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C O N F I D E N T I A L TIRANA 000996 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FROM AMBASSADOR RIES TO SECRETARY OF DEFENSE RUMSFELD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/22/2026 
TAGS: PREL MARR PGOV MCAP AL
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR YOUR VISIT TO ALBANIA AND SEDM 
 
REF: A. TIRANA 953 
     ¶B. TIRANA 960 
     ¶C. TIRANA 970 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Marcie B. Ries, Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1.  (C)  Your attendance at the September 26-27 Southeast 
Europe Defense Ministerial (SEDM) is the event's highlight 
for your Albanian hosts.  NATO entry is Albania's primary 
goal, one supported by all levels of society and all 
political tendencies.  The Ministerial provides the chance 
for Albania to demonstrate its ability to make tangible 
contributions in the areas of defense and regional security. 
In his meetings with you, we expect Prime Minister Berisha to 
reiterate Albania's determination to be "wherever the U.S. is 
deployed" and to underscore Albania's desire to join NATO as 
soon as possible.  sd from your participation in SEDMislf,this is a chancee for you to publicly comend the 
performance f  Albanian commandos in Ira, Albani' te 
otrributions to the GWOT, its einllaesi including 
through A3 and SEDM n t rogres ndfeense reform.  In 
your prvaemeig,hwvr yyou should also remind th 
lain htteeis" considerably more to be dn: norder toacheve their goal, they must devote theneee 
eorces to defense reform and as eosrt oitical 
maturity and progresso eocratic reforms and rule of law. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------- 
COMBAT SUPPORT TO GWOT 
------------------- 
¶2.  (SBU)  In advance of the actual Ministerial, you will 
meet with President Mosiu, PM Berisha, and DM Mediu.  With 
the latter, you will present awards to some of the Albanian 
commandos who have returned from service in Iraq.  These 
meetings provide an opportunity to praise Albanian combat 
troops serving beside us in Iraq, as well as Albania's 
contribution to stability in the region (Bosnia/EUFOR). 
Albania was among the first countries to answer our calls for 
support in the GWOT, and that support has been unwavering. 
It has been extraordinarily cooperative across the board in 
these efforts, including by freezing terrorist assets. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Albania currently has a contingent of 120 combat 
troops in Mosul, Iraq, and 22 Special Operation Forces in 
ISAF in Afghanistan.  In addition, it deployed nine personnel 
as part of a Southeastern European Brigade (SEEBRIG) 
headquarters element and has three in the A-3 Joint Medical 
Unit.  There are 71 troops in the EUFOR mission in 
Bosnia-Herzegovina.  Overall, including troops in training 
and preparation for overseas deployments, Albania has about a 
third of its elite troops committed to the GWOT.  Despite 
this already significant contribution, PM Berisha continues 
to explore other ways to "be where the U.S. is deployed," 
including recent suggestions that Albania might consider 
sending troops to Lebanon. 
 
---------------------------------- 
REGIONAL STABILITY AND INTEGRATION 
---------------------------------- 
¶4.  (C)  Especially under DefMin Mediu's active leadership, 
Albania has played an important role in encouraging regional 
defense cooperation.  He has played a key role in A3 and SEDM 
coordination and seeks to make full use of the tools these 
fora offer.  The President and PM have used their influence 
to urge Albanian Kosovars to show restraint and flexibility 
in Kosovo status negotiations and have called on the Albanian 
leadership in Kosovo to do more to protect the rights of 
minority Serbs.  This week at the UNGA, President Moisiu (and 
Foreign Minister Mustafaj) were careful not to respond to 
Serbian rhetoric.  As Kosovo negotiations reach the "end 
game," we will want Albania's leaders to continue to be a 
voice for moderation in Albania and with Albanian leaders 
throughout the region. 
 
------------------------ 
PARTNERSHIP AND PROGRESS 
------------------------ 
¶5.  (C)  Albanian defense forces have provided support for 
NATO training, participated in NATO exercises, and partnered 
with us to allow sensitive low-level flight training.  The 
MOD is committed to modernizing the Albanian Armed Forces 
(AAF) to make it deployable and NATO-interoperable.  While 
there is no doubt about the political commitment, several 
constraints remain.  Albania has not kept to its own schedule 
for bringing defense spending up to two percent of GDP by 
¶2010.  Real spending on defense (excluding retirement) is 
about $120 million, with only about eight percent of that 
amount available for modernization.  Albania must focus the 
MOD's modest resources on creating a "niche capability" that 
shows it brings something to the NATO table.  The MOD is 
working to equip, train, and modernize the Rapid Reaction 
Brigade (RRB), the unit it says would be ready for NATO duty 
if called. 
 
¶6.  (C)  But we must continue to reinforce the message that, 
while we value Albania's bilateral and multilateral 
contributions, NATO membership is not about defense reform 
alone.  NATO allies look for a reliable partner that shares 
NATO's democratic values.  All new entries have been expected 
to resolve internal differences and show unity on national 
priorities before receiving a membership invitation, and 
those standards still apply.  Though it cannot control 
Albania's fractious opposition, the Government has the 
responsibility to build a consensus on issues of national 
concern.  The Government must move its strong rhetoric about 
the fight against corruption beyond words into action )- 
against money laundering, against trafficking in persons and 
contraband, and in favor of a cultural sea change to one of 
respect for lawfulness.  At the same time, the GOA must also 
strengthen its democratic institutions.  The campaign against 
corruption cannot be perceived as a campaign against 
institutions or individuals with different points of views. 
 
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YOUR INTERLOCUTORS 
------------------ 
¶7.  (C)  As noted Ref B, President of the Republic Moisiu in 
polls has the highest respect of any elected official among 
the Albanian population.  He is considered honest and a 
person of integrity.  Appointed by consensus of the main 
political parties (he does not belong to one himself) he 
plays a stabilizing role in Albania's turbulent domestic 
political scene and has a Constitutional role in the justice 
system.  He is well placed to guide Albania on the road 
toward democratic consolidation, but is currently under 
pressure from PM Berisha, who wants the President to remove 
the Prosecutor General.  The international community has 
worked to avoid being drawn into this dispute, while at the 
same time underscoring the importance we attach to adherence 
to Albania's own laws and Constitution. 
 
¶8.  (C)  Like all Albanians, PM Berisha holds the United 
States in high esteem.  Berisha is seeking to erase memories 
of his forced departure from the political scene (he was then 
the President) in 1997 under the scandal of the pyramid 
scheme debacle.  We believe he is determined to bring 
positive change during his administration, but his methods 
have aroused controversy and criticism.  We want to let him 
know that we appreciate his contributions in the areas of 
foreign policy, the war on terror, and regional security, but 
keep the pressure on for more progress on defense reform, and 
especially development of democratic institutions and 
fighting corruption. 
 
¶9.  (C)  Ref A provides detailed biographical background on 
Minister Mediu. 
RIES