10. 11. 2005

JTI SPONSORED JOURNALISTS’ TRIP TO JAPAN

BELGRADE, November 10, 2005 – Japanese company Japan Tobacco International, interested in buying into tobacco factory in Senta, has sponsored the trip of the Serbian journalists to Japan. Finance Minister Mladjan Dinkic said there was nothing unusual in paying a visit to a potential buyer in the middle of the tender or for that buyer to sponsor the trip of journalists accompanying the official delegation of the state. “It’s a common thing everywhere around the world, in the USA and in Japan”, Dinkic said. “Ask the Foreign Minister or Serbian president Boris Tadic, who is in the official visit to Israel – who’s paying for the journalists’ trip – and you will get the same answer.” The Finance Minister does not see anything wrong in personally visiting the factory JTI and meeting with the heads of the company. Transparency Serbia said however this could affect the privatisation process of the local tobacco factory. “It could be wrongly concluded that we support the JTI, and consequently, less people could enter the tender which would put the price of the factory down.” JTI said it was the company’s standard policy to cover the travel costs of foreign journalists coming to Japan from all parts of the world.