Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07TIRANA1004
2007-11-23 15:22:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Tirana
Cable title:  

THIS WEEK IN ALBANIA, NOVEMBER 17-23, 2007

Tags:  ECON PGOV PREL AL 
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INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TIRANA 001004 

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SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL AL
SUBJECT: THIS WEEK IN ALBANIA, NOVEMBER 17-23, 2007

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TIRANA 001004

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL AL
SUBJECT: THIS WEEK IN ALBANIA, NOVEMBER 17-23, 2007


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 AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS
--------------


2. (U) Praise from Tirana for Kosovo Elections: Kosovo's November
17 elections were closely followed in Tirana with live media
coverage from Pristina. Albanian leaders including President Topi,
Prime Minister Berisha and Opposition Leader Rama praised the
outcome as proof of the irreversible progress of democratization and
a testimony to Kosovo's readiness for self-governance. The calm and
successful elections are considered an important contribution to
regional stability. Tirana's politicians all called on the PDK
leader Hashim Thaci to quickly form the new government and
institutions.


3. (U) Changes Afoot in Judicial Institutions: The Council of
Justice (CoJ) elected Kreshnik Spahiu as its new Deputy Chairman,
replacing Ilir Panda whose mandate expired this month. A judge by
training, Spahiu has spent his career supporting public action
against corruption and the fight against civic apathy. A new
Prosecutor General (PG) was also appointed, Ina Rama, who served in
2007 as an embassy-nominated expert on a series of trainings for
judges sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice and PAMECA. She
has been a judge on the Court of Appeals for Serious Crimes since
2005 and is known for her high level of professionalism.

4. (U) The CoJ is the oversight body for the Ministry of Justice,
comprised of judges and legal experts. In recent years, the CoJ has
been accused by the Prime Minister of impeding progress on the fight
against corruption, as has the Office of the PG. With the
replacement of the Deputy Chairman and four other members (whose
mandates expire at year's end),the composition of the body is
expected to change significantly. This, along with the newly
appointed PG, should enhance the GOA's influence over the judiciary
and ability to implement its reform agenda.


5. (U) OIC Membership Projects a Controversial Image: At an
informal gathering of some of Albania's leading political analysts,
several expressed continued reservations over the country's OIC
membership arguing Albania has little to gain from such an alliance.
It was noted that although OIC support is occasionally helpful, for
example on a possible UN resolution on Kosovo, such opportunities
are few and do not outweigh what is perceived as a negative image of
Albania as an Islamic country, permanently "tarnishing" its image.



6. (U) Underscoring national pride for Albania's long history of
religious tolerance, analysts emphasized that their government is
strongly secular and that Albanian citizens are generally
indifferent toward religious beliefs. They expressed concern that a
growing influence of young Muslims educated by strict Islamic
schools abroad could impact Albanian's acclaimed moderation on
religion.


7. (U) A Slice of Italy in Albania: "Casa Italia" opened last week,
a new shopping center bringing Italian brands and products to
Tirana. This is the second major shopping mall to open, following
on the success of the "Center of the Shopping Universe" (QTU). QTU
has been retail trade success story, with three million visitors in
2006 alone, and plans for future expansion. A third, CITY Center,
is expected to open in fall 2008, reportedly to include a movie
theater. The success of these western-style malls underscores the
strong increase in economic activity, progress in the formalization
of the market, and the continually improving quality of life in
Tirana.


8. (U) Quote of the Week: From Erjon Veliaj, former head of Mjaft
Movement (and outspoken critic of the majority coalition) announcing
his intention to form a new political action group:
"What can I say, even Bart Simpson would govern better than Prime
Minister Berisha."


9. (U) Person of the Week: Stan Dragoti is an Albanian-American
film producer who has contributed such teen classics as She's Out of
Control (1989) and Love at First Bite (1979). He met with PM
Berisha last week to discuss a new strategy to promote Albania's
image internationally. Dragoti's commercial successes also include
Mr. Mom (1983) and The Man with One Red Shoe (1985). He was born in
New York to Albanian parents and was married for nine years to the
1970's model and actress Cheryl Tiegs.


10. (U) The Week Ahead: Albania will celebrate its Independence Day
next week. On November 28, 1912, the Albanian patriot Ismail Qemali
proclaimed independence in the southern town of Vlora and created
the first Albanian government following 500 years of Ottoman rule.
Albania's independence was recognized by the Great Powers in the
London Conference of 1913.


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