RIPPLES FROM A BOULDER: AMBASSADOR'S REMARKS RENEW

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TIRANA 000398 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SCE, JUSTICE FOR OPDAT, ICITAP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL AL SUBJECT: RIPPLES FROM A BOULDER: AMBASSADOR'S REMARKS RENEW DEBATE ON CORRUPTION, IMMUNITY TIRANA 00000398 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The release of USAID's annual report on corruption perceptions, and a pointed speech delivered by Ambassador Withers at its May 7 launch, reignited the stagnant debate on corruption in Albania and prompted some prickly Government responses. The event received wide media attention and highlighted an issue that, while reportedly among the GOA's highest priorities, has seen little concrete progress. The ensuing discussion may have broken the logjam on removing high-level immunity, has energized the opposition to raise perceived government failure on corruption, and has revealed a split in the Democratic Party (DP) establishment on how serious a problem corruption is in today's Albania. We plan to keep the pressure on, at a minimum to ensure that stated plans to introduce legislation to lift immunity do not evaporate. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) In conjunction with the May 7 roll-out of the USAID sponsored "2008 Corruption in Albania Survey: Perceptions and Experiences," the Ambassador delivered relatively short, but fairly pointed remarks. He cited examples of everyday corruption that were instantly recognizable to the audience, composed primarily of university students and the media. The Ambassador called on Albanian officials to show their seriousness in fighting corruption by lifting immunity, and challenged the citizenry to demand more of its Government as well as to itself refrain from engaging in day-to-day petty corruption. At times, the audience responded almost physically to some of the examples. To date, there are still occasional editorials and commentaries sparked by the intervention. The event occurred in the run-up to Albania's annual "Justice Day" ceremonies, providing further opportunities for public and official reaction. ¶3. (U) Opposition leader Edi Rama expressed broad support for the Ambassador's charge (and USAID's evidentiary polling) that the perception of corruption has worsened over the last year. Rama emphasized GOA failure to improve the overall climate while specifically raising the reportedly corrupt practices surrounding the Gerdec tragedy and national road construction projects. The media elite almost uniformly agreed, responding with a series of front page articles and editorials also citing government failure to make a dent in corruption. ¶4. (SBU) President Bamir Topi reacted almost immediately to the speech, calling for increased awareness of corruption among government agencies as a step toward tackling it. However, after some quiet comments to the Ambassador at a May 8 lunch, Prime Minister Berisha maintained a public two-day silence on the topic, finally broken when he noted to a student group that a NATO invitation had been extended because the government had demonstrated an "iron will" in the fight against corruption. In other comments, Berisha asserted that the Ambassador's comments exaggerated the problem of corruption in Albania; the Ambassador's references, Berisha stated, were "but a leaf on the tree," while the Government's "successful efforts against corruption" constituted the forest. The PM then sought to shift the debate from his government's record on corruption to the related question of immunity for Parliamentarians and other high officials by calling for its removal as "a condition for a successful fight against corruption." (Note: While Topi resigned his DP membership when he took the presidency, he continues to have a contingent of DP members who back him, rather than the PM. His outspoken comments on this issue reinforced this division.) ¶5. (SBU) Others also seized on the topic of immunity, including Rama, and public debate heated up in the days following the speech. While the DP danced around the topic of the current highest profile immunity case, that of former Defense Minister Fatmir Mediu, the opposition used it as an example of the need for change, and the President contributed his support. (Note: Prosecutor General Ina Rama formally requested the lifting of Mediu's immunity April 25 to investigate charges related to the Gerdec explosion, but Parliament has so far not acted on this request.) According to media reports, a consensus has been building in Parliament between Socialist Party (SP) and DP parliamentarians for an across-the board limitation for the legislative and judicial branches as well as the heads of some state institutions (though any reduction in immunity provisions would likely exclude the President). Some speculate that the overall provisions will be changed and that Mediu's immunity would then be lifted by way of the changed provisions, so that he is not singled out to have his immunity lifted alone. ¶6. (SBU) COMMENT: The USAID report is a useful tool each year to highlight progress, or lack thereof, on the fight against TIRANA 00000398 002 OF 002 corruption, an issue of paramount importance for Albania's further democratic development. The media storm created by the Ambassador's speech highlighted the need to remove official immunity at a timely moment. With the Gerdec investigation ongoing in an apparently diligent and professional manner, and the issue still before the public eye, an incentive to move forward on lifting immunity for all may have come at an opportune time. Berisha's attempts to minimize the Ambassador's examples and to extol progress in the government's fight against corruption are not convincing to the average Albanian. In coming weeks, we will continue to keynote corruption, particularly the lifting of immunity, in our private discussions with senior government and opposition leaders, and to keep it front and center in our public pronouncements. END COMMENT. WITHERS