An agreement to unite the two Islamic communities (ICs) operating in Serbia has reached a dead end, is likely to fall through completely and will definitely not be signed on November 25, as Turkish media said would happen earlier, Sarajevo daily Dnevni Avaz said Tuesday.

There have been two Islamic fractions in Serbia since October 2007, namely, the Islamic Community of Serbia, seated in Belgrade, headed by Reis-ul-Ulema Adem Zilkic and the Islamic Community in Serbia, with its seat in the city of Novi Pazar (southwestern Serbia), administered by Mufti Muamer Zukorlic.

The Sarajevo daily recalled the November 13 visit by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to Belgrade, when he discussed the unification agreement with Serbia's senior officials.

The agreement stumbled on three issues, namely, the question of the seat of the new Islamic Community in Serbia, its ties with Sarajevo and the problem of Mufti Muamer Zukorlic, who is demanded to leave the Islamic Community, but also to withdraw from active public life completely.

The daily suggested that the first two issues might be resolved somehow but the third one was a rather huge obstacle.

Dnevni Avaz said that the demand to have Zukorlic removed was so strong that Belgrade even insisted with Turkey that the mufti should leave the Sandzak region and continue his life in Istanbul.

The daily, which has close ties with Bosnia-Herzegovina Reis-ul-Ulema Mustafa Ceric and Mufti Muamer Zukorlic, pointed to the difficulty of acting on the idea launched by Davutoglu, as the Turkish foreign minister had said himself that the negotiations would be very complicated.

Turkey is still very committed to having the Islamic communities united, but things seem to be going in the wrong direction, the daily said.

Accepting the agreement would abolish the Riaset of the Islamic Community of Serbia headed by Reis-ul-Ulema Adem Zilkic.

In addition, Zilkic and Zukorlic would have to step down from their current roles and would not be eligible to apply for the highest position in the new Islamic community hierarchy in Serbia.