"I can most definitely say that I will accept the auspices and send the usual gifts. But I still have to see whether or not I will personally attend the tournament, because of my engagements," Mesic said at a meeting with Sinj Mayor Nikola Tomasevic and the president of the Alka knights' society board, Stipe Jukic, who asked Mesic to renew the auspices and attend the tournament.
Mesic told his guests that the town of Sinj and the Alka knights' society had done a lot to change the atmosphere surrounding the tournament and that Sinj was now oriented towards its economic interests and the functioning of institutions.
He, however, recalled the events from previous tournaments when he, as head of state, was humiliated, when his gifts were returned and when those who agreed with him were ousted from the Alka knights' society.
"Alka was held for Austrian empires. for Aleksandar Karadjordjevic, Ante Pavelic and Tito and the only dispute occurred when Alka was to be held for the Croatian president. This is unreasonable," Mesic said.
Sinj Mayor Tomasevic apologized for all humiliations Mesic had to face in Sinj, expressing hope such incidents would never happen again and that there would be no more room for politics in the Alka tournament.
The mayor once again called on the president to attend the lancing tournament.
The president of the Alka knights' society board, Jukic, said this year's tournament would be about traditional values and not the politics.