An art exhibition has already been set up in Dom Omladine showcasing a retrospective of the festival’s visual identity through the years of its existence. An exhibition at the Belgrade Cultural Centre on February 8th, features local and for-eign guitar makers and publishing houses showcasing their products to aficionados.

Organisers expect record num-bers of visitors, so tickets for all concerts should be bought well in advance.

1Friday • June 13 • 2008 NEWSNEWS

Issue No. 1 / Friday, June 13, 2008

Lure of Tadic Alliance Splits SocialistsWhile younger Socialists support joining a new, pro-EU government, old Milosevic loyalists threaten revolt over the prospect.

EDITOR’S WORD

Political PredictabilityBy Mark R. Pullen

Many of us who have experi-enced numerous Serbian elections rate ourselves as pundits when it comes to predicting election re-sults and post-election moves.

We feel in-the-know because our experience of elections in Ser-bia has shown us that (a.) no single party or coalition will ever gain the majority required to form a govern-ment, and (b.) political negotiations will never be quickly concluded.

Even when the Democrats achieved their surprising result at last month’s general election, it quickly became clear that the re-sult was actually more-or-less the same as every other election result in Serbia, i.e. inconclusive.

This is likely to continue as long as Serbia’s politicians form new political parties every time they disagree with their current party leader (there are currently 342 reg-istered political parties in Serbia).

Drawn-out negotiations are also the norm. One Belgrade-based Ambassador recently told me he was also alarmed by the distinct lack of urgency among Serbian politicians. “The country is at a standstill and I don’t understand their logic. If they are so eager to progress towards the EU and en-courage investors, how come they go home at 5pm sharp and don’t work weekends?”

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

Costs Mounting

Economists are warning that pro-longed uncertainty over Serbia’s

future could scare off investors, lead to higher inflation and jeopardise prosperity for years to come.

“This year has been lost, from the standpoint of economic policy,” says Stojan Stamenkovic of the Econom-ics Institute in Belgrade.

Football Rebellion

While the football world watch-es events unfold at the Euro-

pean Championships in Austria and Switzerland, Bosnia is experiencing a soccer rebellion, led by fans, play-ers and former stars who are enraged by what they see as corrupt leaders of the country’s football association leaders.

By Rade Maroevic in Belgrade

Tense negotiations on a new gov-ernment have divided the ranks

of the Socialist Party, which holds the balance of power between the main blocs and has yet to announce which side they will support.

“It looks as if the Socialists will move towards a government led by the Democrats,” political analyst Mi-lan Nikolic, of the independent Cen-tre of Policy Studies, said. “But such a move might provoke deeper divi-sions and even split the party.”

Simultaneous negotiations held with the pro-European and national-ist blocs have drawn attention to a deep rift inside the Socialists.

This divides “old-timers” loyal

to Serbia’s late president, Slobodan Milosevic, and reformists who want the party to become a modern Euro-pean social democrat organisation.

After eight years of stagnation, the Socialists returned to centre stage after winning 20 of the 250 seats in parliament in the May 11 elections.

With the pro-European and nation-alist blocs almost evenly matched, the Socialists now have the final say on the fate of the country.

Nikolic believes the Socialists, led by Ivica Dacic, will come over to Tadic, if only out of a pragmatic de-sire to ensure their political survival.

“The group of younger Socialists gathered around Dacic seems to be in the majority”, Nikolic said, adding that these reformists believe the party

faces extinction unless it changes. However, a strong current also

flows in the opposite direction, led by party veterans enraged by the prospect of a deal with Tadic.

Mihajlo Markovic, a founder of the party, recently warned of a crisis if Dacic opts for the pro-European bloc, abandoning the Socialists’ “nat-ural” ideological partners.

Markovic, a prominent supporter of Milosevic during the 1990s, is seen as representative of the “old-timers” in the party who want to stay true to the former regime’s policies, even though these almost ruined the Socialists for good.

Some younger Socialist officials have voiced frustration over the con-tinuing impasse within their own

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 Tadic in a bid to guide his party into the European mainstream, but much of the membership and many offi-cials may oppose that move.”

Nikolic agreed: “The question is will the party split or will the ‘old-timers’ back down,” he noted.

Fearing they might not cross the 5-per-cent threshold to enter parlia-ment, the Socialists teamed up with the Association of Pensioners and the United Serbia Party, led by business-man Dragan Markovic “Palma”.

Pensioners leader, Jovan Krkoba-bic, Palma and Dacic are all pushing for a deal with the Democrats.

The reported price is the post of deputy PM, with a brief in charge of security for the Socialist leader.

In addition, the Socialists are bar-gaining for other ministries, includ-ing capital investments, Kosovo and education, Belgrade media reported.

Tadic has denied talk of horse-trading with the Socialists, maintain-ing that ministries would go only to those committed to working for the government’s “strategic goal”.

At the same time, Dacic seems re-luctant to call off negotiations with the nationalists.

“If we don’t reach an agreement with the DSS and Radicals, the par-ty leadership will decide on future steps”, Dacic announced, following the first session of country’s new par-liament on Wednesday.Source: Balkan Insight (www.balkaninsight.com)

Business Insight Neighbourhood Matters

Socialist leader Ivica Dacic remains the Serbian kingmaker

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Weekly Issue No. 22, Friday, Feb. 6 - Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009

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Iranian film director Ali Raffi talks to Belgrade Insight about cooking, loving, and the young Karl Marx.

Isolated and neglected as a result of Kosovo’s disputes, Brezovica is crying out for the investment that could transform it into a first-class winter resort.

A new investigation into the death of Dada Vujasinovic raises questions of whether she committed suicide, or was murdered.

Source: www.weather2umbrella.com

A Fistful of LuteThe Belgrade Guitar Art Festival brings together Oscar-winning composer of Western movie scores, Ennio Morricone,

acclaimed lute player Edin Karamazov, and ledgendary rocker Sting, in one of Serbia’s most important annual musical events, offering concerts, master classes, lectures, competitions and exhibitions.

Over the years the Belgrade Guitar Art Festival has become one of the most high profile music events in the city. Source: www.unctv.org

Politics

Out & About

Going Out

Sport

Neighbourhood

Politics

Out & About

Going Out

Sport

Neighbourhood

Belgrade

Politics

Out & About

Going Out

Sport

NeighbourhoodPolitics

Out & About

Going Out

Sport

Neighbourhood

Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic will team up for the first time on home soil when they take on Japan, in the Belgrade Arena.

Page 14

Politics

Out & About

Going Out

Sport

Neighbourhood

Page 8

Despite improved border policing, Albanians continue to risk their lives to go abroad in order to pursue dreams of a better life in the EU.

Politics

Out & About

Going Out

Sport

Neighbourhood

Belgrade

Hands down and without much discussion, Akademija is the most significant club in the history of Belgrade’s nightlife.

By David GalicReporting from Belgrade

This year’s line-up is by far the most impressive in the festival’s nine-year history, featuring the

performance of rock icon Sting with Bosnian lute player and guitarist Edin Karamazov and the legendary Italian composer Ennio Morricone.

The Police frontman and the Bosnian lute player collaborated on a project of 16th century music, re-cording an album and film called

Songs from the Labyrinth, devoted entirely to lute compositions.

Morricone needs no introduc-tion, being the composer of some of the most memorable and instantly recognisable Hollywood sound-tracks such as ‘Once Upon A Time In The West’.

In addition to the concerts held during the festival, there will also be master classes in the morning and evening, as well as competi-tions for guitar players in six dif-ferent age brackets, between 11 and 35 years old, with a total prize fund of €25,000.

For night owls or guitar fanatics, every night of the festival features a ‘midnight guitar art cafe club’ open until 4 a.m. at Dom Omladine. Art-ists, guests and audience members will be able to interact and mingle, while festival participants will get to spin their favourite tunes along with professional DJs.

There will be informal get-togeth-ers every day at noon, and the festival also includes a “food art” section, with several Belgrade restaurants and em-bassies opening their doors to festival goers and participants so they may sample cuisine from around the world.

2 politics

Despite the impression that Serbia’s current authorities no longer look on him with favour, the director of

Radio Television Serbia, RTS, remains in his post and in some ways seems stronger than ever.

Both those who like him as well as those who would like to bury him, largely agree that his newspaper texts are not to be missed.

His sharp comments about his adver-saries, often of only borderline decency, have brought Tijanic both great popular-ity and many enemies.

“In the world, there are two preserved specimens of a head of a Neanderthal: one is kept in the British Museum. The other rests on the shoulders of Zoran Zivkovic”, he wrote few years ago about then prime minister of Serbia.

However, the main controversy sur-rounding this “poor columnist”, as he often refers to himself, (while driving an expensive Mitsubishi), relates to his con-tinuous close ties to the governing elite.

Tijanic was the first journalist in the late 1980s to interview Mirjana Markovic, wife of Slobodan Milosevic. Some believe that his connection to Serbia’s ruling fam-ily brought him the position of editor-in-chief of TV Politika in the 1990s, as well as a four-month stint as information minister in the government of Mirko Marjanovic.

He also had excellent relations with the then opposition leader Zoran Djind-jic, however. He helped him to get a large number of deputies in the 1993 elec-tions via a campaign entitled “Posteno” (“Honestly”).

During the 1990s, Tijanic formed close ties to Serbia’s then richest man, Bogoljub Karic, who hired him to run his BK Television.

The late 1990s found him in conflict with the Milosevic government and, to-gether with his associate, the journalist Slavko Curuvija, murdered in 1999, he wrote a memorable open letter to Milo-sevic in 1998, predicting doomsday if Milosevic did not step down.

After the October 5 changes, Tijanic worked as a media advisor to Vojislav Kostunica, then the new president of Yugoslavia. His close ties to Kostunica brought him the top job in RTS in 2004, even though he did not have a university diploma - one of the key prerequisites for the job.

Tijanic has presided over the restora-tion of RTS’s high ratings while engaging in constant conflict with its biggest me-dia rival, TV Pink and its owner Zeljko Mitrovic.

The latest changes of regime in Serbia have, as yet, brought no changes at the helm of RTS, as many once expected.

His current conflict with the Serbian parliament on live coverage of parlia-mentary sessions is only the latest vic-tory; even politically liberal Serbia – not his normal constituency – approves of his stance on this issue.

Meanwhile, his decision to strategi-cally distance himself from the politically fading Kostunica, now rarely seen on RTS, looks like another move, and one that makes him suitable to remain as di-rector of Serbia’s Public Broadcaster un-der President Tadic.

A Kosovo parliamentary com-mission has recommended that the government imple-

ments an embargo on Serbian and Bosnian goods as a tit-for-tat re-sponse to Serbia and Bosnia block-ing and taxing Kosovo’s exports.

Serbia rejects the secession by Kosovo’s Albanian majority last February and has vowed never to ac-cept it as an independent country. It is currently blocking goods that enter Serbia stamped with the seal of the Kosovo Customs authority, and has enlisted the Serb half of Bosnia to slap customs taxes on them despite a regional free trade deal.

MPs in the parliament’s Com-mission for Economy, Trade and In-dustry, asked Kosovo’s Minister of Trade Lutfi Zharku to proceed with the embargo as retaliation for the two months that Serbia and Bosnia have blocked or taxed goods sealed “Made in Kosova”, in direct breach of the Central European Free Trade Agreement, CEFTA.

“All our activities have been in accordance with our international

partners, from whom we have full support,” Zharku said after meeting the MPs, “I believe that this week, or at the beginning of next week, we will explain the situation and will have a decision on the possible measures to be taken by the govern-ment.”

Elaborating on possible coun-ter-measures, Zharku said Kosovo could “impose a 10 per cent tax on Bosnian goods and block Serbian goods, as they are doing to us.”

With more than 90 per cent of foodstuffs coming from Serbia, analysts say the blockade could be a double-edged sword for the poor-est country in Europe. In an inter-view for Balkan Insight two weeks ago, Zharku said consumers would not be hit directly, as “measures to prohibit imports from a cer-tain country will be linked to the facilitation of imports from other countries, so as not to create price imbalances”.

Aside from holding up Kosovo-stamped goods at the border, Ser-bia is not allowing them to transit

through Serbia’s territory, leading to fears among Kosovo firms that they could lose their trading partners in Western Europe. Worried about the lost revenue and cancellations of or-ders, business leaders have asked for a clear answer as soon as possible.

Kosovo authorities have said the blockade is unacceptable because all three countries were signatories to CEFTA, which stipulates the free movement of goods and services throughout the Balkans. At the time of the signing, the United Nations mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, signed on behalf of Pristina, making it un-clear whether Kosovo as a state is considered a signatory and has re-course to legal measures.

To see how it can move forward in the row, Kosovo officials asked the European Commission to clarify exactly who in Kosovo is the signa-tory of the Central European Free Trade Agreement - Kosovo’s gov-ernment in Pristina or the UN super-visory mission.

On the other hand, Serbia’s Trade Minister Slobodan Milosavljevic

said it is in Serbia’s interest to sell its products in Kosovo since this trade brings Belgrade millions each year.

However, Serbia has said it will continue to block Kosovo-made goods until they revert to being stamped with the seal of the UN-MIK customs authority, and Mi-losavljevic did not comment on the possibility of an embargo.

“Trade with Kosovo is going on without major problems,” Serbian Trade Minister Slobodan Milosav-ljevic told Serbia’s Tanjug news agen-cy. “That part of Serbia is extremely important for the Serbian economy, since goods worth more than $600 million (€467 million) are put on the province’s market annually.”

Trade with Kosovo is not a clas-sic export, Milosavljevic said, but “sale of products on a part of our territory that is under a special UN customs protectorate.”

“If some other problems appear, we’ll react to them,” he said, “but our interest is now to cover that part of the market with good quality products from Serbia.”

Borba - Prime Minister Mirko Cvetk-ovic said that investment in transport and energy infrastructure would be a priority for his government. He said that by next winter the first phase of construction of the Banatski Dvor gas storage facility would be finished, and road and rail links on the pan-Euro-pean Corridor 10, would be financed from the budget and loans from inter-national financial institutions.

Borba - In January, at least one per-son died every day in Serbia due to traffic accidents.

Borba - The 2009 University Games that will be held in Belgrade this summer will be organised with only a quarter of the originally allocated budget, some €50 million instead of €200 million.

Borba - Filibustering in the parlia-ment over recent months has cost Serbian taxpayers some €800,000,

while laws remain deadlocked and reforms stalled.

Blic - The impact of the global fi-nancial crisis on Serbia could mean that some 200,000 people could lose their jobs this year. The most pessimistic forecasts suggest that the number could be even higher.

Blic - GazpromNeft has transferred a €400 million payment to Serbia for the majority stake in oil monopoly NIS. Analysts say the money could help stabilise Serbia’s dinar, that has been sliding for weeks.

Blic - The local real estate market is shrinking, with transactions slowing to a halt as less and less people opt to take out a loan due to high interest rates and the weak dinar.

Blic - ”The government must fall if the euro crosses the 100 dinar thresh-

old,” the paper said in an editorial. The falling dinar is fueling public discontent and impatience with the government’s economic policies.

Vecernje Novosti - Serbia plans to get some €1.6 billion in foreign investment this year, deputy Prime Minister Bozi-dar Djelic said after his return from the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Vecernje Novosti - Parliament President Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic met with the management of state television RTS to discuss their re-fusal last week to cover the parlia-ment session live, opting instead to broadcast Australian Open tennis matches.

Politika - A Serbian expert says that the depleted uranium bombs used in the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugo-slavia caused an increase in cancer, genetic abnormalities and other radi-ation-related illnesses.

Kosovo MP’s Call for Trade Embargo

By Slobodan Georgijev

Profile of the Week

Aleksandar Tijanic

Weekly Press Roundup

The Kosovan government is becoming increasingly frustrated at what it sees as breaches of the CEFTA agreement on free trade by Serbian Customs. Goods sealed with a Kosovan Customs stamp are being delayed or taxed by Serbian and Bosnian Serb authorities.

Source: www.balkaninsight.com

Friday, Feb. 6 - Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009

Serbia’s state prosecutors of-fice has announced that the police have requested a new

investigation into the death, 14 years ago, of the journalist Dada Vujasinovic.

The new investigation is based on fresh information contained in a June 2008 report produced by ballis-tics expert Vlada Kostic. His report concluded that her death was prob-ably “caused by another person”.

Vujasinovic was found dead in her New Belgrade apartment on April 8th, 1994.

While forensic experts and po-lice initially recorded a verdict of suicide, Vujasinovic’s family, legal representatives, friends, media as-sociations and a former head of the secret services, disagreed, pointing the finger at the country’s security apparatus, both the Army and state intelligence services. While some hope that things have moved on suf-ficiently in Serbia to allow a new in-vestigation to deliver the truth, many warn that nothing has really changed – the intelligence services have seen little reform since the war, and the truth could be buried forever.

On The Wrong Side

Goran Petrovic, a former head of the State Security Service, said the answer to Vujasinovic’s death lay in the articles that she had been working on shortly before she died, although he has insisted that the state security service was not be-hind her death and points the finger at the army’s security service.

“She did not write about the state security service, she was writ-ing about the army intelligence service and the arms trade in the Sandzak region – in which they were involved,” he says.

A close friend, the journalist Ve-sna Malisic, editor of the magazine Prestup, recalled that Vujasinovic was digging in dangerous territory shortly before her death.

Malisic said Vujasinovic was also writing about the involvement of significant criminal figures in the war, the work of the secret services in general, and, towards the end, on the arms trade in Novi Pazar.

She had apparently collected tape recordings detailing informa-tion on individual police officers involved in the illicit arms trade. Those recordings have subsequent-ly disappeared.

The family of the deceased jour-nalist point their fingers at the secret services. “We have put together this puzzle and now we know what hap-pened – state security was behind this crime,” Vujasinovic’s father, Radislav, told Balkan Insight.

Intelligence Services Suspected

In 1995, district prosecutors dropped the criminal investigation into her death.

However in 1996, a new review of the evidence was carried out af-ter experts hired by the Vujasinovic family concluded that a murder had taken place.

In July 2002, prosecutors asked the police to interrogate certain peo-ple who had claimed to know the truth about the death of Vujasinovic and in November 2006, the courts requested a further review.

This later report ruled out the possibility of suicide, suggesting she was murdered. The report pro-duced by ballistics expert Vlada Kostic was submitted to the District Court in Belgrade on June 9, 2008.

Presenting the report to the pub-lic, Branislav Tapuskovic, the Vuja-sinovic family’s legal representative said the findings indicated Vujasi-novic had been killed with a shotgun.

“The key findings from this report indicate that the case was most probably murder … [as] she was shot with two shotgun bursts, which inflicted a severe wound,” Tapuskovic said.

Tapuskovic said several clues pointed to a cover-up and the in-volvement of the secret services.

Nadezda Gace, president of the Independent Association of Serbian Journalists, is of a similar opinion.

She believes the secret services have been behind several recent deaths of journalists in Serbia – and their subsequent cover-up.

“Just as I am convinced that Slavko Curuvija and Milan Pantic were murdered by the state,” she said, “I am certain Dada Vujasi-novic was killed the same way too.

The secret services did it and cov-ered up the evidence.”

Curuvija, editor of the daily Dnevni Telegraf and the magazine Evropljanin, was killed by two shots in the head in front of his apartment during the NATO bombing cam-paign against Serbia in April 1999.

Several years ago, a dossier on

the surveillance of Curuvija nick-named “Curan” (Turkey) was pub-lished. This showed the Serbian Secret police had organised surveil-lance of Curuvija and that the infor-mation was passed onto the chief of the secret service. However, no charges were ever brought in con-nection with the killing.

The investigation into the murder of Jagodina-based journalist Milan Pantic in 2001, killed in front of his house shortly after publishing several articles on criminal groups operating in the central Serbian town, also end-ed without charges being laid. Ac-cording to police reports, more than 2,000 people were interviewed dur-ing investigation but without result.

Too Late For Hope?

Many people hope that a root-and-branch reform of the secret services would shed some light on the truth about the death of the journalists but so far, the Serbian police have shown no readiness to reveal information on this or any other similar cases. Balkan In-sight contacted police authorities and submitted questions regard-ing the Dada Vujasinovic case on December 24.

However, no response has been received to date.

The family of the deceased jour-nalist nevertheless remain hopeful that the truth will finally out. Her father says they are keeping back one remaining item of crucial evi-dence, which will prove that their daughter was murdered.

“We don’t want to reveal names or details publicly right now be-cause we expect an official inves-tigation to do that,” Radislav Vuja-sinovic said.

However, Milos Vasic, a veteran journalist on the weekly magazine Vreme, told Balkan Insight that the time for serious reform of the se-cret services was after October 5th, 2000, when the Milosevic regime was toppled, and that the opportu-nity had been missed.

However, Nadezda Gace says hopeful statements from the new police minister, Ivica Dacic, and the appointment of a new head of state security, Sasa Vukadinovic, suggest that reform is on the way.

If so, it may help uncover fresh facts about who killed Vujasinovic. “If it’s true we now have a more co-operative police and state security service, let them show us that times have changed,” Gace said.

Goran Petrovic is more sceptical about talk of reform. He says the se-curity intelligence agency is almost an empty shell these days, with nothing to reform any more, while reform of the army security service remains difficult because of its in-ternal “mafia-like code of silence”.

“Those people have used phan-tom companies to earn enormous amounts of money, so some are very powerful oligarchs today and won’t allow any change,” he said.

Lawyer Branislav Tapuskovic also appears discouraged and is not hopeful that the true story behind the death of Dada Vujasinovic will ever be revealed.

“Given that the police have been incapable of solving so many mur-ders in Belgrade, I wonder what they can achieve with this case, 14 years on, especially when they ear-lier refused to accept evidence sug-gesting that Dada Vujasinovic had been murdered,” he said.

Source: www.BalkanInsight.com

3politics

Journalist’s Mysterious Death Haunts Serbia

Vujasinovic’s death was originally adjudged by a Belgrade court to have been suicide. Her friends and family have long campaigned for the case to be reinvestigated.

Source: www.dadavujasinovic.com

As a new investigation is announced into death of Dada Vujasinovic, her family and lawyers maintain that the secret services hold the answer to whether she committed suicide, or was murdered, in 1994.

By Zelimir Bojovic Reporting from Belgrade

“The key findings from this report indicate that the case was most probably murder … [as] she was shot with two shotgun bursts, which inflicted a severe wound.”

Branislav Tapuskovic, the Vujasinovic family’s legal representative

“Just as I am convinced that Slavko Curuvija and Milan Pantic were mur-dered by the state, I am certain Dada Vujasinovic was killed the same way too. The secret services were doing all that, and covering up the evi-dence.”

Nadezda Gace, president of the Independent Associa-tion of Serbian Journalists

Friday, Feb. 6 - Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009

You Love the Way You Eat

In an old-fashioned kitchen with a wooden floor, a woman is busy cooking, flitting between a big work table and wall-to-wall

shelves with hundreds of jars filled with spices. While she tends to her three big pots, another woman artistically arranges the colourful meal on plates, while two others rush in and out car-rying huge round trays.

In the film “When Fish Fall in Love” that opened the Iranian Film Festival in Belgrade this week, the kitchen is the centre of the ac-tion, or what Raffi calls “the soul, the central place in a house, same as a stomach is the cen-tral point of our bodies.”

“Food is very important,” he told Bel-grade Insight in an interview. “Each meal has its history, its biography. Its smell remains in our memory forever. The same way we expe-rience food and eat, we also feel and love.”

Raffi was inspired by an article he read long time ago, written by the young Karl Marx, “when he was still romantic and not yet a marxist”, and always wished to spin a story out of it.

Marx’s theory was that only after the dis-covery of fire, did humans start expressing feelings. Once they started cooking meat, people began to gather around the fire, around the smells, to eat together.

“It’s not the same whether you eat alone or in company. And the smell is the strongest of our senses; it could be the smell of food, of perfume or of our friend’s body,” Raffi said. “There are two kinds of people – one kind eats only to stop being hungry, the other kind appreciates the taste and smell of food. They deal with love, sex, feelings the same way.”

The movie’s hero is Aziz, who comes back to his hometown on the Caspian Sea in north-ern Iran after more than 20 years spent abroad.

He finds out that his ex-fiancee has opened a restaurant with her daughter and two other women, in a house owned by his parents, that was deserted after their death.

The daughter, Tuka, assumes the role of Scheherazade in The Tales of 1001 Nights, to prevent him from selling the house. Instead of telling a different story each night to postpone her death, each day Tuka prepares another tasty and imaginative meal, tempting Aziz to post-pone closing the restaurant for one more day.

“The Fish Fall in Love” was Raffi’s debut motion picture, shot in 2005 after he had spent 40 years as a theatre director.

Why the fish? - “I had a special fish in mind – a wild trout,” he says. “It is the only fish that swims against the stream. The struggle of the trout that might even die on the way is similar to how a person in love acts and struggles to reach their loved one.”

As in his theatre plays, Raffi did the stage design and costumes himself, even preparing the food served in film.

“Colours and scenes are very important to me. I always say, theatre is for watching, not for listening.”

He even financed the film himself, spend-ing his life’s savings. After it was made, he wrote another five screenplays and so far two of them have been approved by the Iranian Culture Ministry. In Iran, films must have permission from the government. But he has trouble finding producers.

“Filming 100 minutes of my film costs the same as 10 minutes of some western Europe-an film or 30 seconds of an American one.”

His next film, “The River”, is the true sto-ry of a man from Raffi’s hometown Isfahan, whose job was to prepare weddings and who was making big money as a matchmaker. He is punished for his disregard of love when a beautiful woman he fell madly in love with ruins him, and his daughter runs away along the river to avoid marrying someone she did not love.

“The river that flows through Isfahan starts its life in the Yellow Mountains as a fast and wild river, becomes more and more polluted on its way and disappears suddenly into the ground just 40 kilometres outside the city,” Raffi says. “The life of that river is similar to lives of many people.”

Raffi had an unconventional start to his ca-reer, moving to France in his late teens with a basketball scholarship. An injury in a ski-ing accident led him to quit sports studies and pursue his master’s degree in sociology in the Sorbonne. A chance visit to a nightclub in the mountains brought him suddenly into the film world, when French actor and director Roger Vadim saw him and offered him a role in a film.

“I earned in that film as much as I would earn working 18 years as a night watchman,” said Raffi, who supported himself that way as a student. “But I knew I was a lousy ac-tor.”

He made a fast theatre career as a director and worked for 14 years in the national theatre in Paris, until he accepted, in 1975, an offer

from the Iranian government to be a director of both the City Theatre and the faculty of Dramatic Arts in Tehran.

The 1979 revolution in Iran, when all uni-versities were closed down, brought him back to Paris, where he taught at the Sorbonne, but eventually, he returned again to his country, some 10 years ago. He is working now on a new play that will premier in Tehran next week.

“It is a 250-year old story placed in our time, in a morgue, where the entire space is plastered with white ceramic tiles,” said Raffi with gusto, “it opens up questions of power and machiavellism.”

“Let me be clear – I hate politically en-gaged films and plays,” he concludes. “There’s something vulgar in that. But I do like theatre that opens a question in one’s mind.”

Iranian film director Ali Raffi talks to Belgrade Insight about cooking, loving, and the young Karl Marx.

Scene from “When Fish Falls in Love”

Ali Raffi speaks exclusively to Belgrade Insight at the recent Iranian Film Festival in Begrade.

Source: Iranian Cultural Centre

Source: Iranian Cultural Centre

4 belgrade chronicle

By Ljilja Cvekic

“There are two kinds of people – one kind eats only to stop being hungry, another kind appreci-ates the taste and smell of food. They deal with love, sex, feelings, the same way.”

Ali Raffi

“Let me be clear – I hate politi-cally engaged films and plays. There’s something vulgar in that. But I do like theatre that opens a question in one’s mind.”

Ali Raffi

Friday, Feb. 6 - Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009

Belgrade Through the Eyes of…

The City’s Big Hope is BoozeBelgrade Diary

5belgrade chronicle

fabled Belgrade “scene”. Yes, you can have a great time here and the clubs are refreshingly free of vio-lence and pretension in the main. The music can be the bee’s knees and all that. But is that it?

I arrived here after stints in St. Petersburg – where impromptu strip-ping wasn’t unknown – and Warsaw – where the urge to dance on bars and tables seemed irresistible to many – and have so far have had lit-tle reason to raise my eyebrows at the nocturnal goings-on in this city.

Because it isn’t really clubbing that defines the capital’s experience after dark, it’s the cafes, though they seem to do a roaring trade whether on a Monday morning at 11 or at 9 p.m. on a Friday.

I wondered into Terazija in July, just after the end of the riot in sup-port of Radovan Karadzic had end-ed, tripped over some rubble and noticed that loads of people were chin-wagging their way through the evening in the Hotel Moskva café and Biblioteka as if absolutely noth-ing had happened right there, just outside.

Was it the abundant cigarette smoke that we have all come to know and love from living in Bel-grade that prevented them from see-ing that riot police and youths had been pummelling one another? Or was their nattering time, post-work, so precious that they did not pay heed to something as unseemly as an anti-social disturbance? Or were they just completely mad?

Brushing rubble dust off myself, I could almost imagine a brick flying through the window of the Moskva and being nonchalantly caught by one of the patrons, while he/she (most probably she – I don’t know

why – it just makes sense for some reason) lit up her next cigarette. “And anyway...”, she would con-tinue.

Belgrade café society may be ultra-cool but inclusive it is not. True, it avoids all that nonsense of posing and “people watching” that Paris and even London are supposed to get up to.

Talk, caffeine and nicotine are the sources of this city’s main vibe. But, let’s face it, anything sociable that eschews alcohol, places itself off limits to strangers and often has its head right up its own backside.

Booze is the fuel that drives us into the unknown, barges past con-vention, and gets us talking to the person we’ve just brushed against on the way to the toilet. It can also turn you into a boorish wreck, but that risk is evident the moment glass makes contact with lip.

This is not something I have had much cause to say since I started liv-ing in Eastern Europe, but it could well be that Belgraders just aren’t consuming enough alcohol.

There are positives in this. At least in this city a walk along the pavement does not resemble a scene from Dawn of the Dead, as it can in some parts of St Petersburg or Warsaw that I know of, such is the number of drunks sashaying from one end to the other.

But, when I go to my favourite haunt in Belgrade, the Three Carrots Irish pub, I feel I can see Belgrade’s future.

Sitting up at the bar there, is a homely experience, once you’ve done it a few times, and although it does afford the odd pleasure of anonymity as you blend in with the other amorphous boozers, you know

that at any minute someone could park themselves next to you and conversation will begin to flow.

Yet aside from a few very pleas-ant exceptions, the companion has invariably turned out to be male.

According to one of the bar staff I spoke to, women don’t want to drink at the bar because they are worried about being associated with the “drunks” who gravitate there. That includes me, clearly.

Though apart from getting a bit sleepy after a jug too many, neither myself or any other of the Three Carrots stalwarts has done anything untoward, and it as trouble-free a joint as you will find anywhere in the city. So let the pub triumph over the cafe in Belgrade, 2009.

Fags are foul, coffee is crud and beer is boss.

Colin Graham is a British freelance journalist.

The city’s famous ‘scene’ may be ultra-cool, but it will never be very inclusive until alcohol triumphs over the caffeine culture.

By Colin Graham

It’s the nightlife that has everyone raving about Belgrade, whether it’s clubs that are throbbing

away underground or juddering up and down on the Sava. Guidebooks do it, even national newspapers do it, they all writhe in desperate hom-age to the hedonistic Mecca that is the Serbian capital.

It’s a natural development, re-ally. Serbia, outcast of Europe in the 1990s, was always going to become the next big thing in rampant party-ing after the other post-Communist countries had descended into their own, sometimes peculiar, brands of respectability.

With British stag-nighters mak-ing an unholy mess of the likes of Krakow and Vilnius, the discerning clubber, perhaps weaned onto Ser-bian fare via the EXIT festival, has found Belgrade a more wholesome alternative.

A place where you can dance without some drunken idiot giving you bother, where the locals have yet to be turned off by your presence and where a night out is still not going to break the bank, the Serbian capital would seem to have it all for the punt-er who just wants to party in peace.

However, that is not the whole story.

I for one have often been puz-zled by the hype surrounding the

A fire that broke out on Wednesday morning com-pletely destroyed eleven

dwellings in the Roma slum situated under the Gazela bridge in the centre of Belgrade.

The slum, estimated to house between 900 and 2,000 people, is set back from the bank of the Sava river, close to the city’s expensive hotel and business district. The single-storey dwellings can best be desrcibed as huts made of cardboard and aluminum sheeting, held down by tires, rocks and bits of plastic.

The homes have no plumbing or running water, and electricity comes from rigged up connections to nearby

pylons. Most residents make a liv-ing by selling items recovered from bins and tips. Many Roma have little education and literacy levels are low as mutual mistrust and prejudice be-tween the Roma and Serbs makes schooling a difficult experience for most Roma children.

Nobody was hurt, and ten fire trucks arrived minutes after the fire broke out, Belgrade media reported. Fires are a common oc-currance in the slum dwellings as many residents light open fires to provide warmth over the winter months. Fire destroyed four dwell-ings on the night of Serbian Ortho-dox Christmas on January 7th.

A Serbian publisher, the first in the world to publish a con-troversial novel based on the

Prophet Mohammed’s life, has plans to publish the sequel.

“The Jewel of Medina”, the de-but novel of American journalist Sherry Jones, hit bookstores in Ser-bia last August, a week before Ran-dom House cancelled its US launch. As in other countries, the Muslim community in Serbia also requested the book’s ban, saying they were of-fended by the novel, especially the details describing the intimacy be-

tween Mohammed and his young wife A’isha.

The BeoBook publishing house withdrew the book from the stores, saying it had no intention to insult anyone, but released it again a month later, when publishers in other coun-tries announced they were going ahead with distribution plans.

Jones’s follow-up, “A’isha and A’lli”, will follow A’isha’s life after the prophet’s death.

“I think the manuscript will be ready in few weeks and we’ll im-mediately contact the author to buy the rights and prepare a translation,” publisher Aleksandar Jasic told Bel-grade Insight. “We plan to have it ready for the Belgrade Book fair in October.”

Jasic opened his publishing house two years ago with what he describes as an ambition to publish quality literature by foreign authors but also books that might provoke special interest or get people to con-sider controversial topics.

He bought the rights to the man-uscript of “The Jewel of Medina” before the book’s global launch, ex-plaining he saw its bestseller poten-tial as the first fictional account of Mohammad’s private life.

The book still tops Serbian best-seller lists.

Ann Pesic Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Ireland

Nationality: IrishIn Belgrade: 1978 – 1980, 1985 - present

The best thing about Belgrade is:

That it is still a city with a soul. It is not an elegant city, as are perhaps others in the region but it is safe to walk around even at night when there are still many people on the streets. The youth of Belgrade have a vitality that always cheers me up considering what most of them have lived through and how disadvan-taged they are compared to their peers in other European countries.

The most annoying thing about Belgrade is:

The pollution, both the air and the noise. There is a constant cacophony of impatient driv-ers blowing their horns and noise at night of insensitive café owners who feel that it is their right to blast out music at one o’clock in the morning despite the fact that there are still some people who have to get up in the morning and go to work.

If I was mayor for one day:

I would try to set up a programme to re-house the unfortunate people who have lived for too many years under the bridges of Belgrade. If I could manage to re-house a few Roma families every year in social housing, to have them properly integrated, find employment and their children attending the local primary school, I would feel that I was doing my job.

Roma Lose Homes In Belgrade Slum Fire

Publisher to Print Sequel to “The Jewel of Medina”

We’d love to hear your thoughts too. Tell us what you like about Belgrade, what re-ally 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 your-self, and send a photo too, if you like.

Send your contributions to:belgradeinsighteditor@birn.eu.com

Friday, Feb. 6 - Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009

6 business

Serbia ‘Unilaterally’ Implements European Union Trade Deal

A good signal to investors, per-haps, but is it the right mo-ment for Serbia to take such

a gamble in the midst of a global economic crisis?

That is the question being asked following Belgrade’s decision to unilaterally implement its transition-al trade agreement with the EU.

On 30 January, the government decided to activate the agreement, which centres on the phased reduc-tion of import taxes on industrial and agricultural products over the next six years.

The move was made firstly to prove to Brussels that closer associ-ation with the EU remains Serbia’s priority and secondly to encourage investment.

But some economists fear it may prove unwise to deprive the budget of around €150 million in customs revenues at a time of economic cri-sis.

There are also doubts over whether Serbian citizens will actual-ly gain that much in terms of access to cheaper imported goods.

The government is implement-ing the deal unilaterally because the EU “froze” the Stabilisation and As-sociation Agreement, SAA, which Serbia signed on 29 April last year, until Belgrade is deemed to have fully cooperated with the Hague war crimes tribunal.

This means the arrest of the re-maining two war-crime suspects, the former Bosnian army command-er, Ratko Mladic, and the former

Croatian Serb leader, Goran Hadzic.Government officials defended

the move, saying that if Serbia failed to implement the SAA, it could not apply for EU candidacy and open negotiations on eventual member-ship.

Vladimir Medjak, adviser to the Serbian government’s office for European integration, recalled that Brussels has unilaterally allowed Serbia to export its goods to the EU without paying customs duties since 2000.

“Over the next six years, it will enable Serbia to create a customs-free trade zone with the EU,” he said.

“You cannot get candidate status if you do not show you are capable of implementing the Stabilisation and Association Agreement,” he added.

The government hopes its trade liberalisation measures will also send an important message to poten-tial investors.

The past experiences of those countries that joined the EU in 2004 and 2007 suggest implementation of an SAA boosts direct foreign invest-ment.

“The main message of this agree-ment is that Serbia is a safe country in which to invest,” Medjak contin-ued.

But while Serbia is awaiting those investors, some experts doubt whether ordinary people stand to profit much from access to cheaper imports.

The transitional agreement in-volves the progressive reduction of customs duties over a number of years.

Import taxes on industrial goods

will be totally scrapped after six years, while taxes on agricultural goods will remain, albeit at reduced levels, of between 20 and 80 per cent of the 2008 rate.

As of January 30, 2009, Ser-bia will remove import taxes on livestock used for breeding, tropi-cal fruits, spices and some types of seeds. But these are seen as largely symbolic moves, unlikely to affect the average consumer.

Shoppers are far more likely to notice the decision to immediately cut taxes on imported automobiles from 20 to 10 per cent.

People will also be able to buy cheaper imported washing machines, vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, air-conditioners, telephones, bicycles and shoes. Customs taxes on these

goods will drop from an average of 15.7 per cent to around 13.

Miroslav Prokopijevic, direc-tor of the Free Market Centre, said implementation of the agreement would certainly make many prod-ucts cheaper.

“Automobiles are already cheap-er and industrial and some agricul-tural products should also become cheaper, though by a smaller per-centage,” he said.

But Milan Culibrk, of the Econo-mist Media Group, said he was less convinced that average consumers stand to benefit.

He said trade in foreign goods in Serbia was largely in the hands of a few near monopolies, and these “big importers will just use their position on the market to increase their mar-gins”.

He also fears the government may have started to implement the agreement at the worst possible mo-ment, when most other countries are looking for ways to protect produc-tion.

“They should have thought about whether it is the right moment to cancel import taxes, because the ef-fect on consumers may be almost nonexistent,” he warned.

Estimates of potential losses to the budget as a result of implemen-tation of the trade agreement, drawn up during the drafting of the 2009 budget, amount to around €150 mil-lion.

But that estimate is now believed to be out of date, as circumstances, related to the global downturn, have since changed. Meanwhile, imports have decreased due to the current crisis, so the total loss may be small-er then expected.

In order to make up for the losses to the budget caused by the fall in customs revenues, parliament has amended the Law on excise, result-ing in more expensive cigarettes, al-coholic drinks and petroleum prod-ucts.

But after many members of the public, and some tobacco manu-facturers, voiced strong dissatisfac-tion, it is possible that this will be changed.

When it comes to the implemen-tation of the SAA, Miroslav Proko-pijevic criticises the decision to re-spond to the fall in customs revenue by increasing excise duties.

“Excise duties cannot compen-sate for a reduction of income from customs taxes,” he said. “It would have been better had government not made that decision.”

Source: www.BalkanInsight.com

Belgrade hopes Brussels will appreciate moves to create a free-trade zone but some economists say it’s a bad time to cut customs revenues.

Cheaper cars may be one of the few tangible benefits to consumers of Belgrade’s adoption of the SAA tariff regimes. Source: www.automagazin.co.yu

By Nenad Vulovic Reporting from Belgrade

“They should have thought about whether it is the right moment to cancel customs taxes, be-cause the effect on con-sumers may be almost non-existent.”

Milan Culibrk, of the Economist Media Group

“Excise duties cannot compensate for a re-duction of income from customs taxes, it would have been better had government not made that decision.”

Miroslav Prokopijevic, director of the Free Market Centre

Friday, Feb. 6 - Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009

7businessbusiness 7businessbusiness

BELEX: Another Week of Light Trading on the Exchange

State Cash Injection for Ailing FirmsSerbia Sees Long-Term Benefit In Fiat Deal

The turnover on the Belgrade Stock Exchange in the week to February 5th was again

low at 1.04 billion dinars. The most liquid issue was Soj-

aprotein where total trade of 557.6

million dinars accounted for more than half the exchange’s total vol-ume.

Sojaprotein has recently an-nounced a rights issue of 5.39 million of shares with the aim of using the funds to improve pro-duction capacity and refining of the business. Issue price is 946 dinars but existing sharehold-ers have the right to purchase at 851.

The market does not seem too keen on the issue and the current share price of Sojaprotein is 831 dinars.

Investor`s attention was also focused on AIK Bank whose price slid 4 per cent in the reviewed pe-riod.

Generally, mood on the Ex-change continued to be pessimis-tic with the Belex15, dropping by 1.66 per cent and the Belexline losing 1.04 per cent.

Foreign investors’ participa-tion in total turnover during the reviewed period was modest, accounting for 30 per cent with more intensive presence on the sell side.

Confectionery company Bambi was the biggest gainer with a 53.8 per cent price in-crease, followed by Cacanska Bank and chemicals producer Galenika Fitofarmacija which rose 19.8 per cent and 9.3 per cent respectively.

Mineral water producer Voda

Vrnjci was the top loser, dropping 12.7 per cent. Also in the top los-ers` group Agrobacka declined 12 per cent and Credy Bank was off by 11.8 per cent.

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

By Tijana Cvetkovic

Serbia will give local firms loans of up to €2 million to ensure their liquidity during the finan-

cial crisis, and up to €4 million for their investments, Economy Minister Mladjan Dinkic said.

In addition, the government will adopt measures to help modernise the infrastructure of several com-panies, including RTB Bor, that are potentially big exporters, Dinkic re-cently told state television, RTS.

The first two tenders for the Bor copper complex failed and not a single company bid in the third tender last September. Since then, the minister said, the price of copper on the world market dropped from $8,000 to $3,000 per tonne, as a consequence of the crisis, making the privatisation of the mine and smelter even more difficult.

Dinkic also addressed comments by Serbia’s central bank governor Radovan Jelasic in which he said that

hard currency reserves would not be used for propping up companies “as it has never been done before”.

Dinkic said Serbia would secure the billion euros needed to cover the budget deficit and foreign debt with-out touching the reserves. He said some €300 million was in the budg-et, €400 million was the payment by Russia’s Gazprom for a stake in oil company NIS, and €300 million would come from foreign creditors.

Fiat will pay €200 million for the Zastava car producer by the end of the year - an ex-

pected 10-month delay in new in-vestment at the Kraguevac produc-tion facility.

Aleksandar Ljubic, advisor to Serbia’s Privatisation Agency said that although the deal allows the Ser-bian government to impose penalties on Fiat, the country should refrain from doing that.

“The aim is that Zastava becomes a part of a big producer such as Fiat,” he told B92 television’s talk show Poligraf.

“A thousand people will be en-gaged in the production of the Pun-to, in Serbia, and all other workers will keep their jobs and work on preparation of the new line.”

Under the terms of the billion-euro joint venture signed in Sep-tember, Fiat, which will hold 67 per cent of Zastava, will start making 200,000 cars in Serbia in 2010 and must additionally invest €200 mil-lion in the new company.

Economy Minister Mladjan Din-kic recently told national television RTS that the government would support each Serbian-made Punto car owner with at least €1,000, low-ering the vehicle’s price to €5,999 if purchased with a 7-year loan. The new Punto’s normal price is €7,300.

Djelic: Country Clinches Michelin Deal

Michelin, the world’s sec-ond-largest tyre producer will invest €10 million in

Serbia within the next 18 months, Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic said recently.

The deal, which is the first con-crete investment in Serbia for sev-eral months, was announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

“I can see that even now, when the world demand has dropped by up to 30 per cent, CEOs of global firms are still looking at the possi-

bilities for new investments,” Djelic told Belgrade radio B92.

He said the deal meant Miche-lin would open a logistics centre that would create 100 new jobs, and double its production at the Pirot factory to 12 million tyres an-nually.

He also said that he expected Russia’s payment of €400 million for the majority stake in oil indus-try NIS would be made shortly.

“I don’t know the technical de-tails, but I … expect the money will be paid today,” he said.

Gazprom Neft, the trading arm of the Russian gas export Gazprom, bought a 51 per cent stake of Ser-bia’s oil monopoly NIS for €400 million, with an obligation to invest further €547 million by 2012.

Economy Minister Mladjan Dinkic says exports are the top priority in the government’s stimulus package.

Djelic announced new investment by Michelin in a distribution centre in Pirot

Photo by FoNet

Source: www.emportal.co.yu

Hydro-Electric Plant for SaleEmportal reports that the government will announce an international tender for a 70 per cent stake in the hydro-electric power plant at Bajina Basta, and has set €3.5 million as a base price for bids. The deadline for receipt of bids is April 16th.

Corridor 10 Saga ContinuesIn a further twist to the long running machinations over the “Corridor 10” infrastructure project, Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic, has requested additional funding from the World Bank for the further development of the project. The long running project is aimed at developing Serbia’s highways as part of a wider European arterial network.

NIS Sale Complete

The Minister of Energy and Mining, Petar Skundrid, said that Gaspromneft have paid the €400 million agreed pur-chase price for a 51 per cent stake in NIS. Gazpromneft will appoint six of the eleven members of the Administrative Board including the President, who is thought likely to be Dmitrij Malisev.

Serbian PM Sees Stable DinarSerbia’s currency, which has lost 25 per cent of its value in the last three months, will soon become stable and the state will use all its efforts to keep it that way, Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said.“We expect the dinar to become stable, ” he said recently in an interview with Danas, “but not as a consequence of endlessly spending huge amounts (of Serbia’s hard currency re-serves), since we neither have that money to spend nor are we allowed to spend it.”

State to Support JATThe government announced that it will assist Serbia’s flag carrier JAT Airways by funding €100 per working year for employees that will be made redundant in restructuring. This will amount to a total €1.7 million worth of redundancy payments, with an additional €3.6 million coming from the budget as a loan to JAT for the same purpose.

We fly for your smile.

Briefs

Friday, Feb. 6 - Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009

Albanian coast guards are engaged in a seemingly never-ending battle with people smugglers operating along the country’s coastline. Photo courtesy of the Albanian Defence Ministry

8 neighbourhood

Albania Struggles To Curb Illegal MigrationBriefs

As an endless series of tragedies continues, debate rages over wheth-er tougher policing of the borders will be enough to dam the stream of Albanians ready to risk their lives to escape a dire economic situation.

An estimated 35 per cent of Alba-nia’s population has emigrated since the Stalinist regime fell in 1991.

Greece is estimated to host more 570,000 Albanian migrants and Ita-ly, more than 270,000, the bulk of whom crossed these countries’ bor-ders illegally.

Remittances from migrants are a lifeline for Albania’s struggling economy, amounting to €947 mil-lion in 2007.

Under pressure from the EU, how-ever, Albania has banned speedboats on the Adriatic for the last three years to thwart the illegal smugglers.

“The moratorium [on speedboats] needs to be extended because the border police are not yet equipped with the means to stop trafficking along the coast,” the Interior Minis-ter, Bujar Nishani, said in October.

The ban affected around 2,000 local speedboat owners and was intended to stop traffickers in both people and drugs from using their craft to reach the shores of Italy and Greece.

The only small motorised ves-sels allowed to venture out into the sea from Albanian shores are police,

customs and fishing boats as well as foreign-owned yachts.

Critics say the law is unneces-sary and has hurt Albania’s tourism industry, creating more unemploy-ment and subsequently more poten-tial migrants.

Nertian Ceka, deputy speaker of Albania’s parliament, says the measure is not curbing illegal mi-gration but is only aggravating the troubles of an industry vital to Alba-nia’s prosperity. The ban meanwhile discriminates between Albanian and foreign citizens.

Police also note that the morato-rium has not completely solved the problem at sea while it has increased migratory pressures on the land bor-der with Greece.

“Traffickers coming from the border areas know the mountain passes on the borders very well, which makes it very difficult to po-lice them,” Pullumb Nako, head of Albania’s border police, said.

In 2008, Greek authorities stopped more than 11,000 illegal migrants on the border.

Seasonal employment agree-ments between Albania and neigh-bouring countries have also failed to dent the number of illegal migrants because they often have functioned poorly.

Many of those who have migrated temporarily using these agreements have sought to stay permanently in the host country, which makes the agreements difficult to renew.

Experts warn that despite greater efforts from Tirana to strengthen its borders, illegal migration will con-tinue as long as there are such high levels of unemployment and poverty in the country.

Albania was the last country in Eastern Europe to emerge from Communism and even by the low standards of its former socialist neighbours, its economy was in tatters by the early 1990s, largely thanks to the regime’s isolationism.

Despite recent economic growth averaging 5 per cent of GDP per year, chronic unemployment and under-development have kept pov-erty the norm, particularly in rural areas, home to 57 per cent of the population. The IMF estimates that almost 25 per cent of people live on less than 2 US dollars a day.

According to the head of Albani-an Institute of Statistics, Ines Nurja, unemployment remains high espe-cially among young people under 30. This demographic group is the core market of the traffickers.

For many of these jobless young-sters, the prospect of a dangerous, arduous passage abroad is a risk they are willing to take.

“When you don’t have a job and can’t feed your family, illegal migra-tion is the only way out,” said Blerta a young woman from Tirana in her twenties who has decided to risk the voyage across the mountains into Greece. “I see migration as the only way out of poverty,” she added.

Source: www.BalkanInsight.com

Despite improved border policing, Albanians continue to risk their lives to go abroad in order to pursue dreams of a better life in the EU.

There is little chance that three-year-olds Andueneta and Klarisa understood the

danger they faced as a snow storm blocked them and their mothers in the mountains of Southern Albania on December 16th. They were part of a group of 15 Albanians migrants attempting to cross the border ille-gally into Greece.

An SOS sent from a cell phone to a local TV station alarmed the au-thorities of both countries who then launched a rescue operation, saving the migrants who had been stuck for more than 20 hours in the snow in temperatures well below freezing.

The two girls and the 13 others can count themselves lucky. Three months previously, five would-be emigrants drowned in an accident in Lake Butrint, including a 22-year-old mother and her three-month-old baby.

People smuggling has been rampant in Albania for more than two decades. Tens of thousands of migrants have been smuggled on speedboats from Albania across the Adriatic to Italy or across the moun-tains into Greece.

By Blerina Moka Reporting from Tirana

Headscarved Pupil Pushes Limits In MacedoniaThe case of a teenage girl who wants to wear her headscarf to school is creating waves in Macedonia, with education authorities, local officials and teachers locked in a tug-of-war over religous freedom and the right to education.The girl, who attends a high school in the western Mac-edonian town of Tetovo, a predominantly ethnic Albanian area, wanted to wear her head scarf over her school uniform. After several warnings, the headmaster Ljatif Ismaili banned her from class until she removes the headscarf during school hours.

Bosnia Recession Brings Mass Job LossesMore than 6,500 people have lost their jobs in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the last two months alone because of the worsening economic crisis in the country and abroad, local media reported recently.

World Bank Halts Controversial Albania Project The World Bank has an-nounced the suspension of a loan from the International Development Association for a project that while meaning to safeguard Albania’s coast was found to have been used to demolish parts of a village and leave many families homeless. An internal IDA report, ob-tained by Balkan Insight, shows that a World Bank project on coastal zones management in southern Albania, aided the demolition of informal settle-ments in the village of Jale, in disregard to the bank’s policies of forced displacement.

Kosovo Suicide RateOn Rise Due To DepressionSociologists are ringing warn-ing bells over the alarming rise in suicides and suicide attempts in Kosovo, after three people tried to kill themselves over the weekend. Kosovo lacks comprehensive nationwide suicide statistics, but local authorities in Pristina reported 15 suicides and 57 suicide attempts in the capital region alone in 2008.

Bulgarian Farmers Block Four Border CrossingsFarmers from northern and southern Bulgaria staged new protests on February 4th.The main demand of the pro-test near Stara Zagora is for the Agriculture Ministry to finally update the cattle owners reg-istry, which is used to identify the recipients and size of cattle farming subsidies.

Friday, Feb. 6 - Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009

9out & about

Forgotten Ski Resort Awaits Rebirth

I’d been planning a trip to the Brezovica ski resort for a while but was waiting for the snowfall, which came later this year than

usual. But during the week there was a good dump, so on Saturday, I set off from Pristina.

Waking up before 6 a.m. during the winter is not much fun, however. It was pitch dark outside and foggy as well. I even thought about cancelling, because it seemed impos-sible to take photographs in such weather, but then I told myself: “What the heck!” I had planned this trip and was going to make it.

Because of the fog, I had to drive quite slowly but once I passed Ferizaj/Urosevac and turned left, the mist lifted, as if cut with a knife. Now, I could speed up and make up for lost time. But, as I hit the Sara/Sharr Moun-tains there were patches of snow on the road and again I had to slow. I reached Shterpce at 7.20 a.m. and there remained only another 15 kilometres or so to Brezovica.

The last 12 kilometres of uphill driving took me along mountainous roads and past chalets that dated from the 1980s, many burned during the war in Kosovo. There was a also a toll gate, installed by some locals, charging drivers €2 per vehicle and an addi-tional 50 cents per passenger.

As soon as I parked up, I got hold of my photo gear and started the slight descent to the Hotel Molika, which was built in the early 1980s. Unfortunately, not a cent has

been invested in the hotel since then, and if you ever wondered what life was like in the Communist era, this place will provide a glimpse. Besides all the political issues and disputes over Brezovica, if this place is to revive and attract tourists from abroad, much will need to be done in terms of investment and infrastructure.

It was going to be a crowded day at the re-sort, so I decided to go to the ski lifts at once and visit one of the ski tracks before people started queuing for the lifts. The charge for a single ride is €3 euros or €10 for a one day pass, but because the man working there thought I was a foreign journalist, he did not charge me and I was happy not to pay! He at least acknowledged the importance of the place’s tourist potential. Every little helps in that direction. The lift ride lasted for 10 to 15 minutes and the early morning sunny winter weather was perfect for taking pictures.

At the top, there was a small cabin where a person was taking care of the lift and the ski-ers. I took a lot of photographs from there. A few metres away was an old steel scrap yard, and when I approached, I noticed some old retired gondolas, rusty and long out of serv-ice. The sky was very clear from here, and I could see the distant mountains, the fog in the valleys, the white clouds and even the rocks on the mountains, so without wasting time, I got hold of my camera and took some more photographs.

The man working in the ski lift ushered me into his small cabin so I could warm up, and we had an opportunity to exchange a few words. Originally he thought I was foreign but when we spoke he realised I was native, too.

We spoke about about how beautiful this place was and how I remembered it from a long time ago, and we agreed that it was pity so little was being invested here, as it would contribute directly to the livelihood of local people. Poli-tics, he said, had prevented this from happening

but what he cared most about was making a bet-ter living for himself and his family.

The long and steep pistes at Brezovica are most suited to experienced skiers but skiers of all abilities will enjoy the resort. Those with-out skis can rent them from the resort from €10 a day.

After about two hours at the top of the moun-tain, it was time to make my way back down, so I said goodbye to the man and started my de-scent. But halfway down the slope there was a power cut and the lift came to a halt. However, the weather was fine and the spot where I had stopped was good for taking some additional pictures - you get used to making the best of these little opportunities in Kosovo! Eventually the power was restored and my trip back com-menced. Once back down, I was hungry, too, probably from all that fresh air, so I went to the “Tina” pizzeria, a good choice as it turned out.

There I noticed a small motel whose façade was unfinished but which was open to visitors. I had a look inside and found it had

decent rooms for €40 a night. It seemed well worth it.

How To Get ThereFrom Belgrade, take highway E75 to-

wards Nis. After approximately 120km, take the Batocina exit and take the road towards Kragujevac and Kraljevo. Once in Kraljevo, take the Ibarska Magistrala to Mitrovica. From Mitrovica, take the road to Pristina. After 45km, once in Pristina, take the road to Ferizaj and Skopje. Once past Ferizaj, drive another 15km until a sign on your right gives directions for Tetova, Br-ezovica and Prizren. After a short while, make a slight right turn, again following the sign to Prizren. After about 20km you reach Shtrpce. Drive about 3km until a sign on your left reads Shara. Brezovica follows after that, about 12km uphill.

Source: www.BalkanInsight.com

As a result of the disputes in the region, this mountain has remained untouched and undeveloped. Some consider this to be a pity, while others enjoy the simple nature of the place.

The pistes at Brezovica are most suited for experienced skiiers because the runs are long and steep.

Source: www.brezovica-ski.com

Source: www.brezovica-ski.com

Isolated and neglected as a result of Kosovo’s disputes, Brezovica is crying out for the investment that could transform it into a first-class winter wonderland once again.

By Asdren RrahmaniReporting from Brezovica

Friday, Feb. 6 - Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009

10 the belgrader

Pane e Vino

A few months ago I had a din-ner invitation at Pane e Vino but, by the end of a long day

at work, which turned into a late evening, I only arrived in time to fin-ish off the wine and sip an espresso. But my colleagues were positive about their dinner, so I made a note to return.

I remembered the restaurant, buzzing with conversation and laugh-ter, alive with the clank and scrape of utensils on china and bustling staff, and that on a Thursday night. I had toyed with booking for our Saturday visit, convinced that we would find it difficult to get a table but, as it turned out, we could probably have fitted in almost everybody I know in Belgrade and still left room for the tumblew-eeds to roll through the dining room.

But I’ve eaten in roadside restau-rants in America’s deep South, where

time freezes as you enter and you ex-pect the staff to treat you to a vicious bludgeoning alongside your pie and hominy grits, so I wasn’t overly put off.

The menu is Italian and covers pretty much everything you’d expect, including that relic, still much loved by Italian restaurants worldwide, the cover charge. Why restaurateurs per-sist in making this frankly inexcus-able charge is beyond me. It may only be 60 dinars, but I suspect you can tell how much it rankles.

Anyway, we ordered an avoca-do and goat’s cheese salad, gnocci Amalfi style, veal with ceps and beef medallions with rocket. To accom-pany all this we chose a good value Chakana Malbec, which was worth every one of the 1,700 dinars price tag. Almost purple in colour, the wine was powerful and full of fruity lusciousness. This value-focused producer has recently been turning out wines which outperform many of its similarly priced Australian and old world rivals.

The salad was described as “big” on the menu, and so it turned out – a huge bowl of mixed leaves, chunks of cheese and avocado, and thin slices of radish, topped with a scat-tering of roasted sunflower seeds. The cheese was unexpectedly firm and salty, more like a ewe’s milk cheese, but none the worse for that, and the combination of flavours and textures worked well. All it needed to be perfect was a good dressing, which, sadly, it lacked. The gnocci

were served in a good tomato sauce with a topping of grilled mozzarella – competent if not spectacular.

Sometimes you need a literal mind, when reading menus in Serbia. You need to understand that if the menu says beef medallions with rocket, or veal with ceps, then that is exactly what you will get. The steak was good – cooked to perfection, the rock-et crunchy, peppery and fresh. The veal was tender, again well cooked, served with a very generous portion of fresh ceps in a sauce. But neither dish came with any accompaniment at all, not even a sprig of parsley. How much nicer that steak would have tast-

ed with, say, a root vegetable mash. Some crispy, hot, French fries would have been great for dipping into the really very good mushroom sauce, but it was not to be.

You’ll be pleased to hear, dear readers, that creme brulee was not on the menu, so we chose a pear and marzipan tart and a panna cotta for desert. The pastry on the tart was but-tery and crisp and the pear, marzipan and creme patissier filling were spot on. The panna cotta was creamy, not too soft or too firm, but lacked any real flavour and the strawberry coulis which topped it was a little on the sweet side.

So in all, a really rather good ex-perience, which could have been even better with just a few extra touches and without that cover charge! I am told by regulars that we must have visited at the wrong time and the res-taurant is usually much busier - given the combination of competent serv-ice, good food and reasonable prices, it deserves to be.

Pane e VinoDobracina 6Tel: 011 30 36 011

Price Guide: 2,000 – 2,500 each for three courses with a modest wine.

A really rather good experience, which could have been even better with just a few extra touches and without that cover charge.

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.

We Recommend

By Trencherman

Dining Out

Pane e Vino, strangely quiet on our visit, dishes up some fairly competent fare and should definitely be on your dining out shortlist.Source: www.paneevino.co.rs

Trnska 2 - Beograd - +381 11 344 77 00 - www. .compietrodelloro

Set back from the river-bank in Zemun, close to the football club, this place has “olde worlde” charm in spades. Ornate and victorian in style this place is sure to impress your latest hot date. Svetotroicne 22011-3076726

Reservations are needed for lunch or dinner here. This club with its splendid turn of the century interior is a popular place for diplomatic receptions. The staff are professional, and the mixture of Serbian and international cuisine is accomplished.

Unzun Mirkova 4/II011-2626077

Trencherman thought that the food was perhaps “too much sizzle and not enough sausage”, complaining about unneces-sarily fussy presentation, but nevertheless raved about the quality of his steak. A favourite with expats and locals alike.

Topolska 4 011-2431458

As authentic as it gets in Bel-grade, this good value Chinese restaurant has a fairly extensive menu, competent staff and a slightly garish dining room. It’s location just of Kneza Milosa, means you’re sure to run into a host of diplomats and govern-ment officials at lunchtimes.

Bircaninova 011-2659542

Restoran Aeroklub

VioletaKuca Stara 888

Gepetto

Friday, Feb. 6 - Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009

11the belgrader

Not many people can get away with nam-ing themselves after a verb. Sting is one of the few who can. A pop culture icon, Sting is a founding member of one of the most popular rock bands in the history of modern music, The Police, and has had an equally successful solo music career. Most recently, Sting ventured into “new” musical territory with an album featuring the music of acclaimed 16th century Eliza-bethan songwriter John Dowland entitled ‘Songs From the Labyrinth’, which had a surprisingly good showing, for classical music, on the billboard charts around the world. The album was recorded with the help of Bosnian lute master Edin Karamazov, who has his own solo album coming out soon called ‘The Lute is a Song’. Sava Centar, Great Hall, Milentija Popovica 9

Miroslav Tadic is a classically trained guitarist from Serbia who was named in the January 1997 issue of Guitar Player magazine as one of the 30 most radical and individual guitarists. His interest in Macedonian folk music has spurred a relationship with Macedo-nian guitar hero Vlatko Stefanovski, who is very well known in the Balkans and throughout the world for his influential and innovative use of folk music in his guitar playing. At the festival, Tadic and Stefanovski will be joined by Bulgarian Teodosi Spasov, who leads his own band and plays a va-riety of wind instruments. Sava Centar, Great Hall, Milentija Popovica 9

This acclaimed Academy Award-winning composer needs no introduction. He has composed and arranged scores for more than 500 film and television produc-tions and is best know for composing for the characteristic soundtracks of Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns ‘A Fistful of Dollars’, ‘For a Few Dollars More’, ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ and ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’. He has been nominated for five Academy Awards for Best Music, Original Score between 1979 and 2001. Perhaps as a consolation for never actually winning, Morricone received an Honorary Acad-emy Award in 2007 “for his magnificent and multifaceted contributions to the art of film music.” Belgrade Arena, Arsenija Carnojevica 58

Vincent Amigo Sextet

Miroslav Tadic, Vlatko Stefanovski and Teodosi Spasov

Ennio Morricone & Roma Sinfonietta

Sunday, February 8

Friday, February 13

Saturday, February 7

Thursday, February 12

Costas Cotsiolis

Saturday, February 14

Wednesday, February 11

Aleksandar Hadzi Djordjevic

Monday, February 9

Alirio Diaz

Acclaimed as the most brilliant flamenco guitarist of his generation, Vicente Amigo won a Latin Grammy in 2001 and has quickly become an international fla-menco guitar star. He has won numerous prizes, and shared the stage with legendary artists such as Mahav-ishnu Orchestra, fusion genius John Mc Laughlin, pop legend David Bowie, and other guitar virtuosos such as Al Di Meola and Paco de Lucia. The Spanish National Ballet has also performed an interpretation of his composition Poeta. Sava Centar, Great Hall, Milentija Popovica 9

Xuefei Yang

Tuesday, February 10

Xuefei Yang was the first guitarist to graduate from the Central Con-servatory of Music in Beijing with a Bachelor’s degree and the first Chinese student ever to receive an international scholarship to study at the Royal Schools of Music, in London. Famed guitarist John Williams was so impressed with her playing that he gave two of his own Smallman signature guitars to her Conserva-tory especially for her and other top students to play. She also has an ex-clusive international recording con-tract with EMI Classics. Performing the same night will be Pavel Steidl, Gabriela Demterova, Roland Dyens and Badi Assad. Ilija M. Kolarac Foundation Hall, Studentski Trg 5

This Greek guitarist has played with some of the best symphony orches-tras - Paris, BBC, Junge Deutsche Philarmonie - and has played in some of the most important guitar festivals around the world. He teaches throughout Greece and lectures at seminars around the world. Also performing on this night will be Zoran Du-kic, Aniello Desiderio, Roberto Aussel and the EOS Guitar Quartet. Ilija M. Kolarac Foundation Hall, Studentski Trg 5

Djordjevic graduated from the Acad-emy of Music Art in Prague under guitar greats Scepan Raka and Mar-tin Misuvetchka. His main interest is teaching young people. A number of his students have won international awards and are now per-forming actively as professionals. Djor-djevic also participates in seminars and lectures all over the world. This will be his second Guitar Art Festival, hav-ing performed at the inaugural festival with fellow guitarist Srdjan Tosic. Also performing will be local art-ists, including Vera Ogrizovic, Srdjn Tosic, Zoran Anic, Vesna Petkovic, Darko Karajic, Milos Janjic, Zoran Krajisnik and Dusan Bogdanovic. Ilija M. Kolarac Foundation Hall, Studentski Trg 5

Alirio Diaz is a Venezuelan guitar wizard who studied in the 1960s with the great classical guitar master Andres Segovia. He is also a published author, who has written an autobi-ography and a book called ‘Music from the Lives and Labours of the Venezuelan’. Diaz also had an international guitar contest named after him for his achievements in music edu-cation. Performing the same night will be Edin Karamazov’s quartet, Vojin Kocic, and Kazuhito Yamashita Ilija M. Kolarac Founda-tion Hall, Studentski Trg 5

Sting & Edin Karamazov

Guitar Art FestivalThe Belgrade Guitar Art Festival brings together Oscar-winning composer of West-ern movie scores, Ennio Morricone, acclaimed lute player Edin Karamazov, and ledgendary rocker Sting, in one of Serbia’s most important annual musical events, offering concerts, master classes, lectures, competitions and exhibitions.

Continued from page 1

Friday, Feb. 6 - Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009

12 the belgrader

Akademija

Adore Chocolat

With a history spanning some 40 years, Akademija’s dark smoky catacombs remain a

haven for Serbia’s alternative youth, Belgrade’s own CBGB (editors note: this was, our correspondent tells us, a famous underground New York club!).

It was founded in the 1960s as the club for students attending the Fine Arts University. In the late 1980s, Akademija was listed as one of the five best clubs in Europe, with peo-ple coming from all over the world to spend a night at the grimy basement alternative haven.

The club’s goal and sole purpose of existence in those early days was to promote urban sensitivity and cos-mopolitanism, turning Belgrade into a creative epicentre with experimental programmes that covered everything from music to painting and film, as well as everything in between.

Its cult status in the 80s saw many great bands from around the world booking shows there just to get a taste of the aura, with even Harvey Keitel and Johnny Depp making a pilgrimage to the club.

Locals in their forties still talk about Akademija with a touch of hyperbole, though the stories of its status as a Mecca for the culturally-inclined are so numerous that they are hard to ignore or disregard as simple nostalgia.

Unfortunately, Akademija’s hey-day was cut short and the club was buried in uncertainty and inactivity in the 1990s, when Serbia was slapped with sanctions for its role in the wars in Bosnia and Croatia. Although the club never fully closed, it spent the decade with no international artists or visitors.

During the NATO-led bombing of Serbia in spring 1999, Akademija was open every single day in the afternoon for kids looking to get away from eve-rything and throw their worries to the wind, at least for a few hours.

“When my mom asked where I was going, I said Akademija, and I

You can find a lot of import-ed chocolates in the shops around Belgrade, but if you

want something all-natural, locally made and delicious, head for Adore Chocolat.

Adore offers outstanding hand-made chocolate pralines in more than 50 flavours (try the “Crème Fraiche” with locally produced pavlaka and the “Canelle” with caramel cream and cinnamon), chocolate bark (the one with coffee is fantastic), hot chocolate, and muffins.

They produce lovely gift boxes that would brighten up anyone’s day, and you can even custom order a set with the logo of your organisation or business. Around holiday time, they turn out spe-ciality items, like a chocolate shoe for Women’s Day and eggs for Easter. And of course, it’s never too early to start thinking about Valentine’s Day!

TC Milenium Knez Mihailova 21

Delta City New Belgrade

011 2625056.

told her not to worry because it was located in a basement, and we’d be just as safe there as in the fallout shelter next to our building,” 26 year-old Ana recalls of the time.

Now, just like Serbia in general, Akademija finds itself in a period of uncertainty, transition and rebuilding. The club is in an awkward predicament in which it is neither privatised nor bankrolled by the state as it used to be, leaving club managers and promoters to push on while significantly in debt.

Most of Akademija’s backers are people who remember the glory days of the club, and are in the position to keep the spirit of the establishment alive.

For example, Disciplin A Kitschme, one of the most popular and innovative Serbian new wave bands of the last 20 years, often play sold-out shows in Akademija, even though they can realistically play venues that are 4 times as big, just to help to bring money into the club so it can continue to book smaller bands and artists who have nowhere else to go.

This spirit of camaraderie and artistic integrity is what continues to keep the club alive, as it remains a place for Belgrade alternative cul-ture, providing opportunities for mu-sicians, whether they be hardcore, hip-hop or drum’n’bass DJs, to per-form, organising nights for urban and independent music, art exhibitions and jam sessions.

By David Galic Reporting from Belgrade

By Rian HarrisReporting from Belgrade

Going Out

My Picks

Hands down and without much discussion, the most signifi-cant club in the history of Belgrade’s nightlife, Akademija, continues, despite financial woes, to promote the arts and alternative culture with every ounce of its being.

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

In the late 1980s Akademija was listed as one of the best clubs in Europe. Now, the club sees itself in a period of uncertainty.

Source: www.myspace.com

We Recommend

Vencanica (Wedding Gown) Magazine will be host-ing a wedding fair this weekend. This is the perfect opportunity for couples who are scheduled to get hitched this spring or summer but have yet to find the right clothes, decorations and other important accessories for the special day. There will be a fash-ion show in the evening modeling the latest in both wedding dresses and jewellery. Hyatt Regency Ho-tel, Milentija Popovica 5

One of the most relevant and respected house art-ists in the world, Terry Lee Brown Jr. will be per-forming in support of his latest album Softpack. He is well known for working with many influen-tial artists in the house scene and his albums and mixtapes run the gamut from funky dance floor hits, to chill and quaint coffee shop atmospherics. He will, of course, be focusing on the former on Friday. Mamolo, Ilije Garasanina 26

Come learn to sway your hips in the most sensual of ways at this two-day dance seminar. Led by a Portuguese dance in-structor, there are lessons being offered for both be-ginners and experienced dancers in the art of Salsa and Kizomba dancing. Make sure you bring comfortable shoes that can carry you through three hours of Salsa and four of Kizomba. KUD Cvetkovic, Milosa Pocer-ca 10

Salsa Seminar

Terry Lee Brown Jr.

Sunday

Wedding WeekendSaturdayFriday

If the Sex Pistols could headline last year’s Exit Festival in Novi Sad, then there is no reason why another pack of middle-aged geezers, the UK Subs, cannot continue rocking out if they are still inclined to do so. The Subs were very influential in the first wave of British punk, combining the energy of crasser bands with a rock’n’roll edge that many of their mohawk-wearing colleagues lacked. Student Cultural Centre, Kralja Milana 48

UK Subs Wednesday

Belgraders will have a chance to participate in this traditional Austrian event, which is one of the highlights of Vienna’s social calendar. The Vi-enna State opera will be performing traditional in-terpretations of Austrian music from the late 18th century through to the first half of the 20th cen-tury. Remember, the dress code is white tie and tails for men and floor-length ball gowns for the ladies. Sava Centar, Milentija Popovica 5

Vienna Opera BallTuesday

The fact that there is almost no one left in the band from the original lineup does not nullify the fact that Brazil’s Sepultura were one of the best thrash metal bands of the 1990s. Despite leader Max Cavalera leaving the band years ago to work on his new band Soulfly, and his brother, drummer Igor, leaving Sepultura last year to form the Cavalera Conspiracy, Sepultura continue to record and tour. Student Cultural Centre, Kralja Milana 48

Sepultura Monday

Someone forgot to send out the memo that it was punk rock week in Belgrade. Crossing the ocean this time, we have No Use for a Name, whose not-so-clever name did not stop them from writ-ing some pretty fine melodic Californian punk in their heyday. Opening up will be Serbia’s popular melodic punk veterans Six Pack. Student Cultural Centre, Kralja Milana 48

No Use For a NameThursday

Friday, Feb. 6 - Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009

13the belgrader

CINEMAS

Roda CINePlexPozeska 83A , tel: 011 2545260

Bolt 16:00Madagascar II 16:15The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 17:45, 21:00Yes Man 18:00, 20:00, 22:00

doM SINdIkaTaTrg Nikole Pasica 5, tel. 011 3234849

australia 18:00, 21:00Bolt 16:15Bride Wars 18:15Madagascar II 16:30The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 18:15, 21:15Twilight 16:15Yes Man 20:00

STeR CITY CINeMaDelta City, Jurija Gagarina 16 (Blok 67), tel: 011 2203400

australia 13:20, 16:30, 19:40, 23:00Bolt 11:00, 13:00, 15:00, 17:00, 19:00 Bride Wars 12:40, 15:30, 17:30, 19:20The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 13:40, 16:50, 20:00, 23:10Underworld 21:20, 23:30Yes Man 12:00, 14:10, 16:20, 18:30, 20:30, 22:50

TUCkWood CINePlexKneza Milosa 7, tel: 011 3236517

Bolt 15:30 Bride Wars 16:10, 18:10, 20:15Twilight 17:15, 19:35, 21:55Underworld 17:00, 19:00, 21:00, 22:50Yes Man 15:45, 18:00, 20:15, 22:30

Friday, February 6

MUSIC:

Tery lee Brown Jr., Mamolo, Ilije Garasanina 26, 21:00extra orkestar, Lava Bar, Kneza Milosa 77, 23:00kraljevski apartman, Fest, Majke Jevrosime 20, 22:30Toca and Band, Mr. Stefan Braun, Nemanjina 4/9, 23:00odium, Danguba, Cirila I Metodija 2, 23:00

Starfuckers, Living Room, Kralja Milana 48, 23:00

NIghTlIfe:

Barthelemy Vincent and Shwabe, Energija, Nusiceva 8, 23:00disco Plastic, Plastic, Djusina 7, 23:00dJ Stevie, Underworld, Corner of Ruzveltova and 27. Marta, 23:00 Vocal house, Mr. Stefan Braun, Ne-manjina 4/9, 23:00Sweeet fridays, Ex-Lagoom, Sveto-zara Radica 5, 23:00Yu Rock, White, Pariska 1a, 23:00les gigantes, Blue Moon, Knegilje Ljubice 4, 23,00

oTheR:

death and the dervish (play), Na-tional Theatre, Trg Republike 5, 19:30Rabbit hole (play), Belgrade Drama Theatre (BDP), Milesavska 64 20:00Nada Stemanovic (drawings), Poz-eska 83a, 17:00klirit art (graphics), Stara Kap-etanija Gallery, Kej Oslobodjenja 8, 17:00

Saturday, Friday 7

MUSIC:

Cavalleria Rusticana (opera), Na-tional Theatre, Trg Republike 5, 19:30frankestra Band, Gaucosi, Dunavs-ka 17a, 23:00No Comment Band, Lava bar, Kn-eza Milosa 77, 23:00Ben hur, Danguba, Cirila I Metodija 2, 23:00Witch 1, Living Room, Kralja Mi-lana 48, 23:00

NIghTlIfe:

Peppe & dJ Ura, The Tube, Do-bracina 17, 23:00gramaphondzije, Energija, Nusice-va 8, 23:00house Night, Mamolo, Ilije Garas-anina 26, 21:00dJ Ike & Prema, Plastic, Djusina 7 , 23:00dJ Marko gangbangers, Under-world, Corner of Ruzveltova and 27. Marta, 23:00house fever, Stefan Braun, Neman-jina 4/9, 23:00disco house Night, White, Pariska 1a, 23:00Soul Touch, Blue Moon, Knegilje Ljubice 4, 23,00

oTheR:

Massacre god (play), Atelje 212, Svetogorska 21, 20:00amadeus (play), Belgrade Drama Theatre (BDP), Milesavska 64, 20:00gamzigrad mosaics (exhibition), Zmaj Jovina 1, 17:00

Sunday, February 8

MUSIC:

Noemi gereg (piano), Artget Gal-lery, Trg Republike 5, 20:00Makao Band, Mr. Stefan Braun, Ne-manjina 4/9, 23:00live Bands, Blue Moon, Kneginje Ljubice 4, 23:00ekV Tribute, Danguba, Cirila I Me-todija 2, 23:00

NIghTlIfe:

Sportsman Night, White, Pariska 1a, 23:00Shaker Party, Mr. Stefan Braun, Vo-jislava Ilica 86, 23:00lazy Sunday afternoon, Fest, Ma-jke Jevrosime 20, 22:00karaoke, Miss Moneypenny, Ada Ciganlija (Makiska side 4), 21:30hip hop Party, Living Room, Kral-ja Milana 48, 23:00

oTheR:

after the Party (play), Belgrade Drama Theatre (BDP), Milesavska 64 20:00Miroljub Todorovic (exhibition), Belgrade Historical Archive, Palmira Toljatija 1, 17:00

Monday, February 9

MUSIC:

Sepultura, Student Cultural Centre, Kralja Milana 48, 21:00don giovanni and friends, Living Room, Kralja Milana 48, 23:00

NIghTlIfe:

Wandered in from a Rave, Fran-cuska Sobarica, Francuska 12, 22:00discount Night, Fest, Majke Jev-rosime 20, 22:00house Party (DJ Kobac), Blue Moon, Knegilje Ljubice 4, 23:00Bla Bla Band, Vanila, Studentski trg 15, 22:30kareoke, Danguba, Cirila I Metodija 2, 23:00

oTheR:

The Merry Wives of Windsor (play), National Theatre, Trg Repub-like 5, 19:30half Price (play), Belgrade Drama Theatre (BDP), Milesavska 64, 20:00katarina Zdjelar (video exhibi-tion), Museum of Contemporary Arts, Pariska 14, 17:00

Tuesday, February 10

MUSIC:

Iron Maiden, Belgrade Arena, Ar-senija Carnojevica 58, 20:00Manisent I Mentalnost, Blue Moon, Knegilje Ljubice 4, 23:00kinky acoustic, Miss Moneypen-ny, Ada Ciganlija (Makiska side 4), 21:30Nirvana Tribute, Danguba, Cirila I Metodija 2, 23:00

NIghTlIfe:

Psychodelic Tuesday, Underworld, Corner of Ruzveltova and 27 Marta, 23:00Riffs, Francuska Sobarica, Francus-ka 12, 22:00diesel Party, Mr. Stefan Braun, Ne-manjina 4/9, 23:00discount Night, Fest, Majke Jev-rosime 20, 22:00Zex kazanova, Bambo Bar, Strahin-jica Bana 71, 22:00Iron Maiden afterparty, Living Room, Kralja Milana 48, 23:00

oTheR:

Milk (play), Belgrade Drama Thea-tre (BDP), Milesavska 64 20:00Sleeping Beauty (ballet), National Theatre, Trg Republike 5, 19:30Branislav Mihajlovic (painting), Belgrade Library, Kneza Mihaila 56, 17:00

Wednesday, February 11

MUSIC:

Ivan Ckonjevic, REX, Jevrejska 16, 22:00Uk Subs, Student Cultural Centre, Kralja Milana 48, 21:00Nick drag & konky Tonk klan, Kuglas, Djusina 5, 22:00Uki ovaskainen (piano), SASA Gal-lery, Kneza Mihaila 35, 20:00live Bands, Blue Moon, Kneginje Ljubice 4, 23:00Nirvana Tribute, Danguba, Cirila i Metodija 2, 23:00

NIghTlIfe:

Cocktail Wednesdays, Mamolo, Ilije Garasanina 26, 21:00dJ Ike & Prema, Plastic, Djusina 7, 23:00Popular Science, Underworld, Corner of Ruzveltova and 27. Marta, 23:00karaoke Challenge, Mr Stefan Braun, Nemanjina 4/9, 23:00Salsa Night, Havana, Nikole Spasica 1, 22:00Samba, Bossa, Jazzy, Salvador Dali, Hilandarska 20, 21:00fest Cafe, Fest, Majke Jevrosime 20, 22:00go With the flow, Danguba, Cirila I Metodija 2, 23:00

oTheR:

delirium Tremens (play), Belgrade Drama Theatre (BDP), Milesavska 64, 20:00death and the dervish (play), Na-tional Theatre, Trg Republike 5, 19:30

Thursday, February 12

MUSIC:

Vienna opera Ball, Sava Centar, Milentija Popovica 5 20:00The Resident, Bitefart café, Skver Mire Trailovic 1, 22:30No Use for a Name, Student Cultural Centre, Kralja Milana 48, 21:00Tropico Band, Lava Bar, Kneza Mi-losa 77, 23:00Zookie, Danguba, Cirila I Metodija 2, 23:00

NIghTlIfe:

a little Bit of 90s, Mistique, Aberd-areva 1b, 23:00Booki/kinetic Vibe, Mamolo, Ilije Garasanina 26, 21:00ladies’ Night, Mr Braun Garden, Vojislava Ilica 86, 23:00Playground Radio Show live, Ta-pas Bar, Dositejeva 17, 22:00Weekend Warm Up, Fest, Majke Jevrosime 20, 22:00

oTheR:

Sleeping Beauty (ballet), National Theatre, Trg Republike 5, 19:30Romance (play), Belgrade Drama Theatre (BDP), Milesavska 64, 20:00

What’s On

Friday, Feb. 6 - Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009

friday, Feb 6: Soccer: Arminia Bielefeld v Hertha Berlin (Sport Klub 8.30 p.m.), Kortrijk v Standard Liege ((Sport Klub + 8.30 p.m.), Argentine-an League – Huracan v San Martin (Sport Klub + 1.15 a.m. Monday); Alpine Skiing: Women’s Combined (Eurosport, downhill 10.45 a.m., slalom 2.00 p.m.); NHL Ice Hockey: Dallas Stars v New York Rangers (Sport Klub 2.30 a.m. Monday). Saturday, Feb 7: Basketball: NLB Regional League – Partizan Belgrade v Red Star Belgrade (FOX Serbia 5.50 p.m.), Spanish League – Joven-tut Badalona v Unicaja Malaga (Sport Klub 8.00 p.m.); Alpine Skiing: Men’s Downhill (Eurosport 10.45 p.m.); Soccer: Manchester City v Middlesbrough (RTS 2 at 1.45 p.m.), Schalke 04 v Werder Bremen (Sport Klub 3.30 p.m.), Bayer Leverkusen v VFB Stuttgart (Sport Klub + 3.30 p.m.), Chelsea v Hull City (RTS 2 at 4.00 p.m.), Lecce v Inter Milan (Sport Klub 6.00 p.m.), Portsmouth v Liverpool (RTS 2 at 6.30 p.m.), Real Madrid v Racing Santander (FOX Serbia 8.00 p.m.), Anderlecht v Mons (Sport Klub + 8.00 p.m.), AC Milan v Reggina (Avala 8.30 p.m.), Nantes v PSG (Sport Klub + 10.00 p.m. delayed), Sevilla v Betis (FOX Serbia 00.30 a.m. Sunday delayed),

Lanus v Racing (Sport Klub + 00.30 a.m. Sunday). Sunday, Feb 8: Basketball: Span-ish League – Zaragoza v Barcelona (Sport Klub 12.30 p.m.), NBA Reg-ular Season – Cleveland Cavaliers v L.A. Lakers (OBN at 00.30 a.m. Monday); NFL: Pro Bowl (Sport Klub 11.50 p.m.); Alpine Skiing: Men’s Downhill (Eurosport 12.45 p.m.); Soccer: Vitesse Arnhem v Ajax Amsterdam (Sport Klub + 12.30 p.m.), Tottenham v Arsenal (RTS 2 at 2.30 p.m.), Various Ital-ian League Matches (Sport Klub 3.00 p.m.), Roma v Genoa (OBN and Avala 3.00 p.m.), West Ham v Manchester United (RTS 2 at 5.00 p.m.), Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund (Sport Klub 5.00 p.m.), Spanish League Match (Kosava 5.00 p.m.), Panathinaikos v PAOK (Sport Klub + 6.00 p.m.), Barce-lona v Sporting Gijon (FOX Serbia 7.00 p.m.), Palermo v Napoli (Sport Klub and Avala 8.30 p.m.), Porto v Benfica (Sport Klub + 8.45 p.m.), Spanish League Match (Kosava 9.00 p.m.), Indipendiente v Velez Sarsfield (Sport Klub + 00.30 a.m. Monday).

Note: TV channels reserve the right to change their schedules.

14 sport

Live Sports on TVRome Wasn’t Built in a Day

With their pride and confidence dented by sub-standard per-formances and early exits at

the Australian Open, Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic have a great oppor-tunity to redeem themselves in front of what is likely to be a capacity crowd in the Belgrade Arena. The 18,000 fans expected to turn up for Serbia’s Federa-tion Cup tie against Japan on Saturday and Sunday should also have plenty to look forward to, as it’s the first time the two stars will join forces to play com-petitive tennis on home soil.

World number three Jankovic and number eight Ivanovic steered Serbia into the competition’s World Group II after they won a third tier tourna-ment in Budapest last year. The final push to reach the elite group begins with Saturday’s singles rubbers and Jankovic, the team captain, has made it clear in no uncertain terms what her ambitions are. “We belong in the World Group and I am convinced we will get there this year,” she told reporters after her opening practice session in the Arena. “I am proud and honoured that I will play my first competitive match in Belgrade and the tie has all the makings of a spec-tacular event. We will do our best to delight the fans and give them a weekend to remember,” she said.

The second stage of Europe’s premier club basketball com-petition promises to be anoth-

er enthralling campaign for Serbian and regional champions Partizan Belgrade, after they defeated Lotto-matica Roma 84-76 in front of 7,000 fans who crammed into the Pionir Arena on Wednesday night. The Ital-ian side, whose managing director is former Yugoslavia legend Dejan Bodiroga, are also aiming to make an impact in Europe, but their open-ing two defeats suggest that build-ing a side capable of slugging it out with the continent’s elite may take a while. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Having rallied from an early defi-cit, Partizan took control of the game in the first quarter and never looked back. Led by lethal three-point shooting from Uros Tripkovic, who

shot 5 of 5 from behind the arc in the first half, Partizan took a 50-42 lead into the interval after the 22-year old guard defied the laws of physics to bury a turnaround baseline jumper on the buzzer. With tennis star Ana Ivanovic watching from the sidelines, Partizan held off the Romans in the second half to keep alive rekindled hopes of emulating last season’s suc-cess, when the Serbian team reached the last eight of the competition.

Tripkovic led all scorers with a game-high 20 points but it was Partizan’s power forward Novica Velickovic who earned the game’s MVP accolade with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Stephane Lasme added 13 and five rebounds with an-other inspired performance.

Slovenian centre Primoz Brezec led the visitors with 19 points, his compatriot Sani Becirovic added 17, while Americans Andre Hutson (13 points) and Ibrahim Jaaber (11) also finished in double figures.

Elsewhere, defending champions CSKA Moscow delivered an 87-61 drubbing to Cibona Zagreb, as Tra-jan Langdon scored 18 points for the winners while Ramunas Siskauskas and Nikos Zizis chipped in 14 each.

Panathinaikos won the fourth quarter of their game at Unicaja Ma-

laga 20-8 to come away with an 81-69 victory over the Spaniards and Terrell McIntyre was at his vintage best once again to steer Italian title holders Montepaschi Siena to an 87-79 home win over Fenerbahce Istanbul.

Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic will team up for the first time on home soil when they take on Ja-pan in the Belgrade Arena.

The reason Serbia are still not in the top tier is that Jankovic and Ivanovic had been unable so far to play together, due to injuries, fatigue and commitment to their own per-sonal careers, with preparations for money-spinning WTA tournaments standing in the way. When one was fit the other wasn’t, when one was available, the other was eyeing lu-crative cash prizes and a chance to move up the WTA rankings. One can hardly blame them, especially in view of the fact that the Serbian Tennis Association had been unable or reluctant to offer any kind of in-centive to Ivanovic and Jankovic, who make their living from playing tennis. One may argue it’s a good liv-ing, but it’s also hard work and being in the top 10 requires daily sacrifices most young people are not prepared to make.

With the money issue sorted, Jankovic and Ivanovic are raring to put their Australian Open disap-pointments behind them. “The time has come for us to shine in front of our supporters, friends and fami-lies,” said Jankovic who also praised the quality of the hard-court surface, which she is more suited to, than Ja-pan’s top player Ai Sugiyama, whom she beat in straight sets in Melbourne before she succumbed to French-woman Marion Bartoli in the quar-ter-finals. “We have worked very hard to get into the position to qual-ify for the World Group and we now have a great chance of progressing to the top level,” she added. While Jankovic’s descent from the pinna-cle of the WTA rankings to number three may be a glitch, Ivanovic’s plunge from the summit to number eight has the elements of a long-term crisis, which started after she won the French Open last June.

Ever since the biggest success of her young career, Ivanovic has found it equally hard to deal with her oppo-nents on the court and the media hype off it. Having been declared the beau-

ty queen of the WTA tour, the 21-year old was unable to fend off tabloids delving into her privacy, particularly during a brief romance with Fern-ando Verdasco. The Spaniard, on the other hand, seems to have got over it painlessly and reached the Australian Open men’s semi-finals, to break into the top 10 of the ATP rankings, only a spirited fightback by eventual win-ner Rafael Nadal denying him a win in their epic semi-final which lasted five hours and 14 minutes.

Like Jankovic, Ivanovic takes nothing for granted against Japan. “They are a very dangerous team un-der any circumstances, while Jelena and I have much fewer Fed Cup ties under our belts than most players on the WTA tour,” she said. “Individual rankings don’t play a part in team tennis and we will have to prove our worth to earn the right to get a shot at the Fed Cup title. I am very excited and looking forward to the chal-lenge,” Ivanovic stressed.

So, is every fan who has paid a fortune by Serbian standards to see the nation’s two darlings in action, with courtside tickets costing around €50. So, don’t let them down, girls. This is a rare opportunity for tennis fans in Belgrade to see Ivanovic and Jankovic in action and they surely expect to get their money’s worth.

Zoran Milosavljevic is Belgrade In-sight’s sports writer and also a region-al sports correspondent for Reuters.

Serbia Seeking Fed Cup Solace in Belgrade

By Zoran MilosavljevicReporting from Belgrade

By Zoran MilosavljevicReporting from Belgrade

Novica Velickovic overpowered his rivals on Wednesday

Partizan Belgrade beat one of Italy’s top teams in the Euro-league to stay on course for a berth in the last eight of the competition

Ana Ivanovic drives a backhand down the line during her opening practice session in the Belgrade Arena. Serbia’s Fed Cup tie against Japan is a great opportunity for Ivanovic to regain her momentum after seven difficult months on the WTA tour.

Source: Serbian Tenis Federation

Photo by FoNet

Friday, Feb. 6 - Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009

15directory

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Absinthe: Kralja Milutina 33Balzak: Strahinjica bana 13Biblioteka: Terazije 27Black Turtle: Kosancicev Venac 30Gospodar Jovanova 56Costa Coffee: all locationsDaco: Patrisa Lumumbe 49Dorian Gray: Kralja Petra 87Djudju: Rige od Fere 16Dva Jelena: Skadarska 32Freska: Vuka Karadzica 12Greenet: All locationsIndian Palace: Ljubicka 1b Irish Pub: Obilicev Venac 17Jevrem: Gospodar Jevremova 36Kalemegdanska Terasa:Mali KalemegdanKraljevina: Kralja Petra 13-15Klub Knjizevnika: Francuska 7Lava Bar: Kneza Milosa 77Little Bay: Dositejeva 9a

Mamma's Biscuit House: Strahinjica bana 72aMadera: Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra 43Opera: Obilicev Venac 30Optimist: Bul. Despota Stefana 22Orient Express: Terazije 18Ottimo: Studentski Trg 10Pizza Hut: Makedonska 44Plato: Vasina 19Que Pasa: Kralja Petra 13-15Sport Café: Makedonska 4Sumatovac: Makedonska 33Ethno House Suri: Bulevar Zorana Djindjica 44 aTri Sesira: Skadarska 29Tribeca: Kralja Petra 50,Milutina Milankovica 134gLa Valeta: Njegoseva 8aVeprov Dah: Strahinjica bana 32Verdi: Terazije 5Via del Gusto: Knez Mihailova 48Violeta Kuca Stara: Topolska 4Wok to Walk: Nusiceva 3aZaplet: Kajmakcalanska 2

Balkan: Prizrenska 2Belgrade Eye Hostel: Krunska 6bContinental: Vladimira Popovica 10 Holiday Inn: Spanskih Boraca 74Hyatt Regency: Milentija Popovica 5In Hotel: Arsenija Carnojevica 56Majestic: Obiilicev Venac 28Moskva: Balkanska 1Mr. President: Karadjordjeva 75Palace: Toplicin Venac 23Rezime: Marsala Birjuzova 22 Slavija Lux: Svetog Save 2Srbija: Ustanicka 127cZira: Ruzveltova 35Zlatnik: Dobanovacka 95

Krug dvojke: Kristal: Kolarceva 1 Fish&bar: Brace Jugovica 3Kosava: Kralja Petra 36Bread&Co: Strahinjica Bana 52Hunter: Strahinjica Bana 47Bongiorno mare: Strahinjica bana 57aSesir moj: SkadarskaPutujuci glumac: SkadarskaCrni Gruja: SkadarskaIma dana: SkadarskaPane e vino: Dobracina 6Konoba amphora: Dobracina 30Ikki Sushi bar: Gospodar Jovanova 46Batlerova kuca: Gospodar Jovanova 42Dona Klara: Kralja Petra 70Bistro 53: Gospodar Jevremova 53Gaston: Uzun Mirkova 5Crveni Petao: Cara Lazara 16Mao tao: Gracanicka 18Pire slow food: Cara Lazara 11Kraljevina: Kralja Petra I 13-15Znak pitanja: Kralja Petra I 6Klub Jelena: Generala Sturma 1Caffe caffe: Vase Pelagica 48Amigo: Mladena Stojanovica 2aStara hercegovina: Carigradska 36Burito bar: Kraljice Marije 3Zorba: Kraljice Marije 3Lipov lad: Bulevera Kralja Aleksandra 270Hajduk: Milana Rakica 48Frans Restoran: Bulevar Oslobodjenja 18aLa Terazza: Njegoseva 27Trpeza: Nebojsina 6Na cosku: Beogradska 37Konoba: Prote Mateje 35Dom Lovaca: Alekse Nenadovica 19Casa: Makenzijeva 24Portobello: Svetog Save 11Pietro Dell'oro: Trnska 2Bevanda: Požarevacka 51Trac: Milesevska 39La Piazza restoran: Milesevska 54Orac: Makenzijeva 81Vila 69: Krunska 69New York: Krunska 86Metropolitan Grill: Milentija Popovica 5 Hyatt RegencyFocaccia: Milentija Popovica 5 Hyatt RegencyVictoria station: Bulevar Zorana Djindjica 44aMag: Zemunski kejADA: Zemunski kejMalevilla: Zemunski kejStara kapetanija: Zemunski kejStara carinarnica: Zemunski kejBella napoli: Zemunski kejSent andreja: Zemunski kejBella casa: Zemunski kejKod Kapetana: Zemunski kejPlatani: Zemunski kejŠaran: Zemunski kejMilagro: Zemunski kejReka: Zemunski kejSalas: Sindjeliceva 34 Balkan ekspres: Despota Djurdja 22

Makedonska 31

Turisticka organizacija srbije: Turisticki informativni centar: Makedonska 5Turisticka organizacija beograda: Masarikova 5, IX spratTuristicka organizacija beograda: Main Train StationTuristicka organizacija beograda: Airport Nikola TeslaTuristicka organizacija beograda: Podzemni prolaz kod palate "Albanija"

Decanska 8a/V

Mag: Zemunski kejMalevilla: Zemunski kejMilagro: Zemunski kejNa cosku: Beogradska 37New York: Krunska 86Orac: Makenzijeva 81Portobello: Svetog Save 11Pietro Dell'oro: Trnska 2Platani: Zemunski kej

Friday, Feb. 6 - Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009

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.serbiasouvenirs.com

golf

golf klub Beograd, Ada Ciganlija, 011 3056837. Belgrade arena, Bulevar Arsenija Carnojevica 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 Jovanovica 87, 011 3091000, www.belmedic.com.Bel Medic outpatient Clinic, Viktora Igoa 1, 011 3091000, www.belmedic.com.MedIx, Novopazarska 30, 011 3085805, www.medix.co.yu.

hoRSe RIdINg

aleksa dundic Riding Club, Bel-grade Hippodrome, Pastroviceva 2, 011 3541584.

INTeRNaTIoNal SChoolS

anglo-american School, Velisava Vu-lovica 47, 011 3675777.Britannica International School, Uz-icka 21a, 011 3671557.British International School, Sveto-zara Radojcica 4, 011 3467000.Chartwell International School, Teo-dora Drajzera 38, 011 3675340.ecole francaise de Belgrade, Kablar-ska 35, 011 3691762.deutsche Schule Belgrad, Sanje Zivanovic 10, 011 3693135.International Nursery School, Nake Spasic 4, 011 2667130.International School of Belgrade, Temisvarska 19, 011 2069999.

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.

SWIMMINg PoolS

11. april, near university halls of resi-dence in New Belgrade, 011 2672939, 10:00 - 19:00.Banjica, Crnotravska 4, 011 2668700, 10:00 - 19:00.Tasmajdan, Beogradska 71, 011 3240901, 10:00 - 19:00.Zvezdara, Vjekoslava Kovaca 11, 011 2412353, 10:00 - 19:00.

TaxI SeRVICeS

Beotaxi, 011 970Beogradski taxi, 011 9801lux taxi, 011 3033123NBa taxi, 011 3185777Pink taxi, 011 9803

TRaNSlaToRS

association of Technical and Scien-tific Translators of Serbia, Kicevska 9, 011 2442729.Belgrade Translation Center, Do-bracina 50, 011 3287388.Center lomonosov, Hilandarska 23, 011 3343184.

kINdeRgaRTeNS

Sunasce, Admirala Geprata 8a ulaz 5/1, 011 3617013. Marry Poppins, Kursulina 37, 011 2433059.

laWYeRS

harrison Solicitors, Terazije 34, 011 3615918.Law Office, Takovska 13, 011 3227133, 063 383116, www.businesslawserbia.com.Tomic-Stevic-dulic, Carice Milice 3/II, 011 3285227.

MoNeY TRaNSfeR

Western Union, Kosovska 1, 011 3300300.

oPeN MaRkeTS

Bajlonijeva Pijaca, Dzordza Vasing-tona bb, 011 3223472, 07:00 - 16:00Blok 44, Jurija Gagarina bb, 011 2158232, 07:00 - 16:00kalenic Pijaca, Maksima Gorkog bb, 011 2450350, 07:00 - 16:00Zeleni 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.

PhoTo SeRVICe

Color foto, Svetogorska 4, 011 3245982.foto Studio 212, Cvijiceva 63, 011 3374015.Models, Svetog Save 16-18, 011 3449608.

Kneza Milosa 12, 011 2641335, www.kombeg.org.yu.Ministry of economy and Regional development, Bulevar Kralja Ale-ksandra 15, 011 3617583, www.merr.sr.gov.yu.Ministry of Trade and Services, Ne-manjina 22-26, 011 3610579.Privatization agency, Terazije 23, 011 3020800, www.priv.yu.Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Resavska 13-15, 011 3300900, pks.komora.net.SIePa - Investment and export Pro-motion agency, Vlajkoviceva 3, 011 3398550.

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, Bul-evar Umetnosti 4, 011 3130251.

fITNeSS ClUBS

extreme gym, Cvijiceva 1, 011 2764335, 08:00 - 24:00, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 22:00.Power gym, Steve Todorovica 32, 011 3545935, 09:00 - 22:00.Wellness Centar, Kraljice Natalije 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.

aCCoUNTINg & aUdITINg

Bdo BC excell, Knez Mihailova 10, 011 3281299.ConsulTeam, Prote Mateje 52, 011 3086180.deloitte, Kralja Milana 16, 011 3612524.ernst & Young, Bulevar Mihajla Pu-pina 115d, 011 2095700.kPMg, Studentski trg 4, 011 3282892.Pricewater house Coopers, Omladin-skih 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 Meto-dija 2a, 011 2403443.Majdan Children’s Cultural Centre, Kozjacka 3-5, 011 3692645.

BookShoPS

apropo, Cara Lazara 10, 011 2625839, 10:00 - 20:00, Sat 10:00 - 16:00, Closed Sun.IPS-akademija, Knez Mihailova 35, 011 2636514, 09:00 - 23:00.Mamut, corner of Sremska and Knez Mihailova, 011 2639060, 09:00- 22:00, Sun 12:00 - 22:00.

BoWlINg

Colosseum, Dobanovacka 56 (Zemun), 011 3165403, 11:00 - 01:00, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 02:00.first bowling, Gradski Park u Zemu-nu, 011 3771612, 11:00 - 01:00, Sat, Sun 11:00 - 17:00.kolosej, Jurija Gagarina 16 (Delta City), 0113129944, 09:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 09:00 - 02:00, Sun 09:00 - 24:00.

BUSINeSS CoNNeCTIoNS

Belgrade Stock exchange, Omladin-skih 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,

16 advert Friday, Feb. 6 - Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009