VZCZCXRO3358
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHTI #0426/01 1581652
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 061652Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY TIRANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7151
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TIRANA 000426 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/SCE 
DEPT OF JUSTICE FOR OPDAT, ICITAP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL AL
 
SUBJECT: THIS WEEK IN ALBANIA, MAY 31 - JUNE 6, 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. 
 
---------------------- 
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS 
---------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) CLASHES OVER HIGH COURT NOMINATIONS: It has been almost a 
month since President Topi issued decrees appointing five new 
members of the High Court (similar to the U.S. Supreme Court), and 
to date the Speaker of Parliament, Jozefina Topalli, has not allowed 
Parliament to vote on the nominations.  The failure to appoint the 
new justices has lead to difficulties in the operation of the 
17-member Court, which finds itself overloaded with cases and 
lacking the necessary quorum to form a panel.  This week the term in 
office of two other justices came to an end, bringing the number of 
vacancies to an all time high of seven. 
 
¶3.  (U) Socialist opposition leader Edi Rama accused Speaker Topalli 
this week of violating the constitution on this issue and has called 
for a motion of no-confidence against her.  With public pressure 
over the case growing, Topalli rejected accusations that she had 
overstepped her powers and insisted that President Topi must consult 
Parliament before putting forward judicial nominations.  In fact, 
Topi did not consult with Parliament prior to making the 
nominations, as in the past it had been the practice to nominate 
judges without Parliamentary consent.  Some cynics attributed the 
President's decision not to consult Parliament as an unspoken 
response to recent Constitutional amendments that altered 
presidential elections (consultations on which were not conducted 
with the President). 
 
¶4.  (U) The recent clashes come at a time of heightened tension 
between the ruling majority and the opposition that have been 
generated in large part by the majority's continued failure to lift 
former Defense Minister Mediu's immunity following an April 25 
request by Prosecutor General Ina Rama.  Since the High Court hears 
cases against high level officials, lines have been drawn over the 
ongoing Gerdec criminal investigation and the seven upcoming 
appointments to the Court.  While it is not clear whether Parliament 
will approve the President's nominations, the recent clash between 
Speaker Topalli and President Topi has revealed the first open rift 
between the two government institutions. Furthermore, her reluctance 
to allow Parliament to vote on the decrees sets a negative precedent 
for the rule of law and division of power in this NATO candidate 
country. 
 
----------------------------- 
SOCIETY AND POLITICAL CULTURE 
----------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (U) CORRUPTION AND GETTING THINGS DONE IN ALBANIA: 
For the past decade corruption has become the main discourse in 
Albanian politics and social life.  It is present in daily 
conversations among average individuals, a dark, hovering cloud that 
rains on every citizen's life.  From the moment you enter a 
hospital, school, ministry, government building, court, or even to 
get a birth certificate from the registration and records office, a 
person must pay an extra unofficial fee or know a friend on the 
inside to get anything accomplished. 
 
¶6.  (U) Corruption is not a new phenomenon in Albania, but an 
ongoing occurrence that can be traced back to time immemorial. 
While some political scientists claim that corrupt politicians and 
institutions are an indication of what the country is like as a 
whole, others believe that corrupt politics are in fact shaping the 
structure of society.  It is hard to say which came first, the 
chicken or the egg, but it is easy to see its impact on everyday 
life in Albania. 
 
¶7.  (U) The level of faith that individuals place in their 
politicians, governments, and institutions depends on past history 
as well as the always-fluctuating social dynamics that characterize 
countries in transition.  The current state of institution building 
is difficult, and getting things done without money or nepotistic 
practices is almost impossible.  At the individual level, Albanian 
society is still learning democratic behavior and what it entails. 
However, in a society that prefers face to face interactions and 
word of mouth procedures, the coffee shop is often the place where 
things get done - whether it is acquiring a copy of your birth 
certificate or securing an appointment with your doctor.  Some 
things never change. 
 
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CULTURAL DEVELOPMENTS 
--------------------- 
 
 
TIRANA 00000426  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶8.  (U) SUMMER IS HERE BUT THE ALBANIANS ARE GONE: As the summer 
heat arrives, many Albanians are searching for a quick getaway at 
the pool or a nearby beach.  Few families can afford to spend entire 
days on the Adriatic or Ionian coasts or plan for a vacation in the 
southern cities of Albania, a tourist destination frequented by 
Kosovar Albanians.  But those who can afford a long vacation are 
increasingly choosing to go abroad, as the Albanian coast has seen 
few infrastructure improvements in recent years while prices have 
continued to rise.  Although Albania's southern coast is a preferred 
destination, the trip is long and difficult, and can only be done by 
car.  Once there, the price of food and accommodation often does not 
reflect the quality of service provided. 
 
¶9.  (U) Those who can have started to look for other destinations. 
Turkey is the most popular, with low visa costs and convenient 
application procedures for Albanian citizens.  Complete travel 
packages provide not only airfare, but also food and accommodation 
at more competitive prices than visiting the Albanian coast.  Like 
most consumers, Albanians want the biggest bang for their buck, and 
many times that can be found outside their own borders. 
 
¶10.  (U) YOUNGER BERISHA RESOLVES DISPUTE: There is an old 
communist-era building in central Tirana, still referred to as the 
Palace of Culture, which houses an international bookstore 
patronized mostly by foreigners.  A dispute over the store's damaged 
inventory was recently resolved by none other than the Prime 
Minister's daughter, Argita Berisha.  Ms. Berisha, whose private law 
practice in Tirana has flourished in recent years, has increasingly 
found an enviable demand for her services.  In her most recent case, 
the poor quality of renovation work on the second floor above the 
bookstore led to a fight between the Italian renovation company and 
the bookstore owner, who sought damages for his ruined inventory. 
The dispute was settled out of court when Ms. Berisha's services 
were procured by the bookstore.  In what can only be described as a 
demonstration of her keen legal skills, the owners of the second 
floor business paid damages the next day, an uncommonly fast 
resolution in a country where law suits can take years to resolve 
themselves. 
 
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK 
----------------- 
 
¶11.  An excerpt from Ambassador Withers' statement this week on 
recent troubling political developments regarding the Gerdec 
investigation: "The American government and people will be deeply 
concerned if any political faction, party, or leader makes 
statements or takes actions that in any way injects a political 
agenda into what must be an impartial and independent investigation 
based on the rule of law." 
 
WITHERS