The Moscow Banquet

Dr. Mirjana Markovic - the wife of the President of FR Yugoslavia, President of the Department of JUL (Yugoslav Left), a journalist, a publicist, an academic - became an honorable member of the Association of Writers of Russia. Before her, the same honor was bestowed upon three citizens of FR Yugoslavia: Zoran Kostic, Dr. Smilja Avramov and Dragos Kalajic. The celebration in Dr. Markovic's honor was magnified, apart from others, by her brother-in-law and the Yugoslav ambassador to Moscow, Borislav Milosevic, as well as representatives of the Braca Karic International University of Business and Law. Afterwards, the esteemed guest from Belgrade was accepted, in two separate visits, by the Patriarch Alexei II, and the Head of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Genady Zjuganov. On the following day, Dr. Markovic had a ten-minute conversation with the president of the State Parliament, Genady Slesnov. The local media gave us detailed information about what was said on these occasions. Expressing her gratitude for the distinguished reception among the Russian writers, Dr. Markovic characterized Russia as "the birthplace of literature - the closest to herself", and emphasized that today's picture of the world is being formulated by "those who have not built the foundations of world civilization". During the fifteen-minute conversation at the State Parliament, she supported the idea of the Prime Minister, Primakov on the creation of a strategic Russia-China-India triangle, also noting that the "new counterpart to NATO and the aggressive aspirations of the USA will be formed on Eurasian ground", i.e. that "the historically great peoples of Russia, China and India will be capable of taking over the responsibilities for the destiny of the world".

The old pledge of Vladimir Volfovich Zhirinovsky, president of the Russian Liberal-Democratic Party and the former provider of 'Elipton' from the book The Last Invasion to the South, that a Russian soldier is going to wet his boots in the Indian Ocean, thus came across the local support too. It is quite probable for this gesture to become highly appreciated by the delegates of the joint Russian-Belarussian Parliament when, one day, they start deciding about the permanent reception of FR Yugoslavia into this alliance.
However, the banquets at Moscow, the visits to India, the conferences in China, even in the opposite direction and much more than a certain foreign-policy orientation of official Belgrade, signify an attempt to escape from reality and enter a new world full of wonders and self-oblivion. The current regime is, namely, in an extremely tense relationship with the European Union and the USA. From these states, no one sends invitations for banquets, no one offers any collaboration and no one grants honorable titles. On the contrary - they constantly shout and threat, and in reality - they have both reasons and means for that. And, instead of having conversations with them and trying to solve the problems, our representatives keep on fighting against 'The New World Order', whatever that might mean, they go from one sponsored banquet to another and talk nonsense about global problems. Because, negotiations with the European Union and the American delegates are neither easy nor pleasant. Just as, in the early nineties, they showed no patience for those lamentations about the Battle of Kosovo and the golden forks, in the late nineties they are showing no interest for the poetic sociology of 'warm snow', fruit in the blooming stage, insects, flowers, left-wing, right-wing, the fifth column promoters, and everything else favored by the supporters of Dr. Markovic. Therefore - let's go to Russia, China and India. If, in the end, someone's personal and selfish interests happen to hinder those three countries from embarking on the given chance of taking over responsibility for the world's destiny, no one can be blamed for it, especially not Dr. Markovic, who has offered them the entire globe on a saucer on credit.

Yet, as for the banquets, and conferences... whatever is spent for Moscow, comes back to Belgrade with a good interest.