for “BLIC” 
(12-13 December 1998) 

BLIC: The Milosevic-Holbruk agreement on Kosovo is being interpreted in different ways.  What is your view? 

HRH Crown Prince Alexander:  This agreement amounts to a disastrous capitulation for the Serbian people, which could have been avoided had the regime in good time launched a realistic policy which would have protected Serbian interests on the one hand, and ensured a decent life for all inhabitants of Kosovo, on the other.  But the regime was initially totally inactive on the Kosovo issue, and later, when things became more complicated, it reacted to Albanian extremism solely with brute force.  This gave a pretext to the international community to intervene directly, and we all know the result.  This is a great pity because in Kosovo there is enough land and bread for both Serbs and Albanians. 
 

BLIC:  What will happen to Kosovo?  What do you think? 

HRH Crown Prince Alexander:  It is difficult to give a precise answer since the Kosovo issue has now been internationalised and any solution will have repercussions not only in the neighbouring Balkan countries but throughout the world.  From the Serbian point of view, I think it is of paramount importance to take prompt action:  first, to safeguard the interests of the Kosovo Serbs, and second, to protect Serbian holy shrines in Kosovo and Metohija.  Unfortunately, here too, the current Serbian regime has failed to deliver:  the genuine representatives of the Kosovo Serbs have been neither consulted nor included in the talks on Kosovo’s future, while the Serbian Orthodox Church and its efforts to find a solution acceptable to both Serbs and Albanians, have been totally ignored.  Incidentally, I also think that he Serbs must seek and strengthen their contacts with democratic Albanians in Kosovo in order to neutralise the influence of extreme elements. 
 

BLIC:  Some analysists say that since everything has started in Kosovo, everything should end there? 

HRH Crown Prince Alexander:  Yes, I am familiar with that theory but, I think, it is basically incorrect.  Everything did not start in Kosovo but in Belgrade where an unscrupulous regime decided to use a warped nationalism in order to keep itself in power.  With this in mind, it used Serbs in various parts of the former Yugoslavia:  first in Kosovo, then in Krajina and other regions of Croatia, and finally in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  In the end it betrayed all of them and left them in the lurch.    The consequences were more than tragic for the Serbian people.  No one knows how it will all end.  Bit since everything has started in Belgrade it should also end there, only this time with the regime falling and the people regaining their freedom.  Only when free of this regime, will the people be able to find ways out of the present tragic situation. 
 

BLIC:  Why has the international community intervened at all attempting to solve problems after the break-up of the former Yugoslavia? 

HRH Crown Prince Alexander:  When the former Yugoslavia started breaking up, many players in the then Yugoslav drama asked the international community to mediate, to intervene.   It is another questions whether its intervention was useful and always well intentioned, and to what extent this was the case.   But, remember the folk saying:  “He who does not want brother for brother, will have a foreigner for a master!”  The international community certainly bears a share of responsibility for the break-up of Yugoslavia and for the suffering of the Serbian people, but the chief culprits are the Serbian leaders who were holding out fate in their hands.  This should never be forgotten and those leaders must be brought to account one day. 
 

BLIC:  Is the world really fighting for the human rights of the Albanians in Kosovo, or is something else involved here? 

HRH Crown Prince Alexander:  I believe the international community, headed by the USA, is primarily concerned about the possibility of an armed conflict breaking out in the Balkans if no rational solution is found to the Kosovo problem.  This is why US diplomats Holbrooke and Hill have become so directly involved;  the USA is afraid of being dragged into Balkan conflicts and squabbles to the detriment of its global interests.  This is undoubtedly the main motivation of the US policy though its execution is another story.  In other words, it is highly questionable to what extent US representatives have grasped and understood all the gravity of Balkan problems.  The ignoring of the Serbian people’s interests is the chief failure of US policy in the area.  It is difficult to imagine peace in the Balkans if the legitimate interests of the Serbian people are not met.  As regards the human rights of the Kosovo Albanians, that is certainly a very significant issue since human rights have become an important segment of the democratic countries’ foreign policy. 
 

BLIC:  How long can the SPS-JUL-SRS coalition last? 

HRH Crown Prince Alexander:  I don’t know how long, but all the indications are that it has become very shaky.  This black & red coalition has brought the country to the brink of disaster and no change for the better is possible so long as it remain in power.  This is why it is the duty of all Serbian patriots and democrats to remove it from power so that the difficult and painstaking task of reconstructing the country can finally start. 

BLIC:  How do you see Serbia in year 2000? 

HRH Crown Prince Alexander:  Speaking realistically, there are two visions of Serbia at the beginning of the third millennium.  According to the first, Serbia will get rid of the present regime and of the heavy ballast of communist rule since 1945.  This will release the Serbian people’s trapped energies and channel them towards creating a modern State which will facilitate a free development and progress for all its citizens in their spiritual and material advancement.  Such a State would regain its place in the world community and join up the integrationist processes in Europe and in the world.  All its citizens, irrespective of their ethnic origin, religious or party affiliation, would enjoy the same rights and share the same obligations towards the community.  In other words, such a State would be able to ensure a decent life and a better future to the present and future generations. 

According to the second vision, Serbia will remain under the present regime and the ruin of the people will continue.  Serbia will lose everything she had gained during the past two centuries of struggle for liberation and unification.  The Serbia’s creative energies will remain trapped, a lack of hope will continue to reign and young professional people and others will continue to leave their native land in search for bread and decent living and working conditions.  Serbia will remain in total isolation from the international community and her name and prestige will be destroyed for ever. 

The Serbian people are faced with a clear choice:  either to get rid of the regime and thus ensure a better future, or knuckle under the regime and allow it to complete the ruin of the Serbs.  This is the dilemma in front of us.  I am fighting for the first option convinced it is the only way for all of us.  Do not allow the regime to destroy your future and that of your children. 
 

BLIC:  How do you view relations between the two federal units of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia:  Serbia and Montenegro? 

HRH Crown Prince Alexander:  The Belgrade regime’s policy leads inevitably to Montenegro splitting away from Serbia.  Still, I hope this will not happen since it would be a terrible tragedy both for Serbia and Montenegro.  This is another important reason why all citizens of Federal Yugoslavia must act to change the regime in Belgrade.  All Serbian lands must be linked together, and here I certainly include the Republika Srpska.  I also wish to state how proud I am of my Montenegrin roots.  My grandfather King Peter I married a daughter, Princess Zorka, of King Nikola of Montenegro. 
 

BLIC:  The Alliance for Changes has attracted many parties.  What is your opinion of their attempt to work together and do they represent a force which could change this country’s future?  They are rather keen to do something. 

HRH Crown Prince Alexander:  I welcome any initiative aimed at uniting democratic opposition forces, but it is not up to me to assess the chances of the Alliance for Changes or to get involved in party manoeuvrings.  I have always strongly advocated radical reforms and the formation of an all-national movement for the democratic revival of the country.  It is for this reason that I supported wholeheartedly the “Zajedno” coalition and the students during the 1996/97 winter protest.  We all know how that protest ended and also know that after the break-up of the coalition many good people were terribly disappointed and became apathetic.  I have taken up the defence of academic freedoms and the freedom of the press and have given my full support to the students and professors who fight against the new law on universities, and also to the journalists of the independent media who oppose the draconian and undemocratic law on information.  Any group or party which fights against the arbitrary exercise of power by the regime and in favour of radical reforms of the system, has my support.  But it is also necessary to pay the greatest attention to young people who have always been the chief motor of changes, and also to those sincere patriots and democrats who do not belong to any party since they have no faith in any of them.  And regards the political parties and their leaders, I would advise them to put the people’s interests above those of their parties. 
 

BLIC:  Your position is of a Crown Prince deprived of the nationality of the country whose vacant throne you claim.  What has changed in that position from the time eight years ago when the then Yugoslavia and Serbia became formally democratic? 

HRH Crown Prince Alexander:  Nothing has changed during the past eight years in my status as a Crown Prince without nationality.  I am still an exile, deprived of all the rights to which I am entitled.  But was it realistic to expect the present regime to put right the injustice meted out to Karadjordjevices by their ideological predecessors?  They do not know even the meaning of justice!  However, something has changed:  I do believe that during the past eight years the Serbs and Montenegrins have learned something about the role and functions of monarchy in the life of society.  They have also regained to some extent the historical memory about the Karadjordjevices, which the communists had tried so hard to extirpate.  When this regime disappears one day and when ideas in the minds of people become clearer, I am sure people will see the advantages of a monarchical system and will demand the return of the Crown. 
 

BLIC:  Are you coming to Serbia soon? 

HRH Crown Prince Alexander:  I will come to Serbia and Montenegro soon.  As the only heir to the throne and Head of the Royal Karadjordjevic House, I am always prepared to serve my people and the interests of my country.