Dead Ringers

Alexander Lukasenko is the first president of a foreign state who has come to visit FRY since Milosevic became president. So far, Milosevic's international activity has involved completely unequal meetings in which the chief of the Yugoslav state has listened to the remarks and requests of mostly angry and dissatisfied representatives of important international institutions.

So, what is it that Alexander Lukasenko is known for, this leader who, with his large delegation, spent three day's on an official visit in Belgrade? According to the American State Department's annual report on world human rights, he, together with his host Milosevic and the Croatian president Franjo Tudjman, had the most negative rating in Europe. This, due to the fact that he had successfully terminated disputes, not only with the independent domestic press in his own country, but also with correspondents from Moscow papers (who were persecuted, expelled from the country or brought to trials), enabling him to more easily ignore criticism from the European Council, OEBS and the Western public. Also due to the fact that in April last year, his police used nightsticks and tear gas to deal with demonstrators who protested against forced tightening of relations with Russia. By the fact that he won four fifths of the votes in the presidential elections in Belorussia.

Being such close political friends, and since he will hardly have a more respectable guest anytime soon, and because with each day, his playing the role of Tito is getting more comical, Milosevic received Lukasenko with ridiculous pomp. Red carpets were spread throughout the Belgrade airport, the guard was arranged around Beli Dvor, traffic didn't circulate for hours (accompanied by hardy curses from the frozen citizens of Belgrade) in order that Lukasenko could easily get from the monument of the Unknown Soldier on the Avala to the Institute for Corn in Zemun Polje, and from the Yugoslav Olympic Committee to Energoprojekt. The locations upon which Lukasenko's foot was to step were seized with total madness. The word is, that in Energoproject, the halls were polished as never before (it was so slippery that employees could hardly get to their offices, while Lukasenko went through the building using other halls, where nothing was polished), and new furniture was bought for the room where he was to be received (but he did not use the room because he was in a hurry).

What is the tangible result of this visit, except that Milosevic and Lukasenko expressed their mutual satisfaction? The exchange will become tenfold, it was announced, which means that on the yearly level it should come to a hundred million instead of ten million dollars - the sum of which no serious economist would even consider mentioning. Agreement was made on joint production of MTZ tractors, as well as on "the enhancement of various forms of cooperation in the area of agriculture, as it used to be in Soviet times". Lukasenko announced tight cooperation between the ministries of sports of the two countries. Along with this, the president of Belorussia repeated several times that his country will "actively support" the return of FRY to the international community and international institutions. Where will it do this and in front of whom, given his international rating?

And that is why Milosevic arranged both official and private dinners for Lukasenko (he probably paid for the latter himself?), that was why he mistreated his fellow citizens for days in the bitter coldness of winter. The FRY President cabinet was not in such protocol delirium even in May and June of 1996 when the presidents of Romania, Ion Iliesku, and of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, officially visited Belgrade (the only two Chiefs of States who visited FRY lately), and yet they are more respectable international figures than Lukasenko. The explanation is, of course, that in that time, the president was Zoran Lilic, and when he received visits, it could not be the same as when Milosevic does.
And after this visit, or rather especially after this visit, Yugolavia remains aground as far as foreign policy is concerned, and Milosevic calmly and inconsiderately keeps pushing people toward disaster. With Lukasenko or without him, it's all the same to us.