STATEMENT 
 

The Office of HRH Crown Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia issued today the following statement in connection with the Kosovo crisis: 
 

The Office of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Alexander would like to inform the public that His Royal Highness continues intensively with his efforts to help his people at this fateful time.   From the very beginning of Nato’s aggression against Serbia and Montenegro he has roundly condemned this reckless action and has called on leaders of the alliance to stop the bombing of our country immediately.  At the same time, he has denounced all acts of violence including ethnic cleansing and terrorism. Unfortunately, the bombing has not ceased despite mounting civilian casualties and the destruction of Yugoslavia’s economic infrastructure. 

It is precisely two months today since the Nato aggression on our country started and all this time HRH Crown Prince Alexander has been trying tirelessly to persuade the official representatives and other influential people in the West that the air raids against our country are unjustified and that they should be stopped at once.     He has approached not only the leaders of the Nato alliance, Presidents Clinton and Chirac and Prime Minister Blair, as well as President Yeltsin, but has also given numerous statements and interviews to the media always defending the Yugoslavia’s interests and denouncing firmly Nato`s aggression. 

At the same time, HRH Crown Prince Alexander has continued to maintain contacts with leading public figures in Serbia and Montenegro, especially with representatives of the democratic opposition.   Within the framework of these consultations, on 21 May Crown Prince Alexander had  a telephone conversation with Dr. Zoran Djindjic, the leader of the Democratic Party, to exchange views on the current situation and on possible solutions.    As the Communications Centre of the Democratic Party says, they agreed that “the most important thing at the present moment is to bring about an immediate cessation of the bombing and to reach a political solution of the Kosovo crisis in order to stop the suffering of innocent citizens and the destruction of Serbia”. 

The Democratic Party communiqué continues by saying that Dr. Djindjic thanked Crown Prince Alexander “for using his great prestige in the world to assist the democratic Serbia and her citizens”.  Pointing out that there will be no lasting peace in the region without a democratic Serbia and a democratic Balkans, HRH Crown Prince Alexander and Dr. Zoran Djindjic expressed their belief that a “democratisation of our country will be the most important task facing our people once the war has ended”. 
 

This Office believes that HRH Crown Prince Alexander’s action as well as the joint efforts of all patriots and democrats in Yugoslavia and in the diaspora have a positive influence and will help bring about as soon as possible a decision on the cessation of the bombing and on starting talks for a peaceful and just solution of the Kosovo crisis. 
 
 

London, 24 May 1999