izvor: B92/Frontal
The French economic expert and former head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) revealed that "for the first three months, he will work pro bono," and added that Serbia's economic problems "could be resolved, although the situation is very difficult."
He, however, said that at the moment he cannot specify which measures he would take, as he must study the situation in detail, and get fully acquainted with the people.
"It will take some time, and now I cannot say what my advice would be," Strauss-Kahn said at a press conference after he held a meeting with First Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić, Finance Minister Lazar Krstić, and Minister of Economy Saša Radulović.
Vučić said he was "glad that Mr. Strauss-Kahn accepted to cooperate with the government, adding that a part of the team will work here, and the other part in Paris," that they will be "in constant contact," and underscored that decisions will be "in the best interest of Serbia."
“We, as opposed to others, want to resolve problems and work,” Vučić said at the press conference.
Noting that many were trying to halt changes and modernization of Serbia, Vučić stressed:
“We continue with full capacity, relying mostly on our energy, knowledge, and we are not ashamed to admit that we want to draw on experiences of the modern world, and hire in our country the people who achieved success there.”
The government considered the recruitment of foreign experts for quite some time, so the talks were held with many foreign companies and experts as to how they could assist Serbia in resolving the issues related to the fiscal deficit, huge public debt, continuing slump in production.
“The fact is that we spent much more than we earned, now it is high time we produced much more, so we are very pleased that one of the greatest economic experts in the world becomes a member of the Serbian government's team,” Vučić said.
In a report on Tuesday, the New York Times writes that Stauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund "whose career has been buffeted by a series of sexual scandals," was reinventing himself again – this time as an economic adviser to the Serbian government.
Aleksandar Vučić told the newspaper by telephone from Belgrade that Strauss-Kahn’s duties would include "helping to restructure the country’s large foreign debt and to attract foreign investment, and managing relations with the International Monetary Fund."
