Does the consul delay visas in order to sell them, or out of racism toward Albanians? Unlike other embassies in Tirana, the Italian consulate plays with the troubles of Albanian citizens, who wait for weeks even when their documents are in order and receive no answer Page 2

Until now, much has been written and said about the illegal trafficking of Albanians to Western countries, a traffic driven both by the crises and difficult situations the country has experienced over these years and by the strict restrictions imposed by EU countries, which are making their borders increasingly impermeable to Eastern Europeans. This reality has led to the flourishing of what has for years been known as the “migrant-smuggling mafia,” which ranges from sellers of visas and passports to speedboat operators. But more than the ordinary traffickers, those profiting from Albanians’ compelled desire to leave their country are members of what has rightly been called the “embassy mafia.” The leaders of this mafia are precisely certain officials of Western countries’ embassies, where Albanians hope to find the “Promised Land.” We are talking about those who hold a monopoly on issuing visas, which they have turned into a business yielding fabulous profits—profits anyone, even in their own countries with their high standard of living, would envy. Western media themselves have published concrete evidence shedding light on the enormous sums that must be paid to people at some Western embassies, such as the Italian one and others, in order to obtain a visa. Judging by the endless queues of people who wait weeks for visas and by their complaints, the Italian Embassy is the champion of this illegal visa business. But that is not all. These mafiosi, cloaked in diplomatic garb, have extended their visa business even to cases where citizens have all the documents needed to obtain a visa in accordance with the laws of the relevant country. They tell you how much you have to pay to submit the documents, to speed up the process, or to avoid artificial obstacles. Diplomats involved in trafficking have often, or at times, been expelled from Tirana. In these circumstances, the hypotheses about links between the embassy mafia and the speedboat operators become credible. And this embassy mafia stands in contrast to the correctness and courtesy reserved for such cases at British diplomatic missions, and especially American ones, which, even though they do not work with complete [unclear], have come to the aid of Albanians.

Surprise Yesterday the Greek ambassador in Tirana requested a meeting with Prime Minister Meta. The Greek representative had brought a message from the leader of the Greek opposition, “New Democracy,” Mr. Karamanlis, who sent greetings to Albania’s leftist prime minister, Mr. Meta. The left is in power in Greece, while the ambassador of the neighboring country brought greetings from the Greek right, in addition to those from Prime Minister Simitis, which the head of the Albanian executive had received on the very first day of his election. Likewise, Doris Pack, known as a major supporter of the DP from Europe, also expressed support yesterday for the new Albanian prime minister. Only Berisha’s DP right wing has yet to express itself on cooperation with Meta, while nevertheless maintaining its role as opposition. The two meetings yesterday give rise to several suggestions for our 30-year-old prime minister. First, he should not become complacent because of the substantial international support, since we have a negative example in Majko, who, instead of getting his shoes muddy on Albanian soil, sought photographs with world leaders. Second, the fact that a foreign ambassador comes and brings him a message from the opposition should hold all our embassies morally and legally accountable; when Berisha or other opposition leaders go abroad, our embassies do not help them—nor do they help the opposition, only those in power. Third, the prime minister should clean out most of our embassies, which are filled with friends and incompetent people, as well as with officials’ nepotistic connections. “Koha Jonë,” while supporting Prime Minister Meta, does not mean that it will refrain from harshly criticizing negative aspects of the government. And we are beginning to do so, if we want the rule of law and economic progress. “Koha Jonë” has not asked to privatize anything and will not do so, unlike certain other publishers who use the press to steal or privatize national wealth. The newspaper “Koha Jonë” remains in opposition to every government, left or right, that governs Albania. KJ

Albanian woman waiting outside the Italian Embassy for a visa