SANDZAK SCUFFLE LAST STRAW FOR LJAJIC

UNCLAS BELGRADE 000610 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KISL KPAO KIRF SCUL PREL SR SUBJECT: SANDZAK SCUFFLE LAST STRAW FOR LJAJIC REF: 05 BELGRADE 1938 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: A Serbian government decision to dissolve the democratically-elected assembly in Novi Pazar, the de facto capital of the primarily Bosniac area of Serbian Sandzak, has sparked low level violence in the city. The move was a blow to the progressive Human and Minority Rights Minister Rasim Ljajic on his home turf, and prompted him to resign his position as chair of the Coordinating Body for Southern Serbia - though he has agreed to stay on on an interim basis until a successor is named. End Summary INTERVENTION FROM ON HIGH -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The genesis of the current political situation was the adoption of a budget by the Novi Pazar Municipal Assembly in mid-March 2006, after city mayor Sulejman Ugljanin failed to submit a budget proposal to the Assembly as required by law (reftel). Following the adoption of the new budget, on March 31 the Assembly initiated a recall motion against the mayor. This was a somewhat risky move, as the Assembly faced dissolution should the measure fail to secure enough signatures in the local electorate. On April 7, GoS Minister for Local Administration Zoran Loncar unexpectedly announced that the adoption of a budget by the Assembly was "not in accordance with accepted election law" and effectively dissolved the assembly, eliminating it as a political counter to Ugljanin and stifling the Assembly's own recall motion. LAST STRAW FOR LJAJIC -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Several senior GoS officials spoke out against the dissolution of the Assembly, most notably Deputy PM Labus. At the G17+ Main Board meeting on 9 April 2006, Labus called the decision "scandalous" and ordered G17+ deputies to not participate in the interim municipal council. G17+ MINFIN Mladan Dinkic said his ministry had a positive opinion about the Assembly's action regarding the budget but could not stop the decision of the government to disband the Assembly. ¶4. (SBU) More importantly, state union Human Rights Minister Rasim Ljajic, whose Sandzak Democratic Party led the ruling coalition in the assembly, called the dissolution an act of "political violence" by the GoS against his party and, on April 11, announced his resignation as head of the Coordinating Body for Southern Serbia in protest. (He subsequently agreed to PM Kostunica's request not to activate the resignation until the GOS had officially accepted it.) The move is the latest in a running feud that has pitted Ljajic and his party against DSS's support for Ugljanin in exchange for two MOP votes in the Serbian parliament SECURITY SUMMARY -------------- ¶5. (SBU) In addition to political fallout, the episode has led to some low-level politically motivated violence. Over the weekend of 8-9 April 2006, a Molotov cocktail was launched at the Ljajic's SDP headquarters in Novi Pazar, presumably thrown by Ugljanin supporters. No injuries were reported, but there was slight cosmetic damage to the building. During the night of 10 April 2006, in an apparent retaliatory strike, a hand grenade was detonated at the Municipality building housing Ugljanin's offices. No personal injuries were reported, although six parked cars and windows in the building were damaged. These incidents echo similar acts of violence that punctuated the run-up to local elections in September, 2004. COMMENT -------------- ¶6. (SBU) It will be difficult for the GoS to find a similarly competent replacement on the Coordinating Body for Ljajic if he holds to his intention to resign the position. Ljajic has legitimacy on all sides for his handling of often tense relationships between Muslim Albanians and Orthodox Serbs in this region. The incident will also push Ljajic closer to the opposition DS (his natural inclination in any case),which might in turn have a small impact on voting patterns in Sandzak and the broader Bosniak community in future parliamentary elections. POLT