Perilous
Times
Crisis escalates in Albania after protest deaths
By LLAZAR SEMINI
The Associated Press
Saturday, January 22, 2011; 10:33 AM
TIRANA, Albania -- A political crisis escalated in Albania on
Saturday as the government and the opposition traded blame for the
deaths of three protests during a violent demonstration against an
administration accused of deeply rooted corruption.
The Prosecutor General's office said arrest warrants had been
issued for six officers of the National Guard, army troops under
Interior Ministry command who guard government institutions and
senior officials.
Tensions have been mounting for months between Albania's
conservative government and the main opposition Socialist Party.
They rose sharply last week when Deputy Prime Minister Ilir Meta
resigned after a private TV station aired a video that it said
showed him asking a colleague to influence the awarding of a
contract to build a power station.
On Friday night, protesters overturned and burned police vehicles
Friday night and clashed with officers who fought them off with
tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon. Two men were fatally
shot in the chest and another died of a wound to the head.
The United States and the European Union have both appealed for
calm.
Prime Minister Sali Berisha said at a press conference the men had
been killed by "bandits" within the protesters and accused the
leader of the main opposition Socialist Party of attempting a
coup.
"I am here today to tell that you were the one who organized the
anti-constitutional putsch ... for which you will have to face the
consequences of the law," Berisha said.
He charged that the demonstrators included "gangs of criminals,
bandits, traffickers and terrorists" trying to overthrow the
government with a "Tunisian-style" demonstration - referring to
the rioting that drove out Tunisia's president this month.
Socialist Party leader Edi Rama accused Berisha of being the
"political orchestrator" of the deaths and he called for the
arrest of Interior Minister Lulzim Basha.
In addition to fueling outrage over corruption, the Socialists
have accused Berisha's Democratic Party of rigging Albania's 2009
election, in which it was declared the winner by a narrow margin.
The next election is scheduled in 2013, but the opposition has
been calling for months for new polls to be held sooner.
U.S. Ambassador in Tirana Alexander Arvizu said he had told
Albanian politicians on both sides that the violence "was not
necessary. Nor was it inevitable. It could have been avoided. It
must be prevented from happening again, for the sake of all
Albanians."
"What Albania desperately needs at this moment is political
leadership. We have repeatedly urged Albania's political leaders
to search for compromise," he said at a news conference. "It's
time to take a deep breath, repair the damage and begin the
process of recovery."
The demonstration in the center of Albania's capital, Tirana,
began with about 20,000 people, but organizers claimed it swelled
to up to 300,000. Police did not give any figures. The protest
quickly turned violent, with people pelting police with banners,
umbrellas, eggs and stones.
Police said 113 people were arrested on charges of violence
against police and for destroying their vehicles.
The Socialists vowed to continue the anti-government protests, but
said they would not hold any demonstrations on Saturday, when the
three people killed were to be buried.
Scores of people led by Socialist leaders laid flowers and lit
candles where two people were killed.
Berisha invited Albanians to come next Wednesday to a peaceful
rally against violence. The government also awarded a month's
salary to all National Guard officers and four months' salary to
those injured in Friday's violence.
Albania is one of Europe's poorest countries. For nearly 50 years,
the mountainous country of 3.2 million people was ruled by
xenophobic Communists who banned contact with the outside world.
That regime was toppled in a student-led revolt in 1990.
The nation descended into chaos seven years later following the
collapse of popular investment schemes, requiring an international
military mission to restore order.
Albania is now a NATO member and seeks to join the 27-nation EU,
but corruption is widespread and unemployment is high.