Prominent political opponents of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic agreed last night that free elections and other trappings of democracy are essential to stabilizing the fractious Balkan region.

At an ARCO Forum panel, Crown Prince Alexander, the son of Yugoslavia's last king, current Deputy Prime Minister of Montenegro Dragisa Burzan and several other opposition leaders said early elections held the best chance of ousting Milosevic.

"Milosevic has to be removed, but in the most democratic way possible," Burzan said.

Prince Alexander, who was born in exile in the United Kingdom, said he fully supports attempts to remove Milosevic, but says he has no plans to be involved in Balkan politics in the future.

"I am not a politician," Alexander said. "I am not seeking office."

Last week, Alexander hosted a two-day meeting in Greece to organize support for early elections. He said he hopes they'll occur by the end of this year.

Dr. Milan Protic, president of "Defense," a Serbian opposition group, said he believes elections will finally give the area a chance to contest the legitimacy of Yugoslav government.

"We have never had an election with an unpredictable outcome," Protic said. "All elections have been organized by Milosevic."