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London, 28th April: Crown Prince Aleksandar Karadjordjevic has issued Easter greetings to FRY [Federal Republic of Yugoslavia] citizens in which he wishes them a better future and a change in the country's authority, advising the Serbian regime that it must "go as soon as possible". "Easter is coming and I wish to greet you all with 'Christ has risen', wishing you and your children a better future. The country and the nation are facing a total catastrophe this year because the regime refuses to assume any responsibility for everything that has happened to us in the past decade. However, the regime bears the main responsibility for all the misfortunes that have happened to us. That is why the regime must go, the sooner the better," the message by Prince Aleksandar reads. Aleksandar recounts that he called a meeting of public personalities from Serbia, Montenegro, the [Bosnian] Serb Republic and other places populated by Serbs, in Athens last week to discuss a way out of the current crisis in the country. The meeting passed a declaration stipulating ways to save the Serbian nation. The declaration also outlines a proposal to form a Council of Democratic Forces of Serbia, over which His Holiness Patriarch Pavle and myself would preside, Crown Prince Aleksandar Karadjordjevic informs. He also recounts that the objective was to create a single mechanism which would help the democratic opposition be in harmony with the decisions concerning strategic issues, adding that it is up to the opposition whether it will accept this proposal or not. "If the opposition is capable of starting a decisive battle that will bring about the change of the regime by itself, so much the better. Nobody would be happier than I. What is offered here is a mechanism for resolution of conflicts and we must now examine its advantages and disadvantages," Prince Aleksandar points out in his Easter message. "The church and the crown have always played an important role in the life of the nation and they are ready to do so in the current difficult times. Neither his holiness nor myself are politicians, but this concerns the future of the nation and we cannot sit with our arms folded," he adds. The crown prince voices the belief that the Serbian nation will hail any solution promising a change of regime and changes in the country. The nation wants democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and an end to the current lawlessness and chaos. The nation wants a safe and dignified existence and the country's return to the European and international institutions, Prince Aleksandar states, adding that the people of Serbia and Montenegro do not want a further fragmentation of the state territory. The crown prince further states that the people want a peaceful change of the regime, stressing that the "regime must understand that change is inevitable". "This is the time for changes, the time for democracy. Now is the time to form a pan-national movement for change. Henceforth, charge forward, dear fellow countrymen. Respond to the call of the fatherland," Prince Aleksandar calls at the end of his Easter message to the citizens of Yugoslavia. Source: Beta news agency, Belgrade, in Serbo-Croat 0717 gmt 28 Apr 00 |
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