Political and Public Affairs Unit
PRESS REVIEW
Thursday, 8 November 2012
POLITICAL AFFAIRS / INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Berisha offers way out of Fier Regional Council dispute in government meeting
In an address at Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Sali Berisha urged for a solution
out of the Fier Regional council impasse in order to ensure the passing of the three bills needed
to confirm the European Commission’s recommendation to grant the EU candidate status to
Albania. He offered what he said was a clearly political compromise to the Socialist Party (SP)
Chair Edi Rama, which consisted of subjecting every regional councillor to motions of noconfidence, so that the composition of the Regional Council and subsequently its chairmanship
may be decided through this general vote of no-confidence. According to Berisha, if Rama and
his Socialists are driven by “the vital interests of the Albanian citizens, those of the Albanian
nation and society, which is Albania’s EU integration, then there should be no obstacle to the
voting of these three draft laws.” Referring to the upcoming centennial of the Albanian
independence, Berisha voiced his pleasure in being together with the SP Chair in Vlora during
the morning of the 28th, reiterating that the city where independence was proclaimed a century
ago will be in no way bypassed during the centennial celebrations. He said that the centennial’s
month was a time for the Albanian political class to unify around the nation’s and country’s
interests. The government approved in its yesterday’s meeting the criteria and rules for the
allocation of the funds for the cash compensation of the former owners as well those in regards
to the land compensation of the same in 2013. The cabinet acted upon a draft submitted by the
Justice Ministry that is designed to the relevant rulings of the Strasbourg Human Rights Court.
(Panorama, pp. 6,9, Gazeta Shqiptare, pp. 4,6,8, Shqip, p. 5, Mapo, p. 5)
Nishani: U.S. Presidential Election a lesson in democracy for Albanian politicians
The Albanian leaders and politicians considered a lesson in democracy the U.S. Presidential
Election that led to the re-election of the incumbent, Barack Obama. “The U.S. Election and the
messages sent out by its protagonists in its wake are a lesson in democracy. Those people proved
that they are truly serving their country,” stated President of Republic Bujar Nishani. He urged
the Albanian political class to learn from the U.S. experience, in order to build electoral
campaigns that display the same communication ethics, and to respect the rules of the game
during the electoral process. Prime Minister Sali Berisha said that Obama deserved to be reelected, as being the President who led America and the world through one of its most difficult
periods since WW II. In a Twitter posting, Socialist Party Chair Edi Rama labelled Obama’s
victory as the triumph of a platform that “protects the low and middle classes and the perspective
The OSCE Presence in Albania Press Review reflects the selection of topics of informational value to the 1
Presence, as reported by the Albanian national press. We would like to make clear that the Presence is not
responsible for the content and for any inaccuracies, misinterpretations or fabrications possibly contained
in the press articles.
of the American dream”, and his rival’s loss as the “defeat of the notion that the rich should pay
less taxes and the state should offer less services”. For the Socialist Movement for Integration
(SMI) official Ralf Gjoni Obama’s electoral victory is a success in terms of the development of
democracy worldwide. Chair of the Party for Justice, Unity and Integration (PJUI) Shpëtim Idrizi
considered both Obama’s and Romney’s messages as lessons that could be deeply beneficial to
the Albanian political actors. In related news, U.S. Ambassador to Albania Alexander Arvizu
noted “a common thread, a common theme” in the speeches of both President Obama and his
rival Romney, as well as in that of U.S. State Secretary Clinton that “elections are the foundation
of a democracy and you fight hard and you fight to win”. “And sometimes it is not really pretty,
but when it’s over it’s over. The governing has not only to succeed and both sides work together,
and most importantly, that the citizens participate by demanding accountability by all the
parties,” he added. (Panorama, p. 2, Gazeta Shqiptare, pp. 2,3, Shqip, p. 5, Mapo, p. 2,
Shqiptarja.com, p. 2)
RULE OF LAW / HUMAN RIGHTS
Funeral of former dissident held in Tirana
The funeral of Lirak Bejko, the former political prisoner who died last Friday due to the burn
injuries suffered over three weeks ago after setting himself on fire during a hunger strike of the
formerly politically persecuted people was held yesterday. Hundreds of citizens and the chairs of
the Socialist Party, Red & Black Alliance, Human Rights Union Party, Party for Law and
Justice, Legality Movement Party, and National Front, namely Edi Rama, Kreshnik Spahiu,
Vangjel Dule, Ekrem Spahiu, Spartak Ngjela, and Adriatik Alimadhi, as well as the New
Democratic Spirit party (NDS) founders, Gazmend Oketa and Aleksandër Biberaj, paid homage
to the departed former dissident in the funerary chamber set at the Institute of the Formerly
Politically Persecuted People. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the funeral Bejko’s friends
and fellow-strikers vowed to fulfil their friend’s last behest. “We will continue our protests to the
very last drop of our blood, until all of us pass away,” stated Gjergj Ndreca, one of the hunger
strike participants. (Panorama, p. 12, Gazeta Shqiptare, pp. 10,11, Shqip, pp. 2,3, Mapo, p. 8)
Consensus breaks on Amnesty bill
Papers report today that the parliamentary legal affairs committee rejected yesterday with the
votes of the ruling majority MPs only several amendments proposed by the Socialist MPs in
regards to the draft law on an amnesty in view of the independence centennial. The amendments
specified the inclusion among the offences not eligible for amnesty of those envisaged by the
Military Criminal Code, consisting of serious intentional injury and abuse of office performed by
military personnel, under the claim that these are the offences perpetrated by a number of
defendants in the Gerdec trial. Papers labelled this as a breach of the consensus marking the
approval of the rest of the amnesty bill’s articles and raised doubts over a favourable vote of the
Socialist MPs to the amnesty bill as it reaches the Assembly’s floor in today’s plenary session.
Panorama newspaper quotes sources from SP parliamentary group as confirming that the
Socialist MPs will vote today in favour of the amnesty bill despite yesterday’s debates at the
parliamentary committee on legal affairs.
The OSCE Presence in Albania Press Review reflects the selection of topics of informational value to the 2
Presence, as reported by the Albanian national press. We would like to make clear that the Presence is not
responsible for the content and for any inaccuracies, misinterpretations or fabrications possibly contained
in the press articles.
In related news, the Association of the Families of the Victims of the Gerdec blasts has written to
the Assembly in order to voice its concerns and doubts over the amnesty bill being reviewed at
present by the parliamentary committees, and expected to be part of the agenda of today’s
plenary sitting at the parliament. They argue in their letter that the offences envisaged by Articles
282 and 289 of the Criminal Code, namely Breach of rules on explosive, flammable or
radioactive substances and Breach of rules of work protection, on whom are charged most of the
defendants in the Gerdec trial, are not included among the crimes not eligible for amnesty as per
the provisions of this amnesty bill. Other offences that are not included among the crimes not
eligible for amnesty, in line with the Gerdec families’ letter, are also those prescribed by Article
161 of the Criminal Code and Article 70/2 of the Military Criminal Code, namely Destruction of
property due to negligence and Abuse of office performed by military personnel. The victims’
families complain in their letter that in conformity with the amnesty bill as it stands now, should
Gerdec trial end before the 28 November 2012 its defendants will be handed out much inferior
sentences than deserved if found guilty. (Shqip, p. 4, Gazeta Shqiptare, p. 6, Panorama, p. 6,
Mapo, p. 4)
SECURITY
Defence Minister, Socialist MPs clash at Q&A hearing
Defence Minister Arben Imami appeared on Wednesday for a Q&A hearing before the
parliamentary committee on national security. He dispelled as lies and speculations the Socialist
Party accusations over the allegedly unlawful and non-transparent procedures for the
privatization sale of the armed forces properties, arguing that his ministry does not sell the armed
forces properties but they are re-destined for public use and consigned to the Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Energy, which is the owner of state-owned immovable properties. Imami
dispelled as erroneous a Defence Ministry project-report on the sale of the premises of the
Partizani sports club, presented by the Socialist MP Piro Lutaj, according to which this ministry
is listed among the sellers of the same property. The other Socialist MP Ben Blushi urged the
Defence Ministry to open its doors to the parliamentary oversight requested by the Socialist
MPs. This oversight, according to him, was especially needed to verify the documentation
related to the army properties’ privatization. Blushi alsio slammed his ruling majority colleagues
for what he said were their efforts to shield the Defence Ministry from the inspection requested
by their Socialist colleagues, dubbing their efforts for this purpose as a theatre play called “How
to best protect the Defence Ministry”. Imami refused to answer though to a question made by the
Socialist MPs on the alleged purchase of electronic surveillance equipment on the part of the
Defence Ministry, so that it might be used by the Military Intelligence Service, saying that it was
classified information. Socialist MP Asllan Dogjani accused the Defence Ministry of engaging
through MEICO in unlawful weapons trade in the United States and Mexico. Dogjani cited the
recent investigation launched by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern Florida District into
the dealings of MEICO, Montenegro Defence Industry, and Century International Arms Inc.
(Panorama, p. 7, Gazeta Shqiptare, p. 7, Shqip, p. 4, Mapo, p. 5)
Italian-Albanian drug trafficking network dismantled
The OSCE Presence in Albania Press Review reflects the selection of topics of informational value to the 3
Presence, as reported by the Albanian national press. We would like to make clear that the Presence is not
responsible for the content and for any inaccuracies, misinterpretations or fabrications possibly contained
in the press articles.
Italian Police has dismantled an Italian-Albanian drug trafficking network, performing 33 arrests
in the towns of Terni, Lecce, and Siena in the night between Tuesday and Wednesday. Ten of the
arrestees are Albanian nationals. Five hundred kilos of marijuana were seized by the Italian
Police in what the media labelled a wide-scale operation. The marijuana is thought of originating
from the Gjirokastra village of Lazarat. (Shqip, p. 6, Koha Jonë, p. 17)
Shkodra, Houses burn in power-less villages
Two houses have burned down in two different villages of the Rrethinat and Postriba communes
(Shkodra district), papers report today. Papers note that the two communes have been affected by
severe power cuts over the last two weeks, and as police sources report the power shortage was a
contributing cause in the two arsons, for in the first case the fire developed from a candle that
was not properly snuffed out, whereas in the second case the flames developed from the
mishandling of a gas cooker due to the darkness produced by the power shortages. The Mayor of
Postriba commune spoke of an intolerable situation due to the CEZ Shpërndarje’s power
shortages in comments to the press during a visit to the burned house in his jurisdiction.
(Panorama, p. 15, Gazeta Shqiptare, p. 12)
Prepared by Elton Tahirllari
E.o.T.
The OSCE Presence in Albania Press Review reflects the selection of topics of informational value to the 4
Presence, as reported by the Albanian national press. We would like to make clear that the Presence is not
responsible for the content and for any inaccuracies, misinterpretations or fabrications possibly contained
in the press articles.