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RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHTI #0101/01 0420629
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 110629Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY TIRANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6656
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TIRANA 000101 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/SCE 
DEPT OF JUSTICE FOR OPDAT, ICITAP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL PHUM AL
 
SUBJECT: THIS WEEK IN ALBANIA, FEBRUARY 2-8, 2008 
 
¶1.  (U) The following is a weekly report prepared by Embassy 
Tirana's local staff to provide political and economic context and 
insight into developments in Albania.  These updates will supplement 
post's DAR reports and reporting cables. 
 
---------------------- 
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS 
---------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) "RODNEY KING" LIVES ON (LESS VIOLENTLY) IN ALBANIA: 
Albanian police are caught in a scandal familiar to the American 
public -- caught on videotape abusing their position.  Two videos 
taken by local citizens surfaced on the popular television program 
"Fiks Fare," a satirical investigative television journal, showing 
police officers abusing citizens.  One traffic cop hit an offender 
over the head with his hand-held traffic-directing sign, dismissing 
protests of the bleeding victim (a recent emigrant returning from 
the UK) with "Take your papers and leave."   The second tape 
involved a new officer who cursed and challenged two men to a duel 
when they protested a parking ticket. 
 
¶3.  (U) Despite substantial recent efforts by the government and 
international community to improve police training, technology 
caught these officers in action.  Authorities reacted promptly, 
arresting one and suspending all others involved in the two 
incidents.  The police spokesperson called publicly on citizens to 
report cases of police misconduct and vowed to take similarly firm 
action in the future.  However, some note that the public's 
preference to pass information such as these video tapes to the 
media rather than official outlets (such as the 24-hour hotlines 
against corruption and abuse operated by the police and the Prime 
Minister's office, or the police internal investigative service) 
shows a continuing lack of trust in public institutions.  When the 
media presents such evidence widely and publicly, action is usually 
taken swiftly to counter the charges.  However, outside the glare of 
the cameras, citizens often fear further corruption or abuse against 
the accuser. 
 
¶4.  (U) MYTHS, LIES, AND CONSPIRACY:  In Albanian society and 
politics there are always a few conspiracy theories ruminating 
around the edges.  These myths, spread through the many and 
opinionated recognized media outlets, as well as by word of mouth, 
thrive in post-communist society. 
 
¶5.  (U) Media, however, is the main perpetrator of the conspiracy 
theories, some which prove to be true, such as the rumored collapse 
of the pyramid schemes in 1997, while others remain unsubstantiated. 
 The most famous involve major figures:  George Soros' "real agenda" 
for Albania; Edi Rama's colorful past in Paris; and political or 
financial alliances between the major political actors.  Last 
summer's presidential elections sparked the well-known theory that 
arch rivals Sali Berisha and Fatos Nano had a secret pact to elect 
the latter as president so that the former could retain the Prime 
Ministry.  The most current iteration of this is a supposed pact 
between opposition leader Edi Rama and Prime Minister Berisha to 
divide up and maintain separate spheres of influence in return for a 
public truce. 
 
¶6.  (U) Major political actors often influence the media outlets 
that defend their particular political persuasion to direct and hold 
public attention, and conspiracy theorists would argue their real 
goal is to deflect the public from the most pressing issues.  With a 
wide range of publications, each using facts and rumor to support 
the views of its major stakeholders, the media represents the 
spectrum of biases.  News in Albania can often be opinion supported 
by fact, rather than the other way around, the perfect environment 
for conspiracy theories to flourish. 
 
--------------------- 
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS 
--------------------- 
 
¶7.  (U) ACTION ON IPR VIOLATIONS:  The government's Intellectual 
Property Rights (IPR) Office announced a strong new campaign against 
pirated materials this week.  In unannounced inspections across 
Tirana, the government confiscated thousands of illegal DVDs and CDs 
and fined the violating sellers $100 (the maximum provided by law). 
The action is part of a country-wide plan to raise awareness of 
property rights and to force vendors to register their products with 
the IPR Office.  In the coming months the office intends to take 
legal action against offenders in a joint effort of police and 
customs authorities. 
 
¶8.  (U) Albanian law protects copyrights, patents, trademarks, 
stamps, marks of origin, and industrial designs.  In 2003, the GOA 
passed an anti-piracy law, which required television stations to 
broadcast only those shows and movies which they had legally 
licensed for broadcast.  Unfortunately, enforcement remains 
 
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incomplete and violations of copyright, trademark, and other 
intellectual property rights are still common.  Pirated copies of 
DVDs and CDs, imported from other countries, are readily available 
for purchase and rental across the country.  The government's new 
campaign against violators will be a welcome effort to improve 
implementation of existing laws. 
 
---------------- 
ARTS AND CULTURE 
---------------- 
 
¶9.  (U) PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST: TEDI PAPAVRAMI:  Tedi Papavrami is 
Albania's famous child prodigy.  He began study of the violin at age 
four with his father, Robert Papavrami, a renowned violin teacher. 
At eight he performed Sarasate's "Airs Bohemiens" with the Tirana 
Philharmonic Orchestra and three years later the First Violin 
Concerto by Nicolo Paganini. 
 
¶10. (U) In 1982 he received a scholarship from the French government 
to study at the French conservatory, a rare and unparalleled 
opportunity during communist times.  Papavrami went on to perform 
throughout Europe, Asia, South Africa and Israel with major 
orchestras.  In a tour of Japan he performed the lengthy and 
intricate "24 Caprices," considered one of the most difficult pieces 
written for solo violin.  Papavrami is one of the few artists to 
play the 24 consecutive "capricios" in concert.  In addition, he is 
acclaimed for his interpretation of the complete Bach Sonatas and 
Partitas, presented in concert near Paris.  Papavrami plays a violin 
custom made by Christian Bayon. 
 
¶11. (U) A versatile artist, Papavrami acted opposite Catherine 
Deneuve, Natassja Kinsky and other stars in the French TV film "Les 
Liaisons Dangereuses."  His talents also include exceptional 
linguistic abilities; he is Fayard Publishing's official translator 
of the works of the lyrical Albanian novelist Ismail Kadar. 
 
¶12.  (U) QUOTE OF THE WEEK:  "Stop this nonsense. I am in Greece 
seeking the return of the stolen sculptures to Albania.  This is 
what should concern you.  This is the newsworthy item."  Minister of 
Culture, Ylli Pango, responding to a journalist's inquiry as to why 
his 17-year-old son drives his father's official Volkswagen Touareg 
every day to school. 
 
WITHERS