At Banja Luka Airport he was welcomed by the overjoyed president of the Serb National Alliance (SNS), Biljana Plavsic, his loyal keeper of the royal seal of the so far non-existent kingdom, Dubravko Prstojevic of the Coalition for the King and Homeland, and "numerous" citizens who were waiting for the plane to Vienna.
He did not fare any better in Banja Luka. Citizens demonstrated the necessary level of awe before Their Highnesses and no one showed up. The futile attempts of the organizers to convey how many people waited for him in front of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Banja Luka had a comical effect; it was St. Sava's Day [a major Serb Orthodox religious holiday] and many of the faithful came to the liturgy which was also attended by the crown prince in the company of Plavsic and Dodik. The prime minister's closeness to the Church has never been one of his stronger points and this time, as well, he left halfway through the liturgy. State duties leave no time for honoring saints.
A new development with respect to the crown prince was reflected in the fact that this time he did not kiss the holy Serb soil.
Except for this new development, he did not show us anything new.
He still has not learned the Serbian language.
Those expressing interest were told that he would master it in two or three months. Two years ago, he told Reporter the same thing. He said the same thing in Belgrade in 1992.
However, he immediately justified the reason for his trip and his welcome by the RS government.
After a fifteen minute conversation with RS prime minister Milorad Dodik, the Serb crown prince advised his subjects at home in RS that "everyone should support their government and their president".
Milorad Dodik paid him back "with all due respect" by putting the royal family up in Dragana's Motel.
Horse and horseman: Even though everything, from the welcoming of the royal family to the visits to various kindergartens, hospitals and cemeteries, took place in the presence of Biljana Plavsic or Milorad Dodik, many political parties in RS claim that the visit of the royal family was not planned at the state level.
It even caused a schism in the ruling coalition.
Krsto Jandric of the Socialist Party of RS declared that his party has nothing against working together but that the agreement of the Unity Coalition was not to treat this visit as a state visit. "It is not proper for the territory of one country to be used to launch an attack on the regime of another country," said his party colleague, Drago Ilic.
Their criticisms were enriched by the lively comments of the Radicals.
Ognjen Tadic, the secretary general of the RS Radicals, thinks that crown prince Aleksandar is a major of the British Army who came to visit SFOR troops. "The cavalry officer has done well here inasmuch as he has located a horse."
An acknowledgment came from the crown prince himself. At the invitation of British forces quartered in Ramici near Banja Luka, he visited British units serving as a part of SFOR forces.
The crown prince was followed by the, euphemistically put, reduced version of the Serbian opposition. Under the sponsorship of RS prime minister Milorad Dodik, with the blessing of crown prince Aleksandar Karadjordjevic, in an hour and a half they agreed, unanimously they claimed, on some concrete steps.
Prior to this, the opposition waited for His Highness for an hour and a half in the hall. The kind hosts could not even manage to get the guests' coats which they left in front of Milorad Dodik's office.
After the meeting there was nothing concrete to be read except "that optimism and faith in final success were displayed ".
The opposition would consider its success to be "the democratization of Serbia and the change of the regime which has brought nothing to the people of this region except tragedy".
Unanimous support for the unified state of Serbia and Montenegro was shown by all. Except the Montenegrins. They simply were not represented at the gathering.
Draskovic's advance guard: There was also no one representing the Serb emigrant community, despite of the fact that this gathering was interpreted as a continuation of the Szentendre negotiations which they had organized. Reporter unofficially learned that many members of the Serbian opposition were not sure why they were going to Banja Luka. Nevertheless, those of them who found themselves in Banja Luka said that the meeting was extremely important and considered to be very serious.
Seriousness was also shown by Vladan Batic in his response to the questions why there were no Montenegrins: "I don't know. They should have been invited by Prime Minister Dodik."
Vojislav Mihajlovic explained that Vuk Draskovic was unable to attend because he was "busy with other important matters"; however, the Serb Renewal Movement delegation did attend.
They were preceded by placards with Draskovic's picture on them and the slogan "For Srpska".
The only person who became openly angry with his colleagues for not coming was Voja Ilic: "No one has an excuse for not coming. No one has the right not to take this gathering seriously. Both the Serb Church and the Serb crown prince are here." Nevertheless, Ilic believes that the absence of the majority of opposition leaders will not lead to cracks in the recently agreed upon ceasefire and "unification". "No one would even dare to try it because it would mean his political demise. If someone should dare to try it, the rest of us will stick together."
Princess Biljana: Unlike them, the president of the Serb National Alliance, Biljana Plavsic, was very happy because of the king's visit. According to her, she could not wait to feel the security which comes from the knowledge that "the monarchy has returned to our motherland".
The SNA president even became a princess for a few moments because some very old man in Mrkonjic Grad greeted Biljana Plavsic as is she was Aleksandar's spouse.
Immediately before the crown prince made his historic statement in front of those who gathered, demonstrating an enviable knowledge of both local and regional heritage: "The Drina is not a border. The Drina is a river," we also had the following play on words in Serbian: "My son is to return to Serbia." [Trans. note: The Serb word "sin" means "son"; presumably the crown prince meant to say "san" meaning "dream", i.e., "My dream is to return to Serbia."]
The young prince here took the place of a dream but while still in Banja Luka he demonstrated that the acorn does not fall far from the oak. Even though he had never seen so much as a postcard of Banja Luka, the well brought up prince "noticed a marked improvement". All to the credit of the host government.
Even the princess was "surprised" by the changes she found since Milorad Dodik assumed leadership of the Republic of Srpska government. She had never been to RS before either.
This was more than enough for the Socialists to be unhappy but the prime minister was beyond himself with joy: the monarch gave his government his unreserved support.
The radiant hosts made an even greater effort. Plavsic convinced the opposition to stay an hour or two longer so she could introduce them to the representatives of the European Union. They stayed because they expected a concrete meeting. Instead of this, they got a dinner which, at least as far as the composition of the guests was concerned, was the same as lunch.
Even the location where the dinner took place was the same.
Dragana's Motel.
REPORTER: Does this meeting with the opposition represent a continuation of the Szentendre gathering?
CROWN PRINCE ALEKSANDAR: It would be a mistake to consider every gathering of the democratic opposition a continuation of the Szentendre gathering. In Szentendre a good foundation was established and the ways to realize those conclusions are many, just as the problems are many. I believe that this gathering in Banja Luka was very good and I am satisfied with its course and its conclusions.
I believe that the spirit and conclusions of Szentendre were strengthened here and just as a few days ago a meeting of the Serb diaspora was held in Chicago, here we have used the opportunity to hear the voice of the motherland.
How did prime minister convince you to give his government your unreserved support?
I do not support any one party nor any one coalition. I support progress only where I see it; I support democratic institutions and procedures regardless of who promotes them and, especially, I support the forces which are resisting the great evil which is emanating from the regime in Yugoslavia. My support of anyone is always conditional, and it is based on my assessment of whether it is good for the people or not. If I am wrong in this, those who rise to defend policies which leave behind graves, misery, hunger and sickness are immeasurably more wrong.
Who invited you to come to RS and who is paying the expenses of your stay here?
The RS government issued an official statement regarding my visit in which the well-meaning reader can find the answers to everything which interests him. The travel expenses of my family are being paid by me. The expenses which a host has when he invites guests to his house are customarily paid by him. When you visit someone's house on their patron saint's day or go to dinner, I assume that you do not ask the rest of the guests whether they paid the host to invite them.
Do you intend to learn Serbian only if you return to Yugoslavia? Two years ago you said, just as you did now, that you only need a few more months.
I did not have the impression that someone did not understand what I was saying. Speech comes naturally after you live in a certain environment for a longer period. My knowledge of the Serb language is not good enough but I don't see that the Serb people stood to gain from the fact that almost all the key figures in our ill fortune spoke Serbian better than me, nor I suspect does the Serb people see anything evil in the fact that I do not speak Serbian better.
This gathering was not attended by the crown prince.
The bubble burst, claim Reporter's sources, because Aleksandar Karadjordjevic wanted full domination when in fact he was only the formal sponsor of the event.
The organization board of the Szentendre council headed by Miroslav Michael Djordjevic, paid all the expenses, including personal expenses, for more than 200 participants, including the royal family. The whole event cost more than 200,000 dollars.
Biljana Plavsic on that occasion invited all those present to attend the next gathering to be held in Banja Luka which was accepted in principle, but the date was not defined.
The cup ran over when the crown prince addressed an ultimatum to Michael Djordjevic that the gathering be held in Banja Luka on St. Sava's Day, and that he again cover all expenses.
Djordjevic refused; to prevent a scandal, the RS government stepped in and hosted the newcomers.
"From King Aleksandar to King Petar" was written on the wreath laid down by Prince Aleksandar.