Serbia: Talking to the SDA

In the next few day, Belgrade will see the start of talks between Serbian government negotiators and the (Moslem) Democratic Action Party (SDA) for the Sandzak. The initiative for the talks came from the SDA headquarters in Novi Pazar about two months ago when a party faction, headed by secretary general Rasim Ljajic, asked the New Democracy (ND) party leadership to mediate in talks with the Serbian authorities.

The coming talks are just the first step in getting the two sides acquainted. "The talks are aimed at normalizing relations, creating conditions for an ambitious political dialogue and testing the intentions of the Serbian government," Ljajic told VREME.

The first meeting, most probably with a Serbian deputy prime minister, will discuss specific everyday things: ending police repression in the Sandzak, measures to secure the unobstructed operation of private enterprise, creating conditions for Moslem cultural societies, improving education conditions and media reporting.

"We have no intention of burdening the first meeting with political demands," Ljajic said and added that if the dialogue fails Moslems would feel the damage.

Ljajic said the school programs were a catastrophe and could be unpleasant for Moslem children. The example he cited was a fourth grade social studies textbook which makes no mention of Moslems in Yugoslavia, not even as a minority. He also warned of parts of a geography textbook where the author said: "The creating of imaginary nations (the Moslems) has been seen to be a factor of disturbance."

The SDA was forced to exercise caution, careful timing and secure support because of relations within the party. The open conflict between the faction headed by party leader Sulejman Ugljanin and Ljajic's wing culminated in January. The coordinating committee that Ugljanin formed in Ankara after declaring a state of emergency in the party issued a decree stripping Ljajic of his powers along with his closest associates. Ljajic refused to accept that and found himself heading a faction and becoming a key figure in Sandzak's political life.

The rival wing focused on internal activities. They managed to collect a large number of signatures for a petition for Ugljanin to be allowed back into the country and an amnesty for everyone charged with arming the Moslems in the Sandzak. The coordinating committee managed to mobilize guilds and social organizations but their activities ended there.

At the time this article was written, the only coordinating committee member in the Sandzak was Fevzija Muric, head of the Novi Pazar Merhamet. "I don't know who this delegation is going to represent", he said and added that the Serbian authorities opted for "softer" negotiators since the committee's stand is that there can be no bilateral negotiations until Milosevic recognizes Bosnia-Herzegovina. He said those talks (following recognition) would be based on the "Memorandum on Establishing Special Status for the Sandzak" which the Moslem National Council adopted in June 1993. The Memorandum is the Moslem maximalist program which includes demands for a parliament which would proclaim a constitution, governor and government, police and independent judiciary. The document still lacks the signatures of representatives of the FRY, Bosnia-Herzegovina, co-chairmen of the Conference on Former Yugoslavia. The only person who signed it is Sulejman Ugljanin.

Bosnia: Grabbing the Swiss

Sierra 4 is a barricade on the road from Sarajevo airport to the city manned by Karadzic's soldiers. The road should be under full UNPROFOR control but the blue berets do not control it and people disappear from their transports.

Sierra 4 makes arriving and leaving Sarajevo a greater gamble than the flight in on UN aircraft dodging bullets on their approach.

In the last month alone the following people were snatched and taken to Bosnian Serb jails: Ludvig Kraus (an official of the German-Bosnian humanitarian organization) five members of the French Pharmacists Without Frontiers and Mari-Vernl-Matic and Simon Gerbe (both Swiss nationals).

UNPROFOR spokeswoman Miriam Shouchachki told a press conference that "Simon and Mari (a Croat born in Bosnia with dual Croatian-Swiss citizenship) were abducted from an UNPROFOR vehicle and taken to a Bosnian Serb police station in Ilidza. The UN officer who tried to contact them was refused permission."

The Swiss came to Sarajevo for UNESCO in a mission of Swiss-Bosnian cultural exchanges. They tried to strengthen the radio bridge between Switzerland and Sarajevo. They were guests of the Bosnian institute for war crimes research which is an important element in the abduction. The latest reports from Pale said they would be tried for spreading anti-Serb propaganda.

UNPROFOR spokesmen said after talking to representatives of the Pale regime that "the preliminary investigation is complete and the decision is to try them". The only thing the blue berets could say was that Mari and Simon were snatched from a Danish armored car on their way out of Sarajevo carrying documents belonging to the war crimes institute which they would translate into English. Karadzic's court took the documents as evidence.

VREME asked institute director Smail Cekic what the two Swiss nationals were really carrying: "Mari and Simon are my friends and friends of Bosnia who care about getting the truth about Bosnia-Herzegovina to Europe and the world in the right way. We met in Bern at a tribunal on the nations of former Yugoslavia. The tribunal members were interested in my book "Aggression on BiH and Genocide Over the Bosniacs 1992-93" and they wanted to see it.

I gave them a copy of the book and a paper in English and they reached agreement with the institute to translate the book into English. They weren't carrying any documents but my book and paper! The book is public, not a secret document. I am bitter because Karadzic's followers dared try people who are innocently carrying someone else's book!"