In recent years, Helmut Kohl, the Pope (even twice), Bill Clinton and other high-profile people have passed through Ljubljana, but only the visit of Bush and Putin gave the city the seal of "diplomatic capital of the world", as assessed by some commentators.
"Slovenia, a place where serious couples gaze at the stars." The text of the huge poster pasted all over the billboards around and in the center of Ljubljana. The public was thus warned about the "historic meeting between US President George Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin". The poster was seen by residents of Ljubljana as well as invited and unannounced guests, members of various environmental organizations, Greenpeace and Amnesty International. Only those for whom they were intended - Bush and Putin - did not see them. The route took them from the airport to Brdo kod Kranje and back. Ljubljana was in the opposite direction.
Since Reuters published the news in mid-May that the American and Russian presidents will meet for the first time in Ljubljana, Slovenia has been in a state of emergency. A special committee was formed for the preparation of the meeting at the summit, PR agencies were engaged and the media was mobilized. No one even thought to ask the question of money. It was simply not partisan to engage in the dilemmas of how much what will cost and where the money from the "budget hole" will come from. Drnovšek's Information Office announced a competition for a graphic solution for the logo of the meeting; eleven agencies responded, and a design was chosen in which the word Bush (written in Latin, horizontally) and Putin (written in Cyrillic, vertically) intersect in the same letter - "H" and "N". Everyone is involved in the organization, from the Tourist Association to the Chamber of Commerce. And the good opportunity was not wasted - around 2000 accredited journalists received a video cassette about Slovenia, t-shirts ("I was there with George and Vladimir"), puzzles and promotional material about the meeting and about the tenth anniversary of Slovenian independence, plus two free tickets for the Opera, in the evening, when George and Vladimir leave.
PUSH I BUTIN: The head of the Information Office stated that the selection of the wider area of Ljubljana for such a meeting "at the top" is truly "the greatest gift to Slovenia for the tenth anniversary of independence" and "a promotion that no amount of money can pay for". The last similar diplomatic meeting was held in Ljubljana exactly 180 years ago, when one of the conferences of the Congress of Vienna was organized in what was then Laibach.
In recent years, Helmut Kohl, the Pope (even twice), Bill Clinton and other high-profile people have passed through Ljubljana, but it was only the visit of Bush and Putin that gave the city the stamp of the "diplomatic capital of the world", as assessed by some commentators. That feeling was fueled by depressed comments from the Austrian press, since Vienna (allegedly) fell out of the mix because of Jörg Haider, champion of the right. After the first shock, even the ironic remark of the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Igor Ivanov (that the choice fell on Ljubljana by "stopping the globe with their finger") was later accepted as an excellent promotional statement, since it was so bizarre that it was reported by all the world's agencies and media , which is why "Slovenia's name went around the world".
Days before Saturday, June 16, they started washing the squares and buildings in the center, arranging the parks and asphalting the driveways... The hosts were committed to their mission, even though it was already suspected that the high-ranking guests would not stop by the capital or see anything more than what can be seen from airplane. Special caution is given to security measures. The sewer openings were carefully inspected and the covers welded, the surrounding population was warned about a special mode of movement and opening windows, all cars parked (or left) on the stretch from Brnik airport to Brda kod Kranje were removed, special police ambushes were placed on the highway, on all At the intersections, the police set up roadblocks through which a convoy of vehicles, first American, then Russian, full of officials and agents, passed through twice.
The Slovenian government diligently and consistently made preparations so that there would be no incident during the meeting. It was known that the meeting place would be Brdo near Kranje, Tito's former residence and today a protocol facility of the Slovenian government, which the new authorities are happy to link with the former communist dandy, but not with Karađorđevići. A few days before the arrival of Putin and Bush, a special regime was introduced at the border crossings, about a hundred suspects were returned and all manifestations of the Green Movement, Greenpeace, Amnesty International, the Office of Intervention and other groups that oppose globalization were strictly prohibited. Despite the efforts of the authorities, posters of various organizations appeared here and there, reminding the public that "the fate of the world cannot be discussed by only two people", with an invitation to citizens to join the demonstrations. That's why on Saturday, Ljubljana resembled a battlefield - the center was divided into closed quarters by two-meter-high blue police fences (something even borrowed from neighboring Croatia), which did not prevent members of Greenpeace from jumping over the fence of the American embassy and handcuffing themselves to whatever they could get their hands on. , inside the courtyard, while armored vehicles were patrolling the area... The special forces somehow cut the handcuffs and took away the "greenpis" (mainly from Austria), when the news arrived that the Slovenian police beat a couple of activists of the Ya Basta group from Trieste who tried to get off the bus at the border as they were denied entry into the country...
A special police vehicle with a muzzle was borrowed from Croatia just in case, which was ultimately not used even though the demonstrators did not respect the ban on gathering in Tivoli Park in Ljubljana (about thirty kilometers from the meeting place between the American and Russian presidents). The protest was also staged by the Umanotera organization, which advocates for the implementation of the Kyoto agreement, and the most original was certainly the Croatian group Let 3, which was stopped in the suburbs of the capital, so it failed to show Slovenians, Russians, Americans and everyone else a close-up of the sculpture of a grandiose man sexual organ. It wasn't exactly like in other European cities, but the demonstrations in Ljubljana succeeded in the end. The police arrested and detained 22 activists from Britain, Spain, Venezuela, Slovakia and Austria. Only the hosts remained untouched, who staged a special "festival of resistance" and still paraded through the streets of Ljubljana. The target of "non-governmental troops" was mostly Bush (because of the anti-ballistic shield and the rejection of the Kyoto agreement), but Putin was not forgotten either - because of human rights violations in Chechnya. The result of the silent war between the institutions of the system and the urban guerrillas was an open letter - a protest - that the former leader of the Slovenian branch of Soros, Rastko Močnik, sent to the president of the Slovenian government, in which he accuses Janez Drnovšek of turning Slovenia into a "police state" because of Bush and Putin.
NA KING SALASH: "I shouldn't tell you that, but behind that house, on the left, there is a country road that leads straight to Villa Brdo, across the field," a junior policeman told me when I got stuck at the fifth police roadblock trying to get through with my car from Ljubljana towards Brdo near Kranje. Blockades were hard and neither badges nor credentials helped. It seemed that there was no way to make our way to Karađorđević's former summer house. However, the instruction was right. On the Polish road and on foot across the fields, finally in the company of the world's seventh power, which arrived at the residence in an organized, special bus. The park around the building was jammed with reporting cars, and the special press center was dominated by Russian and American reporters for whom, for the occasion, the Russian and American embassies were opened in the nearby "Kokra" hotel.
Everyone was having a hard time enduring the heat, looking at the sky and waiting for Bush and Putin to appear at the promised press conference. While a good part of the American media was impressed by the "personal contact" achieved by Bush and Putin during the meeting, the Russian media emphasized that the meeting took place in the "former Yugoslav republic of Slovenia", a republic that "represents the westernmost state of the Slavic peoples".
It all started with a mild panic at Brnik airport because Bush left Warsaw an hour earlier than the Slovenian side had expected. The problem was solved by the president's aircraft circling over Central Europe for almost an hour - until everything was ready on the ground for the ceremonial welcome of George and Laura Bush. Putin arrived on schedule, about an hour later. Both guests first talked for ten minutes with the hosts, the president of the Slovenian government, Janez Drnovšek, and the president of the country, Milan Kučan.
During the talks between Bush and Putin, nothing new and unexpected happened. Their meeting lasted about eight hours, and the American journalists who came to "accompany the president" knew in advance that Bush would greet his Russian colleague with the question of "human rights in Russia." The rest went as expected - everyone remained on his own point of view. This was also shown at the press conference, during which the presidents answered six questions. Previously, Bush and Putin headed together (alone) from the villa building through a path through the tree line to the prepared speakers (Bush's was "armored" up to the waist, Putin's was not). Bush took the microphone without any introductory words from the moderator and greeted the assembled journalists and members of the Russian and American delegation, as well as the top Slovenian politicians, in the box with a short speech. Then Putin gave his speech and it became clear that there was nothing to do with the agreement on anti-ballistic missiles, and the debate over NATO expansion was not more fruitful either.
"We need to build new relations, beyond the logic of the Cold War... Friends do not destroy each other... And Russia is worried about Iran, if I understood your words correctly, President Putin... Before you stand two men who did not trade... This is the beginning of an open, constructive relations... Russia can be a much better friend of the USA than people can imagine today...", said Bush, promising to form some kind of committee which should "explore opportunities for new foreign investment in Russia".
KREMALI KISSES: During the election campaign, Bush remained known for the so-called Bushisms, verbal gaffes that showed his superficial knowledge not only of geography but also of world politics (not to mention good manners). Slovenia, for example, has not forgotten how, when he was the governor of Texas, during the meeting with Prime Minister Drnovšek, he greeted a guest from Slovakia, so Ljubljana was also decorated with a cynical "Welcome in Slovakia" poster for several hours in the past few days... That's why local journalists they listened intently to see if "some Bushism will fall" again. It was noted that he referred to the Russian Foreign Minister as "Sergei Ivanov, Minister of Defense".
"I looked the man in the eyes and saw that he was sincere... If I didn't trust him, I wouldn't have invited him to my ranch... He told me that he had read somewhere that I named my daughters after my mother and mother-in-law, which is the sign of a good diplomat ... President Putin told me that he did the same ... You are also a good diplomat, President Putin, we share many similar values ...", Bush poured expressions of love from his lectern, patting the more serious Putin here and there on the back. Bush also added remarks about the intimate "body language" between the two newly-acquainted presidents of the two superpowers, which should have comforted those present and replaced the absence of any serious agreement on the topic that was the reason for the gathering. At times, the happening was reminiscent of already seen diplomatic meetings between Brezhnev and other Soviet leaders, once known for the famous "Kremlin kiss". All the difference was that the role of the "heart bear" this time was played by the American president. It is no coincidence that the next day in Ljubljana, the cover of "Mladina" appeared with Putin and Bush kissing - on the mouth.
Compared to Bush, Putin seemed more restrained. To the joy of the journalists present, he pulled out from somewhere a once strictly confidential telegram from the Soviet government, which was interested in joining the NATO alliance as early as 1954; he also read the response from Brussels that the Kremlin's wish was "unrealistic". Which was the introduction to the formation of first NATO, and then the Warsaw Pact. Regarding the ABM treaty, Putin resolutely repeated that "the Russian position is known" and that therefore there is no point in "wasting words". For Russia, all agreements signed so far remain in force, with Putin condemning all "unilateral actions". Nevertheless, the Russian president did not fail to mention that the USA and Russia are not "enemies", that "the American president listens and hears our words", and the importance of specific projects, such as the space program and the American-Russian oil pipeline to Novorossiysk, was emphasized. Both presidents confirmed that they also discussed the issue of the Caspian Basin, where the largest reserves of oil and minerals are located.
Asked what kind of "peace plan he is bringing to Belgrade", Putin replied that "by this he probably refers to the situation in the entire region" and specifically addressed the situation in Macedonia and Kosovo, with a comparison with the situation in the Baltic states: "Also around 40 percent live there Russians who don't have guaranteed human rights, but we don't solve that by sending them weapons. We have to fight against all extremists, and that's why no one who decides to take such a path must count on the support of the international community," Putin said while the American translator in the booth on the side gestured with his index finger.
Finally, there were a few minor but not insignificant differences in the presentation of both presidents. At the end of his speech, Bush gave warm recognition to Slovenia ("a success story"), an example of what "can be achieved if we give freedom a chance." At the same time, he congratulated Slovenia on its tenth anniversary of independence (June 25) and greeted the "two leaders", Kučan and Drnovšek. Putin's thank-you note to the hosts was polite, but without congratulations on independence. The commentators did not overlook the fact that Putin arrived in Ljubljana from Shanghai (strengthened after China, while Bush came "wounded by disagreements with partners in Europe"), and that after a minimal ceremony in Brnik, he left Ljubljana to spend the night "with a friend in Belgrade ", in which a new division of spheres of interest between Russia and the USA could be sensed.
What leaked out from diplomatic sources is that both presidents were more satisfied with each other in their personal meeting than they expected, and it is known for sure that Bush will visit Putin in Moscow in July, and Putin will visit Bush in the fall at his ranch in Texas. All in all, the entire meeting in Slovenia passed without incident. Laura Bush was delighted with Bled and its surroundings, she bought some lace, and the members of the American security and journalists were only disappointed by the fact that all the shops, including the duty free shop in Brnik, were closed. For safety's sake. So they had to buy expensive wines in a restaurant anyway, to bring back at least some memory of Europe.
Known for his "holes" in literacy and education, US President George Bush is an inexhaustible subject of various satirists, comedians and cartoonists. Inspired by President Bush's first trip to the Old Continent, American writer Tom McNichol, whose comments can be read in the "New York Times" and "Washington Post" or heard on national radio, wrote a satirical travel guide through Europe for President Bush.
The guide to Europe "for the president's eyes only" begins like this: "Dear President, ahead of your historic five-day and five-nation trip to Europe, the White House travel agency has prepared for you information about the countries you will visit to make your trip successful and useful. In the introductory part, the author gives some general advice like "just relax - in each of those countries there are McDonald's, American movies and Marlboro cigarettes" and one crucial one: stick to your schedule and don't do not mention the war for a living. "One of the main differences between America and Europe is money - Europe has less of it, it looks different from America and some of the currencies are not even green. "Don't comment on how their money is 'funny', since Europeans are sensitive about that," says the author.
In the chapter "Journeys", the author McNichol instructs the president in the secrets of geography and diplomacy: "Spain is a modern industrial country with about 40 million inhabitants... in which they speak one of the languages that you also speak (your other is English). Don't call their language 'Mexican', even though it will seem very, very similar to you, as will the food (except they don't have nachos, which we will of course provide). When addressing officials and journalists, be sure to state that Madrid is a magnificent city, which will strengthen your image as an informed world leader." The author points out to the president that he avoids stories about World War II, since Spain during the war was a neutral country "which, if it had entered into the war, she was probably on the side of the Nazis (the losers)". He also emphasizes that "the Spanish fly does not come from Spain, nor does it have aphrodisiac properties," and advises the president to skilfully avoid the subject.
In Belgium, the country whose most famous export product is the waffle, the president, if he reads this instruction, will set foot with foreknowledge: "Southern Belgians are known as Walloons and speak French; those in the north are Flemish and speak Dutch. The Walloons are fat and jovial, while the Flemish are not as unhealthy as they look and sound. Brussels is the seat of the European Union, a kind of European Washington DC, which houses thousands of bureaucrats who think they can manage Europe better than local authorities. You will meet NATO officials (pronounced Naito), who will probably be upset about the US plans to build an anti-missile shield.'' and drinks a lot, says the author, emphasizing that it is extremely common and unpunished for young people to consume alcohol in a public place. "Therefore, we advise you to invite your daughter to join you on this part of the journey." Considering that Poles are very proud and do not like jokes about themselves no matter how funny they are, the satirist recommends the president to avoid humor at their expense, or simply he attributed incidents from jokes to the Germans. "The most famous export products are emigrants and sausages, and the most famous Pole is Pope John Paul II, whose secular name is Karol Wojtyla, which would not be a bad thing to mention."
The last stage of the journey, Slovenia, is also the most difficult for the president: "Little is known about that country. It is believed to be located under Austria, to its right, although it could actually be Slovakia as well. The Slovenians have been embroiled in a bloody civil war for the past decade, although it is not entirely clear whether they fought at all, and if so, whose side they were on. Secretary Rumsfeld will inform you in detail about this in time, if necessary. You will land in Ljubljana, the capital of this country. Do not try to pronounce the name of this city under any circumstances, instead say the phrase 'magnificent enclave of Slavic culture', and wait for the applause to follow." Slovenia is the biggest unknown and challenge for President Bush, who, when he gets on the plane and goes home , to realize what is crystal clear to every American after their first trip to Europe: "It's wonderful to return to the best country in the world." USA No.1!"
BV
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