Belgrade, March 24, 2010

SERBIA

JEREMIC: "FASTER INTEGRATION AFTER ICJ DECISION" LUXEMBOURG, March 24 (Tanjug, B 92) -- Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said that he hopes that Serbia's EU integration process will be sped up once the ICJ gives its opinion on Kosovo. The court is currently deliberating the legality under international law of the Kosovo Albanian unilateral declaration. While visiting Luxembourg, Jeremic said that once the ICJ gives its opinion on the legality of Kosovo's self-proclaimed independence, "opportunities will open for a solution that will contribute to speeding up the European integration of the entire Western Balkans," the Foreign Ministry told the Tanjug news agency.
During his visit, Jeremic met with the country's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, who said that he hopes that Serbia "will make decisions that will contribute to stability in the Western Balkans" once the ICJ gives states its opinion.
Jeremic was also due to meet with Parliamentary Speaker Laurent Mosar while in Luxembourg, after which was to travel to Brussels to meet with European Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele.

PRIORITIES ARE INCREASE OF EMPLOYMENT AND STANDARD OF LIVING
BELGRADE, March 24 (Tanjug) - Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic stated on Wednesday that the basic priorities of the Serbian government in 2010 will be increase of employment and citizens' standard of living. He announced at the round table dubbed New guidelines for economic growth a number of stimulation measures for prevention of the unemployment growth and increase of economic activities.
Cvetkovic said that he will not wait for strategic investors to knock on Serbia's door, adding that the government will take an active part to find them in Europe and the world. He pointed out that funds will be allocated for realization of companies' export and strengthening of institutional capacities for capturing of new markets. He announced fiscal stimuli which will encourage growth of domestic demand and investments in the infrastructure.
He particularly stressed the investments in the energy sector, adding that out of EUR 1.6 billion envisaged for the purpose, EUR 700 million will be allocated only for Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS), the largest energy company in Serbia, and Srbijasume, a public company for forestry economy, that amounts to five percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). According to him, simultaneously with the economic policy, a plan of citizens' social security will be implemented along with adoption of laws on social protection and better identification of the vulnerable population.

CVETKOVIC: TELEKOM SHOULD ATTRACT MULTIPLE BIDDERS
BELGRADE, March 24 (Tanjug) - Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said on Wednesday that when the government discussed the sale of national telecommunications service provider Telekom it considered what share would attract more than one bidder and decided on 40 percent.
"We wanted to see what percentage would be interesting for everyone and allow the state to keep a significant share and a major role in the decision-making process," Cvetkovic said at the 8th economic conference New Directions for Europe. He assessed that whoever buys 40 percent of Telekom shares will become the major owner, because the company shares which will be distributed to Serbian citizens will be available for further trading, so the buyer of the 40 percent will be able to acquire additional shares and become the majority shareholder.
Cvetkovic said that a sales model similar to the one used in the sale of mobile operator Mobtel is being prepared for Telekom, and assessed that a 40 percent share will be attractive to any interested party. He noted that the money from the sale of Telekom will go into a special fund, so that it could not be used for current spending instead of investments.

SERBIA,TURKEY MILITARY RECONCILIATION PROPOSED BY AMBASSADOR
SKOPJE, March 23 (Tanjug) - Serbian Ambassador to Macedonia Tomislav Djurin suggested on Tuesday that a commemoration for military reconciliation between Serbia and Turkey be held in Bitola, southwestern Macedonia.
Looking up to France and Germany, which organized a symbolic military reconciliation for their turbulent history in Bitola, Serbia and Turkey should hold a commemoration for the period between 1912 and the Balkan Wars at the very same place, Djurin said.
"In this way we will promote our mutual aim - association with the EU," said Djurin, who conveyed the initiative to Bitola Mayor Vladimir Talevski during the visit the ambassador paid to this town. Talevski accepted the initiative of the Serbian ambassador and announced that the two countries will foster cultural and historical exchange.

LOSADA: NO HIDDEN MESSAGE IN MORATINOS' NON-APPEARANCE
BONN, March 24 (Tanjug) - There is no hidden political message behind Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos' non-appearance at the conference at Brdo pri Kranju, Spanish State Secretary for International Affairs Angel Losada said in Brussels.
Spain did not advise any country to participate or not participate at the meeting at Brdo pri Kranju, and that includes Serbia, Losada pointed out and German radio Deutsche Welle reported.
Asked who will represent Kosovo at the upcoming European conference on the Western Balkans in Sarajevo in June, Losada said that international law will be adhered to and that it is still too early for Moratinos to propose a formula which would provide a maximum number of participants.

ZBOGAR: SLOVENIA UNDERSTANDS SERBIA'S SITUATION
BELGRADE, March 24 (Tanjug) - Slovenian Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar said that he understands the situation that Serbia, which did not participate at the conference held Saturday at Brdo pri Kranju, finds itself in.
I understand this was a very delicate point in time, because Serbia is waiting for the International Court of Justice ruling on Kosovo, and perhaps this makes it particularly sensitive, Zbogar told the Tuesday edition of the daily Vecernje novosti. Slovenia did everything to ensure Serbia's participation at the conference and regrets that its efforts proved fruitless, Zbogar said.
He expects to see all the countries in the region represented at the upcoming conference in Sarajevo, which will be organized by the European Union. A ministerial conference of the EU and the Western Balkans will be held in Sarajevo. I expect both Serbia and Kosovo to be there, Zbogar said.

SRECKOVIC: INTELLECTUAL DIASPORA IS SERBIA'S DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL
BELGRADE, March 24 (Tanjug) - The intellectual diaspora represents a potential for Serbia's development and progress as a stable and modern European state, Serbian Minister for Diaspora Srdjan Sreckovic stated on Wednesday at the opening of a workshop of the European Regional Economic Forum.
He underscored that in the previous years, the key role in the economic development of Serbia was taken by successful individuals who work in or head world-renowned companies, and owing to them a large number of local companies and offices were opened in Serbia thus bringing in innovation technologies and setting new business standards.
Sreckovic said that 16 centers for the diaspora were opened in cooperation with the Serbian Chamber of Commerce (PKS) while in cooperation with local self-governments, offices of the diaspora were opened in about 20 towns and municipalities. "In order for Serbia to be successfully represented in Europe and the world, we would like that the dispora becomes our partner and ally so that we could make a speedier progress in the EU integration process along with maximum promotion of capacities and organization," Sreckovic underscored.

MARKING OF 11TH ANNIVERSARY OF NATO BOMBING
BELGRADE, March 24 (Tanjug) - The Remembrance Day for the victims of the NATO bombing attack in 1999, in which 3,500 people were killed and more than 12,500 were injured, will be marked in Serbia and in the Serbian Diaspora on Wednesday.
Commemorative meetings with placing wreaths at the monuments and paying respect to the victims will be held in Belgrade and other Serbian cities which were the first NATO targets on March 24, 1999. Precisely at noon, the sirens will go off for 60 seconds, to symbolically mark the termination of air raids which lasted 78 days. The memorial service for all the innocent victims of the NATO bombing and soldiers who died defending their country will be served by Serbian Patriarch Irinej at the Saint Sava Cathedral in Belgrade.
SERBIA – ECONOMY, FINANCE

JELASIC RESIGNS, BUT WILL PERFORM DUTIES AS LONG AS REQUIRED
BELGRADE, March 23 (Tanjug) - National Bank of Serbia (NBS) Governor Radovan Jelasic submitted an irrevocable resignation on Tuesday, but will continue to work as the NBS governor until a new one is appointed.
Jelasic told at a press conference that he submitted the resignation for personal reasons and that his decision is final. He announced that he will ask for his term of office to be closed today, but that he will continue to work until the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia appoints his successor. He said that he informed Serbian President Boris Tadic and Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic about his decision. The Serbian parliament appointed Jelasic NBS governor on February 25, 2004 and he took the office on March 1, 2004. Following the adoption of the new Constitution and the Constitutional Law on September 26, 2007, he was reappointed governor of the central bank with new five-year term of office.

NEXT TRANCHE OF IMF CREDIT TO COME AT START OF APRIL
BELGRADE, March 23 (Tanjug) - National Bank of Serbia (NBS) Governor Radovan Jelasic announced Tuesday that the next EUR 350 million tranche of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) credit to Serbia will be disbursed at the start of April.
The IMF Executive Board is expected to complete the third review of Serbia's economic performance under its Stand-By Arrangement with the IMF on March 31 and approve the disbursement of the third tranche of that credit, Jelasic told a news conference. The governor noted that Serbia received the first two tranches in 2009, which totalled EUR 1.13 billion, while the overall credit amount stands at EUR 2.87 billion. The NBS foreign exchange reserve increased by EUR 2.3 billion since 2008 and currently stands at EUR 10.4 billion, said Jelasic, adding that the net foreign exchange reserve in mid-March was at EUR 6.3 billion.
Jelasic stated that the Serbian dinar rose by 0.1 percent compared to the euro in March, which came after a 2.6 percent drop in January and 1.2 percent in February. The governor also added that the NBS sold EUR 571.5 million on the interbank foreign exchange market since the start of 2010.

AMBASSADOR MAAS: ECONOMY LEANS ON MODERN EDUCATION
BELGRADE, March 23 (Tanjug) - Serbia needs competitive economy on its way toward the EU, which should be supported by modern education, German Ambassador in Belgrade Wolfram Maas told Tuesday on the occasion of presenting the project dubbed 'Financial education in high schools in Serbia'.
The projects is realized by a German organization for technical assistance and cooperation GTZ in cooperation with the ProCredit Bank and with the support of the Serbian Ministry of Education, and, as Maas said in the First Economic High School in Belgrade, the program aims at explaining the cause of the world economic crisis to pupils and familiarizing them with banks and banking products. The program is intended for economic high schools graduates, and it is a part of the project for the reform of professional education in Serbia, realization of which was started by GTZ in cooperation with the Ministry of Education in 2002.
More than 6,900 pupils from 46 schools in 39 towns takes part in the project, presentation of which was also attended by Serbian Minister of Education Zarko Obradovic, who pointed out that the lectures will help pupils understand the causes of the global economic crisis better, and they, as he put it, will gain more competence and have advantage when it comes to employment or further education.