Sandžak dispute closed, says Ljajić

Labor Minister Rasim Ljajic says that his SDP party has drawn a line under the dispute with their Bosniak List rivals. Speaking to B92, Ljajic dismissed rumors that his Sandzak Democratic Party would withhold its support for the government over the clashes in Novi Pazar. Sandzak dispute closed, says Ljajic However, he also threatened to resign if the party’s minimum condition failed to be met—the dismissal of the Novi Pazar police chief over Saturday’s incident. According to the minister, the matter was closed as far as the SDP was concerned, and should be left to the courts. At the same time, he denied that there had been any assassination attempt on Bosniak List leader Sulejman Ugljanin during the clashes, and that no members of the SDP had been involved. Ljajic: This isn’t a party feud. B92: How so when you and Mr. Ugljanin have been arguing over the media for days? Ljajic: Because we have had the most monstrous accusations thrown at us. Someone remembered that it had been an assassination attempt three days later... B92: You even said yourself—him or me in the government. Ljajic: I never said that, that’s ridiculous. Look, at the start I said that the government had no reason to worry, as far as we were concerned. We can take certain moves, but I’m not so crazy as to, in such a difficult year, assume responsibility on myself and be the one to bring the government down. Ljajic denied saying in a recent interview with Reuters that the noose was tightening around Hague fugitive Ratko Mladic. He explained that information on Mladic was now more replete, thanks to the activities of the Action Team and the tip-offs they were receiving. “The majority of those tip-offs are hoaxes and someone messing around, trying to get one over on their friend or neighbor, or even competing criminal gangs trying to trip up the police,“ he said. The minister added, however, that a small percentage of these tip-offs were nonetheless genuine, and were chased up assiduously. Ljajic confirmed that an operation had been conducted in Belgrade three or four days ago in Belgrade in the hunt for Mladic, but that it had uncovered nothing new, denying that this had been because of a leak. Rasim Ljajic (FoNet, archive)

Sandžak dispute closed, says Ljajić

However, he also threatened to resign if the party’s minimum condition failed to be met—the dismissal of the Novi Pazar police chief over Saturday’s incident.

According to the minister, the matter was closed as far as the SDP was concerned, and should be left to the courts.

At the same time, he denied that there had been any assassination attempt on Bosniak List leader Sulejman Ugljanin during the clashes, and that no members of the SDP had been involved.

Ljajić: This isn’t a party feud.

B92: How so when you and Mr. Ugljanin have been arguing over the media for days?

Ljajić: Because we have had the most monstrous accusations thrown at us. Someone remembered that it had been an assassination attempt three days later...

B92: You even said yourself—him or me in the government.

Ljajić: I never said that, that’s ridiculous. Look, at the start I said that the government had no reason to worry, as far as we were concerned. We can take certain moves, but I’m not so crazy as to, in such a difficult year, assume responsibility on myself and be the one to bring the government down.

Ljajić denied saying in a recent interview with Reuters that the noose was tightening around Hague fugitive Ratko Mladić. He explained that information on Mladić was now more replete, thanks to the activities of the Action Team and the tip-offs they were receiving.

“The majority of those tip-offs are hoaxes and someone messing around, trying to get one over on their friend or neighbor, or even competing criminal gangs trying to trip up the police,“ he said.

The minister added, however, that a small percentage of these tip-offs were nonetheless genuine, and were chased up assiduously.

Ljajić confirmed that an operation had been conducted in Belgrade three or four days ago in Belgrade in the hunt for Mladić, but that it had uncovered nothing new, denying that this had been because of a leak.