A Dramatic Change in Roles for Albright and Primakov

MANILA — Amid intense talk of crises in Asia’s economies, Myanmar’s junta, Cambodia’s elections, Indonesia’s political upheaval and India’s and Pakistan’s nuclear programs, the foreign ministers from 21 countries broke Tuesday for a bit of slightly surreal and distinctly off-key levity from the former superpower rivals.

Diplomatic detente temporarily turned into a love feast as Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny M. Primakov crooned to each other as star-crossed lovers in a parody of “West Side Story” for the banquet finale.

“Tonight,” pledged a Russian spokesman by way of understated introduction, “won’t be just any night.”

“The most beautiful sound I ever heard, Yevgeny. All the beautiful sounds of the world in a single word, Yevgeny!” warbled Albright, as Maria from the Leonard Bernstein classic.

Responded Primakov, as Tony, “I just met a girl, Madeleine Albright,

“And suddenly I find

“She thinks she’ll change my mind

“For free.”

To the tune of “America,” the two bantered back and forth:

Albright: “America’s nobody’s enemy.”

Primakov: “So why do you practice hegemony?”

Albright: “I want to know what you think of me.”

Primakov: “Look in your file at the KGB!”

The skits are a ritual at the Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations conference. There was also a song by India poking fun at its recent nuclear tests.

“Why such a fuss over a few crackers in the Thar?” asked the delegation. “They weren’t as loud as Nevada or Lop Nor,” the U.S. and Chinese test sites.