Dream of Balkania

While Milosevic was in Athens claiming that "Serbia is maximally contributing to the resolution of the existing open questions", President of the Left and Progress Coalition Nicos Constantopoulos was visiting Skopje, becoming the first Greek politician to visit this neighboring country, while the representatives of the two trade unions were discussing their mutual problems in the Greek capital.
Several days after Serbian President Milosevic left Athens, the only thing that is clear is that no one is yet certain what he had actually suggested, although everyone is commenting on his proposal. Even the state leadership is divided over the issue.

Papandreou is nevertheless satisfied with Milosevic's visit, sources close to the Prime Minister told VREME. The Greek Prime Minister had publicly and on behalf of the twelve European Union members praised him as the man who "at this moment plays the leading role in restoring peace in the region." The ones Papandreou did not want to talk about were the Americans, whose vigilant supervision of Athens is said to be the reason why the government of the All-Greek Socialist Movement (PASOK) has not officially invited the President of friendly Serbia to visit since it came into power in October 1993.

Greek officials kept quiet and the media timidly but imaginatively speculated whether Milosevic was coming to resolve the "Macedonian issue" or to implement another American or who knows whose plan in the region - some even insinuated a Greater Yugoslavia including even Croatia, Greece, Bulgaria, Albania .... but there were no comments. However, it is no secret that the idea of a Balkania is not in the spirit of Greece, which feels comfortable only in its ethnically and religiously homogenous (of course, Orthodox) state.

On the other hand, the same source close to Papandreou believes that Milosevic is a "man with a vision". If Milosevic had really suggested a platform for new relations in the Balkans during his visit to Athens, it is no wonder that he - as any other major player - did not meet with the understanding of the media preoccupied with current Greek issues. The Greek media are focusing on the Macedonian issue and the dispute which is covertly entering a stage of lowered tensions.

The unofficial but also undenied allegation that Milosevic's list of suggestions for the three countries' cooperation included a reduction of armed forces at borders, a tri-partite non-aggression treaty, a protocol on military cooperation between the three countries, which would envisage joint manoeuvres and coordination among the General Headquarters, Greek concessions to Serbia (the FRY) and Macedonia in the special economic zones of Thessaloniki Bay (the contract expired in 1922), a special agreement on the waters of the rivers Vardar and Morava, as well as broader economic and political cooperation based on Orthodoxy.

If Milosevic had a broader "vision" of future relations in the region, Papandreou could be a strong partner in its implementation, whatever the vision may be. However, in some other circumstances, since the Greek Prime Minister's ambitions are more directed at short-term goals as opposed to the Serbian President, who is still in his prime.

In any case, Slobodan Milosevic had another picture of himself taken in Athens, he saw all the political leaders (and not only some of them, like the Belgrade opposition leaders) and his old personal friend Constantine Mitsotakis. He left the Greek capital carrying a small green Christmas present he received from Foreign minister Karolous Papoulias.