Balkan Leaders Head For London Olympics

Regional leaders attending Friday's reception, organized by Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace, include Croatian President Ivo Josipovic and Tomislav Nikolic of Serbia.

Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci will also be in London for the start of the Olympics alongside the President of Kosovo, Artifete Jahjaga.

Macedonian President Djordje Ivanov will attend the opening on behalf of Macedonia. President Filip Vujanovic and Prime Minister Igor Luksic will attend on behalf of Montenegro.

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev plans two visits to London during the Olympics, one for the opening ceremony, and another on August 9 to mark the national day of Bulgaria.

Among other top visitors to London on Friday are Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, US President Barack Obama's wife, Michelle, Dmitry Medvedev of Russia; Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan, French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, members of the Swedish royal family and others.