Turkey Mediates in Serbia Muslims Dispute

[Crvena zvezda]

Turkey Mediates in Serbia Muslims Dispute
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Rasim Ljajic (pictured) and Ugljanin have been at odds for years20 June 2008 Novi Pazar _ Two rival Bosniak (Muslim) political parties appear to be closing ranks in talks brokered by Turkey, Balkan Insight has learnt.

“Turkey is trying to reconcile the bitter political rivals in Sandzak, promising them big investments,” the source claimed, adding that “the next meeting at which they should present their demands is due Monday.”

A source who demanded anonymity said that leaders of the Bosniak List for European Sandzak, Sulejman Ugljanin, and of the European List for Novi Pazar, Rasim Ljajic, have met several times in the last few weeks in the Turkish Embassy in Belgrade.

Ugljanin and Ljajic have enough deputies to form a large majority in Novi Pazar municipality by the July 7 deadline, but, according to the source, the post of the mayor has still been a stumbling bloc.

However, if they agree, this will leave the nationalist United Serb List, a coalition made up of the outgoing Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica’s Democratic Party of Serbia, his junior partner New Serbia, the hard line Radicals and the Socialists, in opposition in Novi Pazar.

Novi Pazar is largest city in Serbia's south western Sandzak region, which is mostly populated by Bosniaks of Muslim religion, who are deeply divided both in their political and religious allegiances.

Developments in forming a government for Novi Pazar come as President Boris Tadic’s pro-European bloc continues to lure the Socialists, once led by late strongman Slobodan Milosveic, on side to form a new national government after the May 11 election. Read more: BalkanInsight.com - Serb Democrat & Socialist Deal \'Reachable\'

The Socialists were originally negotiating with nationalist parties but those talks have apparently hit a dead end.

Earlier this month, Ugljanin, who was a close ally of nationalist Kostunica, struck a long-term political deal with the G 17 Plus party, a member of Tadic’s For a European Serbia coalition. Read more: BalkanInsight.com - Serb Pro-Europeans Boosted by Bosniaks

Ljajic is already closely aligned to Tadic, and the fact that both rival Bosniak parties are now within the same political camp has raised hopes of a rapprochement between the two sides.

Tensions between the two parties have in the past often spilled into violence and clashes.

[Crvena zvezda]

^ Serbian government should arrest him and expell him for meddling in our internal affaits.

[Musaka]