[ Serbia ]

While Austrian and Serbian media heavily criticised this move as "renationalisation of private property" and heavily blamed the Serbian government, N. Mappes-Niediek rejoices that Minister of Finance Mladjan Dinkic has been able to struck a blow against the multimillionaire Bogoljub Karic, owner of a TV station, leader of the new "Movement of Serbia’s Forces"/PSS party and former supporter of the Milosevic regime. He and members of his family are charged with bribe of members of the Parliament, fraud and tax evasion (cf. RFE/RL, 18.1.2006). Nevertheless, the goal was probably not only to fight corruption (as Mappes-Niediek puts it), but to weaken Karic' party which is becoming the 3rd most influential in Serbia.

In Kosovo the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority took action against Mobtel at the beginning of January, disconnecting its antennas with the explanation that Mobtel had operated illegally in Kosovo since 2004. Why now (and not earlier)? Did they have a deal with Kostunica or Dinkic? I could not find out. After having been out of function for 1-2 weeks, the Mobtel network started to function again through antennas set up in Serbia close to the border with Kosovo border and in the Kosovo-Serb enclaves.