ALL IS KNOWN - NOTHING IS CLEAR

The Return of Sulejman Ugljanin

AIM, Belgrade, October 3, 1996

On his return to the FRY, the President of the Moslem National Council of Sanjak, Dr.Sulejman Ugljanin was not arrested at Belgrade Airport despite a three-year old but still valid wanted notice of the Ministry of the Interior, charging him of "criminal acts of attempting at the secession of a part of territory and changing the constitutional order as well as of terrorism". From a legal point of view, there is no state in the world in which the authorities would turn a blind eye to such offences. Those well-versed claim that this was a "political-police" plot. No matter how controversial Ugljanin's departure for Turkey in 1993 was, his return was even more such.

A police car escorted him from Belgrade to Novi Pazar where he was welcomed by about thousand followers and curious people. Songs with somewhat old-fashioned tones could be heard: "Sulejman, our dewy flower, the whole of Sanjak is following you". The denizens of Novi Pazar reacted in different ways to Ugljanin's return: "As long as Suljo is back, we shall see what next", "This is not the time to undulate", "There will be trouble", "No sooner Sulejman came back than Seselj announced a public rally of his party members in Pazar and his posters remind me of a portentous massacres..." stated citizens of Novi Pazar to the AIM correspondent in a brief phone conversation. Not a single member of the Serbian nation wanted to comment on Ugljanin's return, but by their tone it is easy to conclude that they are none too happy as well at two minds what brought about such an unexpected turnabout in the relations of the official authorities towards Ugljanin, as well of Ugljanin towards them. Immediately after his return he said that the wanted notice was issued "at the time of lawlessness, anarchy...I hope that law and order are ruling here now", adding that in the present Yugoslavia "this the time for democratization and the peace option".

On the other hand, Zoran Lilic, President of the FRY, when he recently received a group from the Moslem National Council of Sanjak (MNVS) as they later claimed, stated that Ugljanin "was an important political factor in Yugoslavia". However, this was mentioned nowhere in the official statement formulated in Lilic's cabinet, which on the other hand underlined the support of Sanjak Moslems to the Yugoslav peace option. The statement caused much confusion among the Moslem population not only because of its political propaganda, but because it raised an essential question: who was actually representing the Moslem Bosniacs, because the MNVS delegation included representatives of parties with rather a symbolic membership.

In Novi Pazar, as well as in Belgrade, there is a thesis going around that this still might be some deal between the authorities and Ugljanin as a part of the pre-election campaign. In other words, he was allowed to return to the country, with a possibility of the official authorities renewing the charges against him at any time if he gets politically too active. At the same time, his return is connected with the indications of a gradual establishment of relations between Belgrade and Sarajevo. According to that same thesis a moderate politician from among Moslem-Bosniacs is not suitable for the authorities in Serbia because they would thus lose an excuse for having such large police force present in Sanjak, for searching houses of "suspicious persons" and using other methods of intimidation.

In all probability the return of Ugljanin should help remove from political life Dr.Rasim Ljajic, President of the moderate wing of the Party of Democratic Action of Sanjak, who has contributed to the creation of conditions for the establishment of dialogue with the Belgrade political top echelons regarding the resolution of problems of his nation (which, according to the republican and federal Constitutions, practically does not exist either as a national minority or an ethnic group). The first official talks, which could conditionally be called negotiations, between Ljajic and Svetozar Krstic, Vice-President of the Serbian Government, were held last year. These talks were realized through mediation of the Party of New Democracy, close to the ruling Socialist Party of Serbia.

Although they mostly concerned general problems, the talks were an encouragement for those who consider a dialogue - a hard and tough one - to be a way out of this vicious circle. During Ugljanin's three year stay in Turkey, Switzerland, Germany and B&H, Ljajic was in charge of the SDA political affairs, but the party split into three streams. That is how the SDA for Yugoslavia, The Real SDA and the SDA for Sanjak, came into being.

For AIM Ljajic thus commented on this variety, as well as Ugljanin's return: "In any case, a number of political factors appeared which, at this moment, draw the Bosniacs away from their desired objective, to have their representatives in Parliament so that their interests could be expressed. The participation of two or three Bosniac political groups in the federal elections will reduce the chances of attaining this objective. We shall endeavour to have a single Bosniac list formed. If we can negotiate with representatives of the Serbian opposition, I see no reason why we couldn't also talk with representatives of the Bosniac parties, which are much closer to us in terms of programme. Those who do not accept such a list shall be responsible for the consequences which may result". Ugljanin has not yet mentioned coalition with Ljajic and claims that Ljajic is "an individual, and not a party". His representative conducted talks with some people from the coalition "Together", but without much success.

Dr.Zoran Djindjic, President of the Democratic Party, flatly rejected such a possibility stating that for him Ugljanin was an extremist. The letter he sent before his return to the opposition party leaders in Serbia and Montenegro did not bear fruit either. Among other things, it said: "I hope that by working together we could create stable mechanisms which will ensure the exercise of human, civil, national and other rights for all the people we represent". Truth to tell, by excessively emphasizing his wish to bond with the coalition "Together", composed of parties which, for example, unreservedly supported Radovan Karadzic during the war, and by insisting on commercial principle to make pre-election and election alliances with those who "give more", he is losing the confidence of even those Moslems who saw him as their leader and whole-heartedly pleaded for his return to the country. There is an expressed fear among the Moslem intellectuals that "in redeeming himself with the authorities Ugljanin will sell the interests of the Moslem people in Sanjak".

However, it is impossible to disregard a fact that Ugljanin has a significant number of followers thanks to his charisma which he had earned at the time of nationalistic euphoria, because he "had the guts to answer to the Serbian nationalists in the same way". In any case, Ugljanin's return to the political stage in Sanjak during pre-election campaign has caused much confusion and doubts. In the first place, whom do the authorities find more suitable: a radical Moslem politician or, rather, a moderate one, more inclined to dialogue, like Rasim Ljajic? At the same time, it is very important which one of these two enjoys the support of the SDA headquarters in Sarajevo? Ugljanin thinks that that support is irrelevant, while Ljajic is of a different opinion. In the past years Ljajic won the respect of many international institutions as a politician of civil orientation who through dialogue and in a peaceful way fights for the interests of his nation.

During his exile Ugljanin also had meetings with people from various international bodies, but because of his radical views those same bodies and institutions were often in a quandary. Naturally, it is hard to judge who was more successful "on the international scene", but that is less important at this moment. One thing is certain, in case of more fierce political confrontations within several SDA "branches", the JUL or the ruling Socialist Party will skim the electoral cream in Sanjak. Perhaps there lies the answer to the question why have the Serbian authorities suddenly allowed him to return without any complications.

(AIM) Ejub Stitkovac