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| Serbia Appoints Strauss-Kahn as an Economic Adviser | |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| PARIS — Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund whose career has been buffeted by a series of sex scandals, is reinventing himself again, this time as an economic adviser to the Serbian government. | PARIS — Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund whose career has been buffeted by a series of sex scandals, is reinventing himself again, this time as an economic adviser to the Serbian government. |
| Serbian officials said Monday that Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s appointment would be announced on Tuesday in Belgrade, the capital. Aleksandar Vucic, the first deputy prime minister, said by telephone from Belgrade that Mr. 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. | Serbian officials said Monday that Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s appointment would be announced on Tuesday in Belgrade, the capital. Aleksandar Vucic, the first deputy prime minister, said by telephone from Belgrade that Mr. 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. |
| He said Mr. Strauss-Kahn had agreed to work pro bono for the first three months. | He said Mr. Strauss-Kahn had agreed to work pro bono for the first three months. |
| Mr. Strauss-Kahn, 64, an economist, could not be reached for comment on Monday. In late July, he said in an interview broadcast on the Russian state news channel Rossiya 24 that his political career was behind him and that he was working as an adviser for large companies in Russia, Africa and Latin America, among other places. “Politics for me is in the past,” he said. | Mr. Strauss-Kahn, 64, an economist, could not be reached for comment on Monday. In late July, he said in an interview broadcast on the Russian state news channel Rossiya 24 that his political career was behind him and that he was working as an adviser for large companies in Russia, Africa and Latin America, among other places. “Politics for me is in the past,” he said. |
| Mr. Strauss-Kahn, a onetime presidential contender in France, resigned as head of the International Monetary Fund in 2011 after he was accused of sexually assaulting a housekeeper at a hotel in New York. The charges were later dropped. | Mr. Strauss-Kahn, a onetime presidential contender in France, resigned as head of the International Monetary Fund in 2011 after he was accused of sexually assaulting a housekeeper at a hotel in New York. The charges were later dropped. |
| In France, he still faces charges related to his involvement in a prostitution ring in the northern French city of Lille. His lawyers have denied any wrongdoing, saying that while Mr. Strauss-Kahn had been present at “libertine” gatherings, he was not aware that the women were being paid. | In France, he still faces charges related to his involvement in a prostitution ring in the northern French city of Lille. His lawyers have denied any wrongdoing, saying that while Mr. Strauss-Kahn had been present at “libertine” gatherings, he was not aware that the women were being paid. |
| Serbia recently received approval to start negotiations to enter the European Union and has been seeking to rehabilitate its international image in the aftermath of the bloody Balkan wars of the 1990s. That has prompted some Serbian analysts to question why a country in need of rebranding has hired a disgraced figure who himself would seem to be seeking international rehabilitation. | Serbia recently received approval to start negotiations to enter the European Union and has been seeking to rehabilitate its international image in the aftermath of the bloody Balkan wars of the 1990s. That has prompted some Serbian analysts to question why a country in need of rebranding has hired a disgraced figure who himself would seem to be seeking international rehabilitation. |
| Vesna Pesic, a sociologist in Belgrade, said Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s recent scandals made him an odd pick. “We have very good economists here, and I personally would not have chosen him because of the accusations against him,” she said. “It is propaganda and marketing. But people here are so exhausted by the recession, and they don’t care.” | Vesna Pesic, a sociologist in Belgrade, said Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s recent scandals made him an odd pick. “We have very good economists here, and I personally would not have chosen him because of the accusations against him,” she said. “It is propaganda and marketing. But people here are so exhausted by the recession, and they don’t care.” |
| Mr. Vucic, the first deputy prime minister, defended the choice, saying that Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s recent history had no bearing on his financial expertise. He said that questioning Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s economic acumen in light of the recent scandals would be like questioning Pablo Picasso’s powers as an artist because of his treatment of women. | |
| “Pablo Picasso had lots of problems with his wives and kids but he was still a genius,” he said. “We think Mr. Strauss-Kahn is a great economist and we think he might help us with his knowledge and experience. We need to revive our economy. We don’t speak of moral competences. He is not going to be the minister of culture.” | “Pablo Picasso had lots of problems with his wives and kids but he was still a genius,” he said. “We think Mr. Strauss-Kahn is a great economist and we think he might help us with his knowledge and experience. We need to revive our economy. We don’t speak of moral competences. He is not going to be the minister of culture.” |
| Srdjan Bogosavljevic, the director of the Belgrade offices of Ipsos, a polling firm, said Monday that public opinion in Serbia was divided over the wisdom of hiring a foreigner to help revive the struggling economy. But he said that someone of Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s experience could be an asset to Serbia’s 29-year-old finance minister, Lazar Krstic, a largely untested Yale graduate who left the global consultancy firm McKinsey to join the Serbian government this month. | Srdjan Bogosavljevic, the director of the Belgrade offices of Ipsos, a polling firm, said Monday that public opinion in Serbia was divided over the wisdom of hiring a foreigner to help revive the struggling economy. But he said that someone of Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s experience could be an asset to Serbia’s 29-year-old finance minister, Lazar Krstic, a largely untested Yale graduate who left the global consultancy firm McKinsey to join the Serbian government this month. |
| Mr. Krstic faces the daunting tasks of taming Serbia’s ballooning budget deficit and public debt, and renegotiating a loan agreement with the I.M.F. | Mr. Krstic faces the daunting tasks of taming Serbia’s ballooning budget deficit and public debt, and renegotiating a loan agreement with the I.M.F. |
| Mr. Strauss-Kahn has been seeking to return to public life in recent months. In July, he was named to the board of a banking subsidiary of Rosneft, the Russian state oil company. He also appeared on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in May. | Mr. Strauss-Kahn has been seeking to return to public life in recent months. In July, he was named to the board of a banking subsidiary of Rosneft, the Russian state oil company. He also appeared on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in May. |
| But his attempted comeback has not been without incident. Last year, a Paris theatrical production called “Suite 2806” reimagined the encounter in the New York hotel that wrecked Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s presidential prospects. Earlier this year, a roman à clef by a former lover described him in an unflattering light. | But his attempted comeback has not been without incident. Last year, a Paris theatrical production called “Suite 2806” reimagined the encounter in the New York hotel that wrecked Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s presidential prospects. Earlier this year, a roman à clef by a former lover described him in an unflattering light. |