fish
and chips is about good fish, well-
prepared batter, good potatoes, and a
little skill in the kitchen. Good ribs
come from good pork, a lot of time,
and exact spicing. Good pasta is
about high-quality durum wheat, lov-
ing preparation, a big pot of boiling
Source: www.nadlanu.com
water and knowing what ‘al dente’
really means.
Perhaps, I’m being a little harsh.
The restaurant was full, and our
fellow diners certainly seemed to
be enjoying themselves. But how
could these diners, from a nation
which itself has such a varied and
interesting cuisine, be won over
by ‘meat in gravy’? Don’t get me
wrong, it wasn’t bad meat in gravy,
but it wasn’t my idea of Chinese
meat in gravy either.
Makao II, Neznanog junaka 4
Tel: 011 2664483
Price guide: 1,750-2,250 per head for
three courses with a modest wine
Baobab
A friendly, family-owned affair
located in New Belgrade, this
international restaurant is a nice
spot to enjoy the river. Baobab has
good service and middle of the
road prices, and comes highly rec-
ommended by our sales team. The
terrace is great in sunny weather,
but stay away if clouds come out.
Savski kej bb, block 44
Tel: 011 2167932
 Friday, Apr. 03 - Thursday, Apr. 09, 2009
Young Artists
Stifled by
Bureaucracy
By David Galic
O
utraged by restrictions ofn-
where they can and cannot
play, young alternative bands
in Serbia have joined forces to take
a stand for their rights, and to keep
alive the scene they believe is trying
to be squelched by the higher-ups.
Though the issue had been on
the minds of many, the problem was
sparked into prominence last week
when the Belgrade post-rock group
Consecration was denied entrance
into Croatia.
As the group’s guitarist Nikola
Milojevic explains, the band was
invited to play in Rijeka by a local
band there, which Consecration had
hosted in Belgrade last year.
“We took out everything that was
necessary, prepared our passports,
paid for the so-called merchandise
passport, the Ata Carnet, which lists
all of the equipment we are carrying
and its worth, a letter of invitation
from the Croatian band and club was
obtained, and we headed to the bor-
der,” Milojevic said.
There were no problems at the
Serbian border, but on the Croatian
side, the band was told that they had
to be members of, what can roughly
be translated to the Association of Ce-
lebrity Artists, though the connotation
of the Serbian word “estrada” and the
people it represents is hard to put into
English. What I can say is that the
feeling of these alternative musicians
towards people of the so-called “es-
trada” of mainly pop-folk performers
is not, shall we say, glowing.
“The officer said that we needed
a licence from that organisation, and
even if the promoters came to the
border personally to vouch for us,
we would not be allowed to enter the
country,” Milojevic said.
“After waiting for another two
hours at the border, we were asked to
sign papers confirming that we failed
to meet the standards needed in order
The band were issued with refusal notices by the Croatian immigration authorities.
the belgrader 11
to cross, and a stamp was put in our
passports showing a 24-hour ban on
entering Croatia, so we would not be
tempted to try getting through anoth-
er border crossing,” he added.
When the Croatian officer was
asked whether Croatian bands need
to be members of an Association to
get into Serbia, he said that they did
not.
“It seems as if the system was
made purely with the purpose of
squashing young alternative bands
in Serbia, bands that do not make
money from playing, but are only
doing it out of love for the music
they play. None of the band mem-
bers make money from this, but have
regular jobs and work painstakingly
for every dinar in order to invest it in
their band in order for people to hear
their music,” Milojevic said.
Since Consecration made their
experience public, the band has been
approached by various papers and
television stations to tell their story,
and bands with similar experiences,
such as Novi Sad hardcore group
Reflections of Internal Rain who had
an almost identical experience, have
been coming out of the woodwork to
tell their tales.
In addition to his open letter to the
media, Milojevic also contacted the
Culture Ministry, and received a per-
sonal reply from Minister Nebojsa
Bradic, who later released an official
statement on the issue.
Minister Bradic said that an asso-
ciation for jazz, pop and rock musi-
cians exists as well, but that the sta-
tus of such musicians will have to be
regulated by law soon.
He added that the culture laws
must be changed for these people
to be able to be legally considered
independent artists, and perform as
such. Of course, as with many things
in Serbia, timeframes for something Source: www.myspace.com
like this are, at best, woolly. Consecration were denied entry into Croatia because they are not members of the Association of Celebrity Artists.
The whole problem with having
to be members of such associations The Association of Celebrity Art- these issues are being discussed, Mi- expect from us,” Milojevic said.
is that it is too expensive for the aver- ists asks for a membership fee of lojevic also stressed that it is not a “We have to be controlled and pro-
age young band in Serbia, Milojevic €200 annually per band member, and “Serbs vs. Croats” issue, and that the fessional, and get our message sent to
explains. it is not viable to pay € 1,000 to play issue should not be looked at in this everyone who needs to hear it. The
Croatia once or twice a year. Most way. media is behind us and we are ready
young bands are lucky if ticket and “If we want to be taken seriously, for a long battle,” he concluded.
merchandise sales cover the expens- we have to act accordingly. There is Consecration will be playing host
es of getting to the venue and back. no need to direct insults at anyone. to the Rijeka-based band Hessus At-
Many groups have been created People must calm their passions. tor once again on April 11 in the Bel-
on social networking sites such as Coming over as crude and loud is grade Student Cultural Centre, Kralja
Facebook, with thousands of mem- exactly what many would want and Milana 58.
bers, in support of the bands, and
there is currently talk of protests in
front of the Association of Celebrity
Artists headquarters in Belgrade and
the holding of open air protest con-
certs to draw attention to the issue.
The legal regulations are seen by
many younger musicians as a plot by
the folk-pop establishment, to earn
fees, whilst enforcing their cultural
hegemony on independent and crea-
tive forms of musical expression in
Serbia.
Protestors are further offended by
the fact that the Association demands
a demonstration and proof of one’s
“musicality” before being accepted
into the organisation.
After the appearance of offensive
messages directed towards Croats on
some of the forums and groups where
12 the belgrader Friday, Apr. 03 - Thursday, Apr. 09, 2009

Going Out We Recommend

Batler
Friday
Lira Vega
This alternative rock group has changed over the years.
This sister club to Francuska Sobarica has become one of Belgrade’s hottest venues. The current line up is a trio of guitars, drums and female
vocals, who play a sparse and groovy style all of their own.
The band are continuing work on their second studio al-
bum, which was announced to be in the works in 2006,
By David Galic but have remained active on the live scene as well, playing
Reporting from Belgrade
all around the region. Batler, Francuska 12.

S
ince the ringing in of 2009,
Batler (Butler) has undoubt-
Saturday
edly become Belgrade’s new
‘in’ club, where the hippest of the hip Laurent Wolf
spend their weekends and late nights.
The first time people got a taste of This French producer specialises in rumbling tribal house
the club was actually on New Year’s music and is best know for the dance singles ‘No Stress’
Eve, when the Francuska Sobarica and ‘Wash My World’. He will be supported by German
(French Maid) club announced that dance music group Fragma, who had a number one hit in
there would be parties in several new the UK in 2000, with the dance club standard Toca’s Mira-
places sharing their building. cle. Kolos, Savski quay, under the Brankov bridge.
Batler was the only logical name
for the Maid’s brother club, and defi-
nitely has more potential to become an
enduring feature of Belgrade’s club-
Sunday
bing culture than Francuska Sobarica. Fine Arts University
We have already covered the lat- Symphony Orchestra
ter – a fairly small and cramped af- This orchestra, formed from some of the best classical
fair, with several individual sections music students in Serbia, has a 70-year tradition and
that don’t provide much room to hold Source: www.nadlanu.com regularly thrills crowds all across the region with a vast
your drink, let alone boogie down. repertoire of classical pieces. Tickets for the show are free
Because it is just one large club, The DJs in Batler play a cool mix of dance nu rave and trashy retro sounds. and will probably be snapped up quickly by eager friends,
Batler is a lot more spacious, and its relatives and fellow students, so hurry if you’re interested.
high ceilings allow you to breathe a more inviting visually than the dark, drum’n’bass or some other generic Ilija M. Kolarac Endowment, Studentski Trg 5.
little more than in the Maid. Howev- small Francuska Sobarica. dance playing most times I’ve vis-
er, these conditions still do not guar- Both clubs are found in Fran- ited, Batler has both live rock shows
antee a relaxed and casual clubbing cuska, a five minute walk from Trg and electronic music. Indeed, most
experience. Republike, in a passageway through nights it combines the two, with a Monday
Basically, I like having a choice an old building. In between the two band playing earlier in the evening
about whether or not I have someone clubs there is a small courtyard, and a DJ following.
Exhibition Ljubomir Ivanovic
rubbing themselves against me. which I predict will be more and The music, matching the patrons, Ivanovic is a very influential Serbian who was at the forefront
If I feel like going into a club to more popular to hang about in as the is generally hip and cutting edge, or at of the popularisation of sketches and graphics. His style
dance in a crammed, tight spot with weather gets warmer. least successfully riding out trends in was very influential in the Serbian art world and beyond in
others interested in close encounters, Batler’s staying power will be put popular music and culture. The rock the first half of the 20th century, and his work helped to win
then that’s my prerogative. However, to the test this summer, as it will need bands are always some kind of indie the genre the recognition it deserved in the world of fine
it’s good to have the option of just post- to remain enticing and interesting or alternative group, and the dance arts, as well as pushing forward the techniques of graphic
ing up next to the bar to observe some enough to dissuade Belgrade’s youth music tends to focus a lot on nu-rave art. Chaos Gallery, Dositejeva 3.
of the physical and figurative friction from enjoying the balmy nights out- and similar trashy, retro sounds.
on the dance floor. side. Also, it can be easy for clubs in As far as the guests are concerned,
Maybe in a couple months, when the residential areas to outstay their wel- expect Belgrade’s urban, alternative
novelty factor wears out, Butler might come by disturbing their neighbours. elite to be standing around the bar; Tuesday
be the kind of place to allow such choice So far so good for the Maid and hardcore ‘bros’ to be perusing the
but, for now, especially at the weekends, the Butler, with even the older sister ladies in the hallway, and girls with
expect it to be fairly cramped. still full most nights, despite increas- knock-off ‘Members Only’ jackets, Radio Moscow
The decor is unspectacular to say ingly becoming more of a place to digital watches and plastic sunglasses
the least, a large, old-style Belgrade go when it’s too jammed in Batler. I to be flailing around to some remixed This American psychedelic rock band had a very well-
apartment with high ceilings but few would also say that Batler has more 80s hit on the dance floor. received debut several years ago and are back on tour
trimmings other than a couple of un- to offer, both in terms of space and its A mixed bag of people for sure, promoting their new album, scheduled for a mid-April
inspiring graffiti pieces on the walls, musical repertoire. but they’re all just in search of the release. They are highly recommended for fans of bluesy
but the fact that the walls are in very While Francuscka Sobarica coolest, hippest new place to rave garage rock a la rock critic favourites, ‘The Black Keys’.
light colours makes the club a lot had some non-descript, mid-90s and rock out. Batler is it right now. Living Room, Kralja Milana 48.

My Picks Wednesday

Elisabeth Werthmiller and

Dragn Mladenovic Ironworks
Every week, Rian Harris tells us one of her
favourite places to shop. are patio tables with a tile and/or
By Rian Harris
Christophe Leu
This flute and guitar duo will be taking music fans on what
they call ‘a journey in the Orient Express train’, performing
stone top and chairs to match. They music from Switzerland, Italy and the Balkans, musically de-
produce quality wine racks, curtain picting the route of the legendary train. Guarnerius Center for
rods, plant stands, coat racks, win- Arts, Dzorda Vasingtona 12.
dow boxes, book shelves and racks
for firewood. Earlier this year, they
even had old-fashioned snow sleds. Thursday
You can custom order just about any-
thing you could ever want made out Trashcoteque
of iron, even tasteful security bars for
the windows of your house or apart- Constantly a very popular club night in Belgrade, Trash-
ment. Small tables start at 2,500 di-

O
n the corner of Njegoseva
and Kursulina Street, near the
Kalenic Market, sits a mod-
est metal-working shop that turns
out some pretty good wrought iron
pieces. Some of their nicer products
coteque has been going strong for a while, despite not
nars (€25). A six-hook wall-mounted falling on a weekend. All of the currently popular Bel-
coat rack is 2,000 (€20). There are no grade DJ teams, including Banana Rave, Felony Flatz, DJ
posted hours, but from what I’ve no- Brka spin mostly Nu Rave on Thursdays, and almost al-
ticed, Dragn Mladenovic is open from ways guarantee a packed house. Energija, Nusiceva 8.
about 9a.m. until the early evening
during the week and Saturdays.
 Friday, Apr. 03 - Thursday, Apr. 09, 2009
What’s On
CINEMAS
Roda Cineplex
Pozeska 83A, tel: 011 2545260
Bolt: 16:00
Monsters vs. Aliens: 16:30, 18:15
The Reader: 20:05, 22:35
Dom sindikata
Trg Nikole Pasica 5, tel: 011 3234849
Marley and Me: 16:15
Monsters vs. Aliens:16:30, 18:15, 20:15,
22:00
Transporter 3: 18:20, 22:00
Gran Torino: 18:15, 20:15, 22:30
Ster City Cinema
Delta City, Jurija Gagarina 16
(Blok 67), tel: 011 2203400
Monsters vs. Aliens: 12:20, 14:40, 16:40,
18:50
Gran Torino: 12:40, 15:00, 17:40, 20:10,
22:30
Marley and Me: 20:50
Maradona: 21:50
7 Lives: 23:00
Changeling: 23:10
The Wrestler: 22:50
Transporter 3: 11:50, 13:50, 15:50,
17:50, 19:50
The Reader: 12:00, 14:30, 17:00, 19:30,
22:00
Tuckwood Cineplex
Kneza Milosa 7, tel: 011 3236517
He’s Just Not That Into You: 22:15
Dusk:15:45
The Pink Panther 2: 15:30
Marley and Me: 20:00
Changeling: 22:30
The Baader Meinhof Complex: 17:15
Maradona: 17:45, 19:30
Gran Torino: 18:00, 20:15, 22:30
Monsters vs. Aliens: 16:00
7 Lives: 21:15
Friday, April 3
Music:
Border line sessions #5, Laurent del
Wilde, Dom Omladine, Makedonska 22,
21:00
Pasion del Buena Vista, Dom Sindikata,
Trg Nikole Pasica 5, 20:00
Tzootzoonga latino jazz, Klub Akadem-
ija 28, Nemanjina 28, 22:00
Belgrade Philharmonic orchestra, Frank
Cramer, conductor, Lisa Smirnova, piano,
Ilija M. Kolarac Endowment, 20:00
Yu Rock Night, Living Room, Kralja Mi-
lana 48, 22:00
Nightlife:
Teskoba Label Party, xLagoom, Sveto-
zara Radica 1, 23:00
All That Bass, Plastic/Mint, Corner of
Takovska and Dalmatinska streets, 23:00
Extra Orchestra, Lava Bar, Kneza Mi-
losa 77, 23:00
DJ Stevie, Underworld, Corner of Ruz-
veltova and 27. Marta, 23:00
Vocal House, Mr. Stefan Braun, Neman-
jina 4/9, 23:00
Yu Rock, White, Pariska 1a, 23:00
Les Gigantes, Blue Moon, Knegilje Lju-
bice 4, 23,00
DJ Super Fly, Francuska Sobarica, Fran-
cuska 12, 23:00
Can’t Stop the Rock, KST, Bulevar
Kralja Aleksandra 76, 23:00
Deep in Disco, Disco Bar Energija, Nu-
siceva 8, 23:00
Other:
Exhibition: Milan Konjovic, Defence of
the Painting Autonomy (painting), Galer-
ija 73, Pozeska 83a 17:00
Rails (play), Jugoslav Drama Theatre,
Kralja Milana50, 20:00
Judge (play), Rasa Plaovic Scene, Na-
tional Theatre, Trg Republike 5, 20:30
Saturday, April 4
Music:
Peasants (musical), Terazije Theatre,
Terazije 29, 19:30
Marchelo and Shock Orchestra, Dom
Omladine, Makedonska 22, 21:00
Jarboli, club Student Cultural Centre,
Kralja Milana 48 , 22:00
Rectors’ Conference and Student Day,
Sava Centar, Milentija Popovica 5, 20:00
Witch 1, Living Room, Kralja Milana 48
Fuzzbox, Fest, Gradski Park 2, 23:00
Nightlife:
Laurent Wolf and Fragma, Kolos Ship,
Sava River, 23:00
Sts Music 8th Birthday Party, xLa-
goom, Svetozara Radica 1, 23:00
Retrogressive #7, Mamolo, Ilije Garas-
anina 26, 23:00
Saturday Night Fever, Baltazar, Karad-
jordjeva 9, 23:00
House Fever, Stefan Braun, Nemanjina
4/9, 23:00
Disco House Night, White, Pariska 1a,
23:00
Other:
Sexual neuroses of our parents (play),
Rasa Plaovic Scene, National Theatre,
Trg Republike 5, 20:30
Rules of behaviour in modern society,
Studio Yugoslav Drama Theatre, Kralja
Milana 50, 20:30
Exhibition: Snjezana Torbica, Ilija M.
Kolarac Endowment Studentski Trg 5,
17:00
Sunday, March 5
Music:
Gypsies Fly to Heaven (musical) , Ter-
azije Theatre, Terazije 29, 19:30
The Best Man and The First Lady, pi-
ano and violin, Club Akademija 28, Ne-
manjina 28, 21:00
Plavi Jahac, Living Room, Kralja Milana
48, 22:00
Who’s that singing over there (musical),
National Theatre, Trg Republike 5, 19:30
Nightlife:
Sportsman Night, White, Pariska 1a,
23:00
Shaker Party, Mr. Stefan Braun’s Gar-
den, Vojislava Ilica 86, 23:00
Karaoke, Miss Moneypenny, Ada Cigan-
lija (Makiska side 4), 21:30
Leftovers, Blue Moon, Kneginje Ljubice
4, 23:00
Lazy Sunday Afternoon, Fest, Gradski
Park 2, 22:00
Hip hop & drum’n’bass, Underworld
Corner of Ruzveltova and 27 Marta,
23:00
Superfly Magic Bus, Francuska Sobari-
ca, Francuska 12, 23:00
Other:
Rebound, Conny Janssen Dance Compa-
ny, (Belgrade Dance Festival), Yugoslav
Drama Theatre, Kralja Milana 50, 20:00
Jakobs Faschion Selection- Monsoon
Lady, Hyatt Regency, Milentija Popovica
5, 20:00
Spice (play), Slavia Theatre, Svetog Save
16, 20:00
Exhibition: Vladimir Komad (drawings
and prints), Belgrade Fortress Gallery,
Kalemegdan, 17:00
Monday, April 6
Music:
How to Understand Serbs (cabaret),
Terazije Theatre, Terazije 29, 20:00
Jovana Stosic - violin, Jelena Matovic -
violin, Ivana Pavlovic - piano, program:
Handel, Bach, Sibelius, Artget Gallery,
Trg Republica 5/1, 21:00
Karaoke Night, Danguba, Cirila I Meto-
dija 2, 23:00
Crumble, Living Room, Kralja Milana
48, 23:00
Nightlife:
Zlo & Naopako, Student Cultural Centre,
Kralja Milana 48, 23:00
Video concerts, Fest, Gradski Park 2,
22:00
Dj Dutya, Francuska Sobarica, Francuska
12, 22:00
House Party (DJ Kobac), Blue Moon,
Kneginje Ljubice 4, 23:00
Bla Bla Band, Vanila, Studentski trg 15,
22:30
Humanitarian Night, Mr. Stefan Braun,
Nemanjina 4/9, 23:00
Other:
Jacobs Fashion Selection: Cotton
(20:00), Sweet Years (21:00), Milena Ra-
dovic (21:30), Hyatt Regency, Milentija
Popovica 5
Exhibition: Digital Graphics, Graphic
Collective Gallery, Obilicev Venac 27,
19:00
Streetcar Named Desire (play), Belgrade
Drama Theatre, Milesevska 24, 20:00
Seducer (play), Slavija Theatre, Svetog
Save 16, 20:00
Interpreting (play), Yugoslav Drama
Theatre, Kralja Milana50, 20:00
Tuesday, March 7
Music:
Cabaret, Terazije Theatre, Terazije 29,
19:30
Al-Jazzira presents Sun Ra, DKSG
Adresa: Bulevar Zorana Djindjica 179,
23:00
Jovan and Nada Kolundzija (violin and
piano), program: Mozart, Saint Saens,
Guarnerius, Dzordza Vasingtona 12,
20:00
Esma Redzepova and Teodosijevski
Orchestra, Sava Centar, Milentija Popo-
vica 9, 20:00
Pascal Gallet, piano, Ilija M. Kolarac En-
dowment, 20:00
Nightlife:
Psychodelic Tuesday, Underworld, Cor-
ner of Ruzveltova and 27 Marta, 23:00
Diesel Party, Mr. Stefan Braun, Neman-
jina 4/9, 23:00
Discount Night, Fest, Majke Jevrosime
20, 22:00
Pertipikulator, Blue Moon, Knegilje
Ljubice 4, 23,00
Riffs, Francuska Sobarica, Francuska 12,
23:00
Zex Kazanova, Bambo Bar, Strahinjica
Bana 71, 22:00
Other:
Jacobs Fashion Selection: Marina
Cvetkovic, Hristina Petrovic, Jelena Vu-
jicic (20:00), Grazia Selection, Ana Bo-
gojevska (21:00), Student Cultural Cen-
tre, Kralja Milana 48
Belgrade Dance Festival, Sociedade
Masculina, Atelje 212, Svetogorska 21,
20:00
Frederik (play), Belgrade Drama Theatre
(BDP), Milesavska 64 20:00
How It Had to Be (play), Yugoslav Dra-
ma Theatre, Srpskih Vlada 50, 20:00
Love Letter (play), Atelje 212, Svetogor-
ska 21, 20:00
Wednesday, April 8
Music:
The Best Man Piano, Club Akademija
28, Nemanjina 28, 21:00
Elisabeth Werthmuller (flute), Christo-
phe Leu (guitar), Guarnerius, Dzordza
Vasingtona 12, 20:00
Five O’Clock, piano duo, Italian Culture
Centre, Kneza Milosa 56, 20:00
Nightlife:
Cocktail Wednesdays, Mamolo, Ilije
Garasanina 26, 21:00
Dark Industry, Underworld, Corner of
Ruzveltova and 27. Marta, 23:00
Salsa Night, Havana, Nikole Spasica 1,
22:00
Samba, Bossa, Jazzy, Salvador Dali, Hi-
landarska 20, 22:00
Diesel Party, Mr. Stefan Braun, Neman-
jina 4/9, 23:00
the belgrader 13
Other:
Jacobs Fashion Selection, Hummel/Lin-
ing (20:00), Ana Grgurovic, Marina Ciko-
jevic, Jelena Ugrcic Gordana Majstorovic
(21:00), Student Cultural Centre, Kralja
Milana 48
Exhibition: Miodrag Dado Djuric
(Dado, Prints and guache), French Cul-
tural Centre, Knjeginje Ljubice 11, 20:00
Winter Gardens (play), Bitef Theatre,
Trg Mire Trailovic 1, 20:00
Thursday, April 9
Music:
Chicago (musical), Terazije Theatre, Ter-
azije 29, 19:30
Gabriele Sarandrea - Shcubert, Schu-
mann, Skryabin, Artget Gallery, Trg Re-
publike 5l, 20:00
Metal Battle, Living Room, Kralja Mi-
lana 48, 22:00
Nightlife:
Utah Saints, Plastic, Corner of Takovska
and Dalmatinska, 23:00
A Little Bit of 90s, Mistique, Aberdareva
1b, 23:00
Ladies’ Night, Mr Stefan Braun’s Gar-
den, Vojislava Ilica 86, 23:00
Playground Radio Show Live, Tapas
Bar, Dositejeva 17, 22:00
Karaoke Night, Gaucosi, Dunavska 17a,
23:00
DJ Krsh i Lom, Underworld, Corner of
Ruzveltova and 27. Marta, 23:00
Other:
Jacobs Fashion Selection, Marija Ivank-
ovic-Jurisic, Marina Milovanovic, Aida
Novosel, Student Cultural Centre, Kralja
Milana 48, 20:00
Belgrade Dance Festival, Sao Paolo Bal-
let, Sava Centar, Milenija Popovica 9,
20:00
Frida Kahlo (play), Madlenianum, Glav-
na 32, Zemun, 20:00
Night of the Assassins (play), Stupica
Theatre, Kralja Milana 50
Exhibition: Metaphysics of Pop Art,
Dragan Zdravkovic, ULUS Gallery, Kn-
eza Mihaila 37, 17:00
14 sport
Three Heavy-
weights and
the Home
Underdog
The Kansas Jayhawks won’t be going to Motor City
to defend their 2008 NCAA national championship
title. Their surprise conquerors, Michigan State, are
out to complete a fairytale on home soil against
three of America’s top college teams.
By Zoran Milosavljevic
Reporting from Belgrade
I
was always an avid Michael Jor-
dan fan and hence I want the North
Carolina Tar Heels to win the up-
coming NCAA Final Four in Detroit,
as Motor City braces itself for the finest
US college basketball has to offer.
Serbian champions Partizan Bel-
grade, enjoying an enthralling run of
success in Europe, would at the very
least face a stiff challenge from any
of the tournament’s contenders, who
displayed one masterful performance
after another to qualify for the April
4th - 6th showdown in the Auburn
Hills Arena.
The hearts of the home fans and,
perhaps, more then just a few neutrals
will go to the season’s surprise pack-
age, Michigan State, who ousted last
Serbia Shine, but Bosnia Steal the Show
By Zoran Milosavljevic
Reporting from Belgrade
T
he Serbian national football
team continued their impressive
run of form with a 3-2 World
Cup qualifying win over neighbours
Romania last Saturday and a 2-0 home
victory over Sweden in a friendly on
Wednesday, but their Balkan rivals
Bosnia-Herzegovina made the head-
lines after completing a remarkable
double over Belgium in just four days.
Following a shock 4-2 win in Genk,
the Bosnians repeated the feat when
they overpowered the Belgians 2-1 in
the cauldron of Zenica’s Bilino Polje
stadium, tightening their grip on the
runners-up slot in Group Five, be-
hind leaders and European champions
Spain.
Their striker Edin Dzeko is a rising
star in European football after scoring
three goals in the two matches, spark-
ing raucous celebrations in Sarajevo
and other Bosnian cities. Bosnia, rav-
aged by a bloody ethnic conflict in the
1990s when it emerged from the rubble
of the former Yugoslavia, are in soccer
dreamland and full of hope that they
can reach their first major tournament
as an independent nation.
Serbia also gave their fans plenty
to cheer about, after an industrious
and hard-working performance in the
Black Sea port of Constanta gave them
a deserved win over the Romanians,
season’s champions, the Kansas Jay-
hawks and odds-on favourites Lou-
isville. This season’s most outstand-
ing regular season player, Oklahoma
State’s forward Blake Griffin, will join
Kansas on the sidelines after his heroic
one-man battle to take the Sooners to
Detroit was thwarted by a superbly
balanced Tar Heels outfit. Griffin, who
averaged 30 points per game up to the
epic clash, got the better of rival centre
Tyler Hansbrough, but the latter’s Tar
Heel team mates did enough to confine
Griffin to 23 points and – more impor-
tantly – his weary crew to a miserable
shooting day.
North Carolina will face Vil-
lanova, equally impressive in their
78-76 Elite Eight victory over Pitts-
burgh, with a buzzer-beating lay-up
from guard Scottie Reynolds. It will
be a match-up of two outstanding of-
fensive teams, whose set-plays were
too much for their more physical
opponents, but Michigan State, who
defied the odds against top-seeded
Louisville with a brilliant defensive
performance, might struggle against a
hugely impressive Connecticut dozen
in every department. Still, the sea of
whose hopes of qualifying vanished
into thin air with a subsequent 2-1 de-
feat in Austria. The depth of Serbia’s
new-look squad was underlined against
a decent Swedish outfit in Belgrade,
where sought-after striker Nikola
Zigic steered in a first-minute header,
while substitutes Marko Pantelic and
Bosko Jankovic teamed up to produce
a delightful second with Jankovic side-
footing the ball home from 12 metres.
Serbia’s coach Radomir Antic, enjoy-
ing a second lease of life in the busi-
ness after a four-year absence from
top-level football, was overjoyed with
the commitment in what was a warm-
up game for the remainder of the quali-
fying campaign.
“The team’s attitude was exem-
plary because at this level, there are
no friendly matches as such,” he told
reporters. “It was a good test for us
and the result will certainly boost
our confidence ahead of the upcom-
ing qualifying games,” he said. Ser-
bia were given a warm reception by
their 25,000 home fans in Partizan’s
stadium, double the crowd that turned
up for most games during their futile
The Michigan State Spartans ousted the top-seeded Louisville Cardinals to reach the Final Four
in Detroit, where they face three powerhouses in North Carolina, Villanova and Connecticut, their
semi-final rivals.
green shirts in Auburn Hills, certain
to get behind the fired-up underdogs,
might just put the extra wind into their
sails needed for a fairytale finish.
Those of you with the SBB cable
operator’s D3 digital box receivers
can watch all the action on ESPN
America, while other subscribers
can catch it on Serbia’s nationwide
Sport Klub channel. The semi-finals
doubleheader starts on Friday at 10
p.m., with the Road to the Final Four
interlude (ESPN only), featuring the
Euro 2008 campaign. With next year’s
finals in South Africa seemingly
within reach, Serbia’s long-suffering
soccer fans have rediscovered their
enthusiasm for a team which right-
fully earned plaudits for the level of
determination they have demonstrat-
ed since Antic took over in January. A
perfect match at last? Maybe so, but
Serbia still have a lot of work to do.
Croatia, unlikely to leapfrog England
into the driving seat in Group Six, look
well-placed for a second-placed finish
that should guarantee a play-off berth,
available to the eight best runners-up
from Europe’s nine qualifying groups.
There will be no such reward for
Montenegro or Macedonia, who were
dealt harsh lessons by the continent’s
heavyweights. The Macedonians suf-
fered a 4-0 drubbing in the Nether-
lands, while Montenegro, playing in
their first competitive event as an in-
dependent nation, were beaten 2-0 by
Italy in Podgorica and, although they
showed glimpses of flair and natural
talent, their lack of international ex-
perience cost them dearly against the
world champions.
Friday, Apr. 03 - Thursday, Apr. 09, 2009
game’s top pundits, offering a taste
of the action starting at midnight.
The final, set to keep basketball
fans around the world glued to their
television sets, tips off at 3.00 a.m.
Serbian time on Tuesday, so brace
yourself for a sleepless night if you
love this game.
Zoran Milosavljevic is Belgrade
Insight’s sports writer and also a
regional sports correspondent for
Reuters.
Live Sports on TV
Friday, April 3: Tennis: Miami Mas-
ters semi-finals (Sport Klub 7.00 p.m.
and 1.00 a.m. Sunday); Football:
Armenia Bielefeld v Schalke (Sport
Klub + 8.30 p.m.); Basketball: Euro-
cup Final Eight: Valencia v Khimki
(Eurosport 2 at 6.00 p.m.), Bilbao
v Zadar (Eurosport 2 at 9.00 p.m.),
NBA Regular Season – Orlando
Magic v Cleveland Cavaliers (OBN
2.00 a.m. Saturday); Rugby Union:
French Top 14 – Burgoin v Dax (Eu-
rosport 2 at 9.45 p.m.)
Saturday, April 4: Football: Black-
burn v Tottenham (RTS 2 at 1.40
p.m.), Hertha Berlin v Borussia
Dortmund (Sport Klub 3.30 p.m.),
Hamburg v Hoffenheim (Sport Klub
+ 3.30 p.m.), Partizan Belgrade v
Banat Zrenjanin (RTS at 5.30 p.m.),
Valladolid v Barcelona (FOX Serbia
8.00 p.m.), Guimaraes v Porto (Sport
Klub + 8.00 p.m.), Sparta Rotterdam
v PSV Eindhoven (Sport Klub 8.45
p.m.), Malaga v Real Madrid (FOX
Serbia 10.00 p.m.), Argentinean
League – Huracan v Colon (Sport
Klub + 2.10 a.m. Sunday); Basket-
ball: Eurocup semi-finals (Eurosport
2 at 6.00 p.m. and 9.00 p.m.), Span-
ish League – Granada v Barcelona
(Sport Klub 6.15 p.m.), NCAA Final
Four (Sport Klub 11.30 p.m. and 2.00
a.m. Sunday, ESPN America cover-
age starts at 10.00 p.m.); Handball:
Champions League – Kiel v Zagreb
(HRT 2 at 5.00 p.m.)
Sunday, April 5: Motor Racing: For-
mula One Malaysian Grand Prix (FOX
CSKA Too
Strong For
Partizan
D
efending champions CSKA
Moscow cruised into the Eu-
roleague Final Four, due next
month in Berlin, after a 67-56 win
over Partizan Belgrade gave them a
3-0 win in their quarter-final series on
Tuesday. CSKA controlled the game
from start to finish in a packed Bel-
grade Arena of 22,000 raucous home
fans, although the home team’s Novi-
ca Velickovic lead a one-man Parti-
zan effort with a game-high 26 points.
“He has the potential to become a
truly great player,” CSKA’s Italian
coach Ettore Messina told a news
conference after the match. The Euro-
pean champions led 18-14 at the end
of the first quarter and never looked
back, as they dominated the boards
and reduced Partizan to shooting just
21 of 59 from the field. Lithuanian
guard Ramunas Siskauskas scored 20
points for the winners, with Sloveni-
an forward Matjaz Smodis adding 18
and seven rebounds. “Partizan’s fans
are by far the best in Europe. It was
a fantastic atmosphere and I’ve never
seen anything like it before,” said
Smodis, whose compatriot Erazem
Lorbek finished the game with 10
points and six rebounds. Partizan had
no other player apart from Velicko-
vic in double figures and their star
shooting guard Uros Tripkovic was
left scoreless, after missing all his
eight shots from the field. “We overa-
chieved in Euroleague this season
with a limited budget. We beat several
teams stronger than us, but we were
never going to get past CSKA,” said
Partizan coach Dusan Vujosevic. “It’s
been a great ride and we are looking
forward to the regional league’s Final
Four in Belgrade.”
Serbia and HRT 2 at 11.00 a.m.); Foot-
ball: Cardiff v Swansea (Sport Klub
12.00 p.m.), Atalanta v Fiorentina
(Sport Klub 1.00 p.m.), Juventus v
Chievo (OBN 3.00 p.m.), Various Ital-
ian League Matches (Sport Klub 3.00
p.m.), Manchester United v Aston Villa
(RTS 2 at 5.00 p.m.), Werder Bremen
v Hannover (Sport Klub 5.00 p.m.),
PSG v Nice (Sport Klub + 5.00 p.m.),
Udinese v Inter Milan (OBN 7.00
p.m.), Cibalia Vinkovci v Dinamo Za-
greb (HRT 2 at 8.15 p.m.), St Etienne
v Marseille (Sport Klub + 9.00 p.m.),
Valencia v Getafe (FOX Serbia 11.20
p.m.), Argentinean League – Lanus v
Indipendiente (Sport Klub 00.30 a.m.
Monday); Tennis: Miami Masters final
(RTS 2 and Sport Klub at 7.00 p.m.);
Basketball: Eurocup final (Eurosport 2
at 6.00 p.m.)
Monday, April 6: Football: Premier
League Highlights (RTS 2 at 8.00
p.m.); Basketball: NCAA Final (ESPN
America and Sport Klub 3.00 a.m.
Tuesday morning)
Tuesday, April 7: Football: Cham-
pions League - Manchester United v
Porto (B92 at 8.45 p.m. followed by
news of the day, highlights and Villar-
real v Arsenal delayed)
Wednesday, April 8: Football: Cham-
pions League - Barcelona v Bayern
Munich (B92 at 8.45 p.m. followed by
news of the day, highlights and Liver-
pool v Chelsea delayed)
Note: TV channels reserve the right to
change their schedules.
 Friday, Apr. 03 - Thursday, Apr. 09, 2009 directory 15

Accounting & Auditing Fitness Clubs Lawyers Photo service

BDO BC Excell, Knez Mihailova 10, 011
3281299.
ConsulTeam, Prote Mateje 52, 011 3086180.
Deloitte, Kralja Milana 16, 011 3612524.
Ernst & Young, Bulevar Mihajla Pupina 115d,
011 2095700.
KPMG, Studentski trg 4, 011 3282892.
Pricewater House Coopers, Omladinskih
brigada 88a, 011 3302100.
SEECAP, Marsala Birjuzova 22, 011
3283100.
Aikido
Real Aikido World Centre, Slavujev venac 1,
011 3089199.
Ballet classes
Orhestra Ballet Studio, Cirila i Metodija 2a,
011 2403443.
Majdan Children’s Cultural Centre, Koz-
jacka 3-5, 011 3692645.
Bookshops
Apropo, Cara Lazara 10, 011 2625839, 10:00
- 20:00, Sat 10:00 - 16:00, Closed Sun.
IPS-Akademija, Knez Mihailova 35, 011
2636514, 09:00 - 23:00.
Mamut, corner of Sremska and Knez Mihailo-
va, 011 2639060, 09:00- 22:00, Sun 12:00 -
22:00.
Bowling
Colosseum, Dobanovacka 56 (Zemun), 011
3165403, 11:00 - 01:00, Sat, Sun 10:00 -
02:00.
First bowling, Gradski Park u Zemunu, 011
3771612, 11:00 - 01:00, Sat, Sun 11:00 -
17:00.
Kolosej, Jurija Gagarina 16 (Delta City),
0113129944, 09:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 09:00 -
02:00, Sun 09:00 - 24:00.
Extreme Gym, Cvijiceva 1, 011 2764335,
08:00 - 24:00, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 22:00.
Power Gym, Steve Todorovica 32, 011
3545935, 09:00 - 22:00.
Wellness Centar, Kraljice Natalije 38-40,
011 2686268, 07:30 - 23:00, Sat, Sun 09:00 -
21:00.
Zvezda City Oaza, Ada Ciganlija, 011
3554652, 07:00 - 22:30, Sat, Sun 09:00 -
22:30.
Gifts & Souvenirs
Adore, New Millennium Shopping Centre,
entrance from Knez Mihailova 21, Delta City
011 2625056, 10:00 - 20:00, Sat 10:00 - 15:00,
closed Sun.
Beoizlog, Trg Republike 5, 011 3281859,
09:00 - 21:00, Sat 09:00 -
15:00, closed Sun.
Singidunum, Terazije 42, 011 2643158, 09:00
- 21:00, closed Sun.
Zdravo-Zivo, Nusiceva 3, 063 8785988,
12:00 - 16:00, closed Sun, www.serbiasouve-
nirs.com
Golf
Golf Klub Beograd, Ada Ciganlija, 011
3056837.
Belgrade Arena, Bulevar Arsenija Carno-
jevica 58, 011 220 22 22, www.arenabeograd.
com.
Health
Anlave CD, Vase Pelagica 68, 011 3175929,
www.anlave.co.yu.
Bel Medic General Hospital, Koste Jovanovi-
ca 87, 011 3091000, www.belmedic.com.
Bel Medic Outpatient Clinic, Viktora Igoa 1,
011 3091000, www.belmedic.com.
MEDIX, Novopazarska 30, 011 3085805,
www.medix.co.yu.
Baklaja Igric Mujezinovic in Association
with Clyde & Co, Gospodar Jevremova 47,
011 303 8822
Harrison Solicitors, Terazije 34, 011
3615918.
Law Office, Takovska 13, 011 3227133, 063
383116, www.businesslawserbia.com.
Money transfer
Western Union, Kosovska 1, 011 3300300.
Open Markets
Bajlonijeva Pijaca, Dzordza Vasingtona bb,
011 3223472, 07:00 - 16:00
Blok 44, Jurija Gagarina bb, 011 2158232,
07:00 - 16:00.
Kalenic Pijaca, Maksima Gorkog bb, 011
2450350, 07:00 - 16:00.
Zeleni venac, Jug Bogdanova bb, 011
2629328, 07:00 - 16:00.
Opticians
Diopta, Kralja Milana 4, 011 2687539.
La Gatta, Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra 43, 011
3244914.
M&M optic, Jurija Gagarina 153/18, Novi
Beograd, 011 1760772.
Pharmacies (on duty 24 hours)
Aqua Pharm 2, Corner of Kneza Milosa and
Visegradska Streets, 011 3610171.
Bogdan Vujosevic, Goce Delceva 30, 011
2601887.
Miroslav Trajkovic, Pozeska 87, 011
3058482.
Prvi Maj, Kralja Milana 9, 011 3241349.
Sveti Sava, Nemanjina 2, 011 2643170.
Zemun, Glavna 34, 011 2618582.
Color Foto, Svetogorska 4, 011 3245982.
Foto Studio 212, Cvijiceva 63, 011 3374015.
Models, Svetog Save 16-18, 011 3449608.
Real estate
Eurodiplomatic, Dravska 18, 011 3086878.
Mentor, Milesevska 2, 011 3089080.
Slavija rent, Beogradska 33, 011 3341281.
Shoe repairS
Sasa M, Kosovska 35, 011 3227238.
Air Zak, Kralja Aleksandra 254/a, 011
2413283.
Spa & Beauty Salons
Jai Thai, Vase Pelagica 48, 011 3699193.
Spa Centar, Strahinjica Bana 5, 011
3285408.
St Angelina, Karnegijeva 3, 011 3232058.
Sun Beauty Center, Strahinica Bana 29, 011
2182090.
Zorica, Dobracina 33, 011 3285922.
TAXI SERVICES
Beotaxi, 011 970
Beogradski taxi, 011 9801
Lux taxi, 011 3033123
NBA taxi, 011 3185777
Pink taxi, 011 9803
Translators
Association of Technical and Scientific
Translators of Serbia, Kicevska 9, 011
2442729.
Belgrade Translation Center, Dobracina 50,
011 3287388.
Center Lomonosov, Hilandarska 23, 011
3343184.

Business connections

Belgrade Stock Exchange, Omladinskih brigada 1,

011 3117297, www.belex.co.yu.
Business Registration Agency C-2, Trg Nikole
Pasica 5, 011 3331400, www.apr.sr.gov.yu.
Chamber of Commerce of Belgrade, Kneza Milosa
12, 011 2641335, www.kombeg.org.yu.
Ministry of Economy and Regional Devel-
opment, Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra 15, 011
3617583, www.merr.sr.gov.yu.
Ministry of Trade and Services, Nemanjina
22-26, 011 3610579.
Privatization Agency, Terazije 23, 011
3020800, www.priv.yu.
Serbian Chamber of Commerce and In-
dustry, Resavska 13-15, 011 3300900, pks. Horse riding
komora.net.
SIEPA - Investment and Export Promotion Aleksa Dundic Riding Club, Belgrade Hip-
Agency, Vlajkoviceva 3, 011 3398550. podrome, Pastroviceva 2, 011 3541584.

Children’s playrooms
Extreme Kids, Cvijiceva 1, 011 2764335.
Puf-Puf, Bulevar Mihaila Pupina 165a, 011
3111793.
Consulting
CES Mecon, Danijelova 12-16, 011 3090800,
www.cesmecon.com.
Dekleva & Partners Ltd., Hilandarska 23,
011 3033649, www.dekleva1.com.
EKI Investment, Kralja Milana 16, 011
3613164, www.eki-investment.com.
Dentists (on duty 24 hours)
Stari Grad, Obilicev Venac 30, 011 2635236.
Vracar, Kneginje Zorke 15, 011 2441413.
Dry cleaners
Cleaning Servis, Palmoticeva 10, 011
3233206.
Pop’s, Mercator Shopping Centre, Bulevar
Umetnosti 4, 011 3130251.
International schools
Anglo-American School, Velisava Vulovica
47, 011 3675777.
Britannica International School, Uzicka 21a,
011 3671557.
British International School, Svetozara Ra-
dojcica 4, 011 3467000.
Chartwell International School, Teodora
Drajzera 38, 011 3675340.
Ecole Francaise de Belgrade, Kablarska 35,
011 3691762.
Deutsche Schule Belgrad, Sanje Zivanovic
10, 011 3693135.
International Nursery School, Nake Spasic
4, 011 2667130.
International School of Belgrade, Temisvar-
ska 19, 011 2069999.
Kindergartens
Sunasce, Admirala Geprata 8a ulaz 5/1, 011
3617013.
Marry Poppins, Kursulina 37, 011 2433059.
16 advert Friday, Apr. 03 - Thursday, Apr. 09, 2009