To go or not to go in Tirana, that's the problem
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Date: Thu, 9 Sep 1999 11:47:13 +0300 (EET DST)
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Subject: To go or not to go in Tirana, that's the problem
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Greek Helsinki Monitor <[email protected]>
To go or not to go in Tirana, that's the problem
TO GO OR NOT TO GO IN TIRANA, THAT'S THE PROBLEM
AIM TIRANA, September 8, 1999
The cancelling in the last minute of the Richard Hollbrook forecasted
visit in Tirana, during his Balkan tour fell like a bombshell for
Albanian state institutions. Senior officials, who were at the airport
to receive Hollbrook waited in vain, for the plane carrying the
"Dayton man" didn't leave for Tirana. The official reason was
"technical problem".
Not without irony a Tirana journalist wrote "the Americans have more
technical problems when they leave for Tirana, than when they leave
for the Moon."
Top US officials including the presidential couple Clinton's, State
Secretary Madlene Albright, Defence Secretary William Cohen, since the
start of the Kosovo crisis have avoided Albanian capital constantly.
Official and non official announcements on their trip to Tirana often
have been made, but none of them have taken place. The promised and
cancelled visits have created problems for the Albanian administration
and the current fragile situation the country is experiencing.
Meanwhile, in the President Clinton's case on June 22, the Albanian
counterpart Rexhep Meidani, Premier Pandeli Majko and Foreign Minister
Paskal Milo were obliged to travel to Skopje in order to meet him. An
"innovation" for the diplomatic protocol, but also a difficult
position for the Albanian officials, who were constrained to accept
it.
This is in a nutshell the atmosphere that encircles the Albanian -
American relationship, paradoxical and incomprehensible in many
aspects for the observers of the bilateral relationship. What
surprises more the political analysists is the discordance between the
US official attitude towards the Albanian Government and its attitude
as well as the long calendar of the diplomatic failures. The repeated
avoidance of the Albanian tour has created the feeling that in the US
policy towards Tirana are still dark moments.
The start of the Kosovo crisis put Albania in a dangerous position,
but also in a privileged one regarding the military operations
against Milloshevic. In few weeks the Albanian government and
President Meidani were converted into NATO's primarily interlocutor in
the Balkan. Albanian without any hesitation granted to the Alliance
all the facilities they asked for, and in this point the official
stand was fully supported by the right wing opposition. In the Summit
of NATO's 50 anniversary, which was staged last April in Washington,
Albania was the "petted country" of the occasion.
Parallel with this process dictated by the war in Yugoslavia, the
European Union granted Albania the permission to start the
negotiations to sign documents for the membership into the EU, and
also was promised consistent aid in the Stability Pact framework.
So with the perseverance of a laborious pupil, Tirana advanced in its
integration policy due to the circumstances created by the war in
Kosovo. But it seems not everything is in the hands of the Albanians.
At least in the relationship with "Albania's main international
partner" as US is considered by the Albanian state. With the end of
the conflict in Kosovo and the deployment of KFOR troops there,
Albania lost the importance of NATO's as a "front line" country in
the region. During the days of the conflict, Mrs Clinton and State
Secretary Albright flew over Albania to visit Macedonia, without
stopping on the eagles land. Officially everything was commented as
the shortage of time in the visits' agenda, but the press elaborated
a lot on the "slap" given to the Albanian authorities. In fact other
sources confirmed that the reason given by the American ladies of not
visiting Albania was the safety and public order. Since the terrorist
attacks in Kenya and Tanzania against the US diplomatic seats, Albania
is targeted in the lists of the secret services as one of the Islamic
fundamentalists possible bases. It sounds true and that why the US
Embassy in Tirana operates with reduced personnel and encircled by
marines units.
Missed visits of Clinton and Albright forged the conviction that even
the pre-announced visit of Clinton in Skopje on June 22, wouldn't
include his stay in Albania. And that's how it happened, but in this
case from Clinton's staff came an invitation for a meeting in
Macedonia with the Albanian President, Premier and Foreign Minister.
The hesitation on the part of the Albanian government to respond
positively to Clinton's invitation lasted for a few moments, meanwhile
President's office announced that Meidani would travel to Skopje to
meet his American counterpart. So Albanian senior troika accepted to
step on the offered challenge for an official meeting outside Albanian
territory, and above all in rival Macedonia. As he had announced
earlier in a TV program, especially for the Albanian people, Clinton
thanked the Albanian leaders for their role played during the war in
Yugoslavia, promising American aid for the poorest country in Europe.
Aid yes, but only in words. That's what the local press said, when two
weeks later the Defence Secretary Cohen cancelled in the last minute
his visit announced earlier. Also this time the official sources told
the Albanian authorities that the reason was the threat from an
Islamic attack.
However what irritated the Albanians, was the cancelled visit a few
days ago of Holbrook. Well-known in Albania Holbrook was expected to
bring clear messages of the US government, but in fact he brought only
the cancellation of his visit due to "technical reasons". The presence
at the airport of a high Albanian official to receive the American
mediator was the image of another lost chance for the Albanian
government, in the long list of the missed protocol with the
Washington.
But though Holbrook didn't come to Tirana, he said something about
Albania. In a statement in Sarajevo for Bosnia press he said that the
American administration follows with concern the infiltration in state
institutions in Kosovo and Albania of criminal and mafioso elements.
That was enough and in Tirana erupted once again the debate on the
American position towards the Albanian left government. The media
listed once again the cancelled visits of US officials, presenting
this as the main indicator of Tirana diplomatic failure in the
relationship with Washington.
In this poisoned climate, the visit of the US congressman Eliot Engel,
chairman of the Albanian lobby in the American Congress was a small
consolation for Majko's government , meanwhile his requests for the
gradual change of the political class resemble like Clinton's
administration signals for the political scheme of the tiny Balkan
country.
The reasons of avoiding Tirana by the American administration seems
partly related with the security, though exaggerated because Tirana is
considered as a more dangerous zone than Pristina. Also the menace of
Islamic terrorism from the Bin Laden people accompany the Americans.
But the reasons are also related with the dissatisfaction of the
American administration on the safety and public order in Albania in
general. The fact that the Government doesn't control completely the
country worries Washington and also casts suspicions.
Another thing can be: simply Tirana is neglected, because with Kosovo
under the NATO protectorate, it hasn't the previous importance now.
These all can be considered as reasons no to come to Tirana, but not
as reasons for playing cat and mouse with the Albanian officials
waiting at the airport with their eyes looking on the skies.
Arben Kola (AIM)
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