Berisha, leave Albania
Nano: “A decision for the whole month”
The game of resignation $200,000 for the capture of the killer Page 3-5
Protesters in Tirana demanding the removal of Azem Hajdari’s killer Photo REUTERS
The game of resignation
BY EMIN BARÇI Some, who consider the job done with Sali Berisha, are giving Ahmet Kërçishti available powers. They are demanding that no other means of uprising be awaited! But what does this mean? A part of the sphere of interests and part of Western diplomacy, under the pressure of the July events, are trying to arrive at an accelerated solution for the resignation of the Democratic Party chairman Berisha. However, the solution is not always presented as acceptable also for Albanian positions and national interests. Within just one week, Berisha has been confronted with four sensational killings. At the top of them is the murder of MP Azem Hajdari, which in itself had become the test stone to inflame passions and set the opposition against the government. According to observations from Tirana, on the day of the assassination, as well as in the following days, the PD considers Prime Minister Fatos Nano the “scapegoat” for an imposed scenario. Determined to follow a peaceful path, the government and the majority seem not to have fallen into the trap of the intended crisis. Berisha has stirred it up through speeches and direct propaganda with an emotional basis, mainly for his militant circle and not chiefly for public opinion at large. The threats and irresponsible opposition to high state figures have served more to create alarm and activate his loyal circle than to win mass and legitimate support. These days, with the new developments in Tirana, it is clear that international intervention and pressure for an institutional solution have intensified. The weight of Azem Hajdari’s murder and the subsequent protests has further complicated the political climate, bringing proposals linked to resolving the crisis through resignation and distancing from violence.
Truth commission
The unexpected proposal to diplomacy in Troika
Page 4
Large-scale operation against gangs
Police: Troops have been deployed in Tirana
Page 2
PD: Neqimi will come
Berisha calls for a turn toward calm
Page 7