Berisha will meet Nano. Albania like Bosnia: 12 killed a day.

Fino intervened with Prodi so that the Shkodra refugees would return to their homeland. This is because Fino supposedly wanted, in some way, to take revenge for the Bushat incident. This is the gist of several articles in the newspapers of the Democratic Party and those supporting President Berisha. In fact, this sentence has been put into the mouths of some refugees repatriated against their will, for murky reasons, by the Italian authorities. The rumor-mongering unleashed on this occasion directly targets the Prime Minister’s relationship with his people. The people of Shkodra have been chosen specifically to become victims of this story, because some Democratic Party members from this city have had an unpleasant episode with the country’s Prime Minister. The exodus of the people of Shkodra is quite unusual. Throughout all these years, when Albanians have tried to seize ships to put out to sea, it had never happened that they set off from the shores of Velipoja. Even from distant Shëngjin, such cases are sporadic. This is because Velipoja is not a port, and the journey from there is long and very dangerous. Strangely, these days Velipoja has become a center of the Albanian exodus. Armed men have emerged like pirates, seizing ships and organizing the great retreat. Shkodra is the only city where it is difficult to find a police station chief acceptable to everyone. Although one has been appointed, the Ministry of Public Order has not appointed the other police chiefs, such as the one responsible for solving crimes. This has left the city in the hands of armed gangs. In Shkodra, Democratic Party politicians have voiced ideas about religious divisions. In Shkodra, a doctor was killed while on duty and a second was seriously wounded. Velipoja is near Shkodra. All these factors create the conditions for Shkodra to become a center of tension. The conflict could easily find a home in the largest city in the North. In other words, the conflict could shift a little from the South to the North. Near this region of Albania lies troubled Kosovo. It is said that an arms trade is arming the Albanians across the border. Many of them in Kosovo lost money in Tirana’s pyramid schemes. This is a reason for rebellion. On the eve of the general elections for the Kosovo Parliament (which “met as one man”), it would not be surprising if the right environment were found to import the crisis from Albania into Kosovo, and thus into the Balkans. Shkodra, the North’s triangle, could be the final stop for carrying the crisis further afield. Former ministers Zhulali and Serreqi have accused Berisha of such a plan. Most recently, Fino has been accused, absurdly. This is an incident about which the Prime Minister and his press office should say something. It is pointless to say that this could be the cause of a new revolt. Fino must not become the excuse, if he wants to be saved.

Fino’s table

“REPUBLIKA”, “Sami Frashëri” Street, near “Petro Nini Luarasi” High School, Tirana. Tel/Fax (+355 42) 259 88 Tel. (+355 42) 230 90 Account No. 986 / 110, Tirana Trade Bank