The Stalinist boycott badly damaged the opposition itself
In the Legal Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Mr. Kolumberg has pointed out that the divisions among the opposition parties are becoming positive and clear in favor of dialogue; the opposition parties are agreeing to go to Parliament and are continuing the boycott. Kolumberg stressed that boycott is not a democratic instrument.
No one has anything to write to the Socialists
Before the plenary session, the next meeting of the Legal Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe was taking place. Present there were the observers of the Congress, the former Austrian minister and his country’s ambassador in Tirana, the Italian deputy, the English deputy, etc. Also present were the head of our delegation, Mr. Tritan Shehu, in his capacity as vice-president of the PACE, and the PD deputy, Fatmir Mediu. The official accompanying officer of our delegation is Mr. Mentor Nazarko. In the morning Arta Dade had still not arrived, because she was wandering here and there aimlessly. While waiting for her, the opposition secretary arrived. She made her entrance and took the rostrum in the presidency hall. She leaned over the tables, asking those present where her seat was. The democrats asked her with a certain surprise. Her answer was some moral leaps against Salianji. She was asked again: what is the problem? She replied sharply: “I don’t want to sit here because Salianji is sitting next to me!” Laughter. From the podium, the chairman of the Committee offered Arta Dade an alternative: either sit next to Salianji, or leave the hall. In a rather awkward moment, Ms. Dade chose to remain standing, while her confrontation with the German delegate began. He stated that, according to the documents, the head of the opposition delegation is Ms. Arta Dade and for this reason it is precisely she who should take the seat next to the majority delegation. After several exchanges of loud replies and photocopied arguments, Ms. Dade sat down. The meeting began. The topic was the opposition’s presence. The Committee was informed of the letter from the English deputy Martin Lee, which the Russian rapporteur [???] read aloud. A diplomatic solution was being sought for the long-standing parliamentary deadlock. The opposition’s reasoning for blocking the mandates was being presented in the report as condemnable. It was clear that European circles were tending to judge with balance. The critical current toward the opposition came from the meeting hall. It was the Italian deputy Mr. B[?]os, according to whom oppositionism, in its entirety, is unacceptable. This was reinforced by the German deputy Kolumberg. Later he declared to the press: boycott is a Stalinist tool. These terms have disarmed the political class that is facing the current crisis. At least they have left it empty-handed. You cannot imitate democratic Europe by manipulating on the brink of instability. The political situation will prove this. Mr. Kolumberg told TV Klan that it is necessary for Albanian citizens to ask questions of those they elect. It is not a matter of anti-communism; it is a matter of reformism, without which Albanian society cannot be emancipated. During the discussion it emerged that part of the statements by the political forces have tendencies toward dialogue. That part of the opposition parties wants a point of contact with Parliament for their place within it. Boycott penalizes only those who use it. This was underlined by the head of our delegation, Mr. Tritan Shehu, who is also vice-president of the PACE. He criticized the denigrating articles of some Albanian media against the investigative group. These, according to Mr. Shehu, hide the authors and cause considerable damage. It was also said that, despite the boycott, the opposition has duly submitted amendments to the draft laws. This means that procedural cooperation is still possible. Mediu added that various media outlets are fueling distrust. The opposition, too, was taking serious responsibility upon itself
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