Aeroflot Has Arrived

A crowd of curious natives greeted the landing of the plane from Moscow at Belgrade airport last Wednesday with naive joy. A folk group danced and sang, showing the foreigners that they had discovered a country of friendly and happy people. It is believed that other planes will be landing soon and that this is just the beginning, so the wise policy which made it possible should be celebrated. Athletes will start competing against others; trade will follow slowly; we will live better, practically like our neighbors, and we will certainly have the highest rate of development in this part of the world.

Perhaps it would be polite to celebrate less ostentatiously, out of consideration for those who still claim they remember better days and who say that foreign planes used to land here before. But, it is believed that with time, they too will forget and abandon their persistent attempts at reminding others of this. The opposition are a much more difficult case---claiming that this is no victory and no success, that it is far too little, that it has been paid for dearly and that the matter concerns a tragic mistake and treachery.

It is not much, but it is a lot more than nothing at all, and I think that most of the people here will not be wont to listen to grumpy critics who refuse to share in their innocent happiness and hopes of a new beginning. To all intents and purposes, such an opposition frees Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic from the obligation to answer why we have become such idiots, claiming that we would be even bigger ones if the members of the opposition had had any say.

The fact that the Russians were the first to come should worry us a bit, but then haven't we always started with the Russians and then turned to the West after getting our act together a bit? Then again, it seems that Serbia's and Montenegro's relations with Russia have entered a more mature phase and they have abandoned their feverish attempts at making Russia see the light, getting it to clash with the West and take care of its Orthodox brethren in the Balkans.

It proved that Russia didn't have any such plans or ambitions, so that instead of a Slav, Orthodox or Communist, brotherly embrace, it is establishing normal state relations based on interests. It is possible that Russia's stand on the matter had a decisive influence on Milosevic to abandon his dreams of an anti-Western alliance. He was told that he could try it out on his own and that he would definitely be left in the doghouse if he brought his crazy brother Radovan (Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic) along. This week Patriarch Pavle will get the same explanation in spiritual lingo from his Russian colleague.

It seems that we had more luck with the Russians this time than we deserved. We might even end up learning Western customs from the Russians. If we had waited much longer we would have lived to see Moscow supplying us with its version of European fashion, rock music and all those things we used to send them. In order for things to happen as they did, the military coup of three years ago had to fail and then Russian President Boris Yeltsin had to break up Parliament. Milosevic, who so far has not been much like Yeltsin, found himself facing a similar temptation. The difference lies in the fact that he has been carrying out his coups and counter-coups single-handedly for years, thus getting rid of old allies and winning newer and newer supporters. The former Yugoslav army has been thoroughly purged of non-Serbs and all those not prepared to wage war; now it has to rid itself of all those Serbs not prepared to accept peace. I believe that the story of resistance and certain conspiratorial groups of patriotic officers has been greatly exaggerated. I don't know anything, but I doubt that today's brave officers are willing to risk losing their pensions. Cuts in the military budget hurt them more than decreased national ambitions. I don't believe that a big thing will be made out of this. Milosevic will ask, shall we say, Chief of the General Staff General Momcilo Perisic to be a bit more modest and so save himself a trip to The Hague.

The future of freedom, democracy and parliamentary life are problems which Milosevic shares to some extent with Yeltsin and which both countries will face for years and decades. Differences in the size of the countries entail corresponding differences in the dimensions of the problems faced. Yeltsin sent the Army against Parliament

Milosevic had Serbian Radical Party (SRS) leader Vojislav Seselj arrested. In both cases, the reaction of the so-called liberal public was a mixture of discomfort and satisfaction. But let us leave aside further comparisons with Russia, since who knows where they would take us. As far as Seselj is concerned, I really don't see how his thirty days in jail are supposed to be a threat to democracy and human rights, especially with regard to those who have not been concerned with such matters so far. I also fail to see how the obstruction of Parliament by the SRS can be regarded as a contribution to parliamentary life.

Apart from the SRS, in principle and for the sake of consistency, Seselj should be defended by those who until recently defended all his victims. Those who Seselj threatened, added to lists of enemies to be liquidated and called traitors, which he will continue to do. Seselj's immunity, his right to spit at Federal Speaker Radoman Bozovic, is being defended by those whom Seselj would strip of all rights, just as he helped many in Bosnia be stripped of the right to life and property. All that Seselj really deserves is the right to a trial, a lawyer and a jail guard. Judging by his statements, he doesn't need a lawyer since he would admit to all charges and his defence consists of accusing Milosevic, from whom he claims to have become criminally inseparable. Milosevic will certainly have more problems with Seselj, like all parents have with naughty children, something that should not concern those of us who are not related to them. However, I have a feeling that we won't be able to forget and disregard them all that easily.

Either I have become alienated and incapable of understanding the new times, or most of the public affairs and events here simply by pass the public interest. We now have a polemic on the Left between Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) ideologue Mihailo Markovic and League of Communists-Movement for Yugoslavia (SK-PJ) ideologue Ms. Mirjana Markovic, who also happens to be Milosevic's wife. The clash is taking place within Slobodan Milosevic; so he is bound to win. Whether Mihailo Markovic will survive politically probably matters only to Mihailo Markovic.

Does the term ``the Left'' still have some meaning? Do we really hanker after Leftist ideological clashes. Is the Left better represented by MM or MM? Is this an ideological clash at all or is it a political break like that between Milosevic and Seselj, also linked to changes in national goals?

Mihailo believes that the unification of all Serbs, as a final goal, must be put off for the time being; but this is not enough for Mirjana, who suspects him of nationalism and reminds him that he spoke differently recently. On the other hand, she expresses her unwavering Leftist faith in the future of the former Yugoslavia, which was totally and irreparably crushed by the Yugoslav Army, once a collective member of the SK-PJ. Regardless of how the quarrel ends, all we can hope for is a little more malice.

Those who want more, who believe that the grass grows greener in our neighbor's gardens, should read their press if they can get a hold of it. They will then learn that Croatian President Franjo Tudjman is at war with the supporters of Zagreb's ``Dinamo'' football club. Tudjman wants the name ``Dinamo'' changed to ``Croatia.'' He even sent them a letter, of which 60,000 copies were distributed at the stadium. In it Tudjman informs the supporters politely that the name ``Dinamo'' has a Bolshevist-Serbian sound to it and that it is not to the liking of the democratic West and that it will destabilize Croatia's independence.

Instead of being honored, the ungrateful supporters said they were surprised that the President had the time and energy to write to them and meddle in such matters. They said they would always root for ``Dinamo'' and never again for HDZ (the Croatian Democratic Union led by Tudjman). This means that Dalmatia could start thinking about independence, because of Tudjman's open rooting for Croatia.

If you are angry and bitter about Milosevic, it will probably help you feel better if you know how humiliated the Croats must feel with Tudjman. This medicine, taken reciprocally, helps them digest all that they that are being force-fed with.