Minister: Sandžak not crisis hotbed

Labor and Social Policy Minister Rasim Ljajic said that Sandzak is not turning into a "crisis hotbed" that could destabilize the country and the region. However, he did not exclude the chance of potential incidents caused by the inflammatory rhetoric of Muamer Zukorlic, leader of the Islamic Community in Serbia, in his effort to score cheap political points. Minister: Sandzak not crisis hotbed "Zukorlic does not even hide the fact that he is out for power anymore and that he would use absolutely any means to get it, legal and illegal means, and that he would put all the instruments of his organization to use in order to gain votes and seize local power," Ljajic told the Tanjug news agency. The minister, who leads the Social Democratic Party of Serbia and is a Bosniak himself, claims that the talk of autonomy for Sandzak are fairytales meant for young people in Sandzak, who have no idea what that means. "The talk of autonomy seeks to create political space particularly in that most extreme area that everyone else has abandoned, all in the absence of a realistic policy," Ljajic noted. The only thing left is to tell the people of Sandzak the truth, since no one is going to support autonomy, especially not on an ethnic basis, and border changes are not an option, Ljajic explained. He said that he feels as if Zukorlic is aware that he is offering people the impossible and is taking advantage of their disappointment with their current standards of living. "Our response should not be to confront Zukorlic, but to bring economic improvements to Sandzak, because the worse the conditions get the better off he is. It is what keeps him alive. Any kind of normality would not suit him," Ljajic concluded.

Minister: Sandžak not crisis hotbed

"Zukorlić does not even hide the fact that he is out for power anymore and that he would use absolutely any means to get it, legal and illegal means, and that he would put all the instruments of his organization to use in order to gain votes and seize local power," Ljajić told the Tanjug news agency.

The minister, who leads the Social Democratic Party of Serbia and is a Bosniak himself, claims that the talk of autonomy for Sandžak are fairytales meant for young people in Sandžak, who have no idea what that means.

"The talk of autonomy seeks to create political space particularly in that most extreme area that everyone else has abandoned, all in the absence of a realistic policy," Ljajić noted.

The only thing left is to tell the people of Sandžak the truth, since no one is going to support autonomy, especially not on an ethnic basis, and border changes are not an option, Ljajić explained.

He said that he feels as if Zukorlić is aware that he is offering people the impossible and is taking advantage of their disappointment with their current standards of living.

"Our response should not be to confront Zukorlić, but to bring economic improvements to Sandžak, because the worse the conditions get the better off he is. It is what keeps him alive. Any kind of normality would not suit him," Ljajić concluded.