Profile: Dragoslav Avramovic, Yugoslav National Bank (NBJ) Governor

Date and place of birth: "I won't say when, but I was born in Skopje, since my parents were teachers in Macedonia". According to some calculations, Avramovic was born in 1910. He completed his secondary education in Skopje in 1937, and graduated from the Belgrade School of Law in 1941. He won his Ph.D. in Belgrade in 1956 with the thesis "Problems of transfer - a contribution to the theory of foreign loans". Avramovic is married with two daughters (one a sculptor in New York, the other a biologist in Amsterdam) and a son (a civil engineer in the USA). He has one grandchild.

Career: At the end of WW2 Avramovic found employment with the National Bank of Yugoslavia as secretary of the Committee for changing Nedic's money, and was deputy NBJ secretary. After this he moved to the Ministry of Finance and in 1947 was given the task of bringing back to the country the gold belonging to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and to resolve problems linked to the reimbursement of nationalized foreign property. During the Cominform period he was a member of the team which contacted with the IMF and the World bank, the US and British governments over the West's financial support to Yugoslavia.

When did he go abroad: In 1953 he received an offer from the International Development and Reconstruction Bank to work in Washington on researching relations between East European countries and the world and the world market.

How did he fare abroad: He rose on the World Bank board for economic studies - from head of department to director. Avramovic dealt with problems of industrialization, especially in Iran, Pakistan and India. Group 77 chiefs engaged him for two years, and he worked within UNCTAD on the project for a Joint Fund for Primary Production (1974-75). Avramovic believes that it was at this time that tensions appeared between him and leading figures in the World Bank, because of which he resigned later. He moved from Washington to Geneva in 1977 taking up the post of co-secretary and member of Brandt's Committee. When the committee completed its work, Avramovic remained in Geneva until he retired in the capacity of senior advisor to the UN Secretary General on cooperation between developing countries.

How big is his foreign currency pension: "I won't tell you. Actually, I have to ask my wife, and if she agrees, then I'll tell you".

When did he return to Yugoslavia: Avramovic returned to Belgrade in 1989 and took over the European Movement for Peace and Development Center. He became a member of the Serbian Government's Economic Council and advised Serbian PM Radoman Bozovic, and subsequently Nikola Sainovic. In July 1993 he wrote a study "The Crisis of the Dinar".

How did it come about that he was chosen to head the Program of Economic Stabilization team of experts: "Somebody read my study and in September-October I became the chairman of the team".

Who gave the initiative for the Program: "Milosevic. I got it in writing on 5 December, took it home and he accepted it the next day". (Politika, 3 February 1994). "Milosevic was the one who suggested that this program be worked on three months ago - I learned that later - and accepted it after internal debates, serious debates from 27 December to 7 January". "It took him (Milosevic) a minute to understand the whole thing and give it his whole-hearted support". (Srpska rec, 14 january 1994).

How did Milosevic accept the Program: "He stared, unbuttoned his jacket, kept silent for five minutes and said: All right".

Avramovic's political leanings: He doesn't hide that he leans toward the left.

Asked: "Are you a member of the Yugoslav United Left - JUL", he replied: "I haven't joined".

Does he support privatization: "Personally, I'm against the privatization of big companies, because that is always followed by a big robbery".

Is it possible to export under sanctions: "Sanctions haven't managed to block either our imports of exports, it's just that it's all so expensive".

Why is he an optimist: "We have the cheapest labor force and that is a factor we should build our future on".

What does he think of the devaluation of the dinar: "If the dollar devalued, why shouldn't the dinar".

What awaits us: "We must embark on a new phase, an operation, the dissecting of our economic organism. Compared to what awaits us, all this so far has been a lark".

Awards: Apart from membership in the Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences (SANU), he has received the Oncologic Institute's Charter, a sculpture with his portrait, a present from the furniture factory Simpo, a plaque and medal from the Veteran's Association, a trade union cake, the Medal of the Serbian Fighter, the Charter and honorary membership in the Association of Inventors, a cat with a raised paw - a traditional Japanese

good luck charm from the Japanese weekly Diamond, the plaque "The Most Noble Yugoslav", the Charter and honorary membership in the Alliance of Pensioners... The World Serbian Community Council (SSSZ) proclaimed Avramovic a "Knight of the Serbian people". Apart from a sculpture, the Governor also received the dinar equivalent of 10,000 US dollars. SSSZ President Antonije Isakovic said that the Governor had to spend the money in humanitarian causes.