DAS JONES MEETING WITH PM BERISHA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TIRANA 000797 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/SCE E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/29/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM AL SUBJECT: DAS JONES MEETING WITH PM BERISHA REF: A) TIRANA 199 B) TIRANA 752 Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOHN WITHERS FOR REASONS 1.4 (b) AND (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: In an October 29 meeting with DAS Jones, a tired and unhealthy-looking PM Sali Berisha offered both effusive praise for the U.S., as well as a rambling but spirited denial that he or the GOA were trying to undermine independent institutions, especially the judiciary. Berisha outlined reforms the GOA is making and said that it is approaching the "highly explosive" problem of corruption and organized crime with a "zero tolerance" attitude, adding that Parliament is close to passing a law on immunity for GOA officials. Berisha pledged full support for the GOA investigation into the Gerdec tragedy, but in a thinly veiled justification for his recnt attacks on her, called into question the legality of some of the Prosecutor General,s decisions. End summary. ¶2. (C) PM Sali Berisha opened the meeting with a long monologue, both thanking the U.S. for its "historic" support, and defending GOA actions over the past several months. Berisha added that Albania's entry into NATO is the most significant event in its history since the U.S. recognized Albanian independence. Berisha also expressed his gratitude for Millennium Challenge Account assistance and said that it is helping reform the GOA. He said he could never do for the U.S. what it has done for Albania. ¶3. (C) Berisha then outlined GOA progress on organized crime, corruption, elections and the legal system. He blamed politics and "systemic" corruption for the extent of organized crime. However, he stressed that the GOA is fighting it with a "zero-tolerance" attitude. For example, he said that in the past few years, the GOA has broken up 206 criminal organizations and arrested more than 950 individuals associated with organized crime. He again praised U.S. assistance, singling out ICITAP and OPDAT programs as instrumental in the battle against corruption. ¶4. (C) Berisha claimed a "new chapter" is opening in the fight against corruption. Saying that "impunity" threatens to "destroy Albania," he said the GOA is working intently on a law that will limit the broad immunity that parliamentarians and other high-level officials law currently enjoy. He claimed that soon Albanian laws on immunity will be more in line with Western ones. Berisha is optimistic that an immunity bill will pass soon by consensus. Interestingly, he said public statements by the Ambassador on this subject were "highly helpful" in the debate. As an example of this "new chapter" he said that in comparison to three years ago when only 2 individuals were arrested for corruption, more officials, including Ministers and Deputy Ministers, are under investigation for corruption. ¶5. (C) Regarding elections and the judiciary, Berisha said Albania has changed its election code and left behind the old "gerrymandering" system. He pledged to do his best to ensure free and fair elections and asked the U.S. to send many observers to see the elections first hand. He said the GOA is proceeding with voter identification cards and the overriding goal is free and fair elections. He also mentioned that the GOA has is working to pass a law on the judiciary and said experts have given favorable opinions and input to the Prosecutor General law. (COMMENT: Berisha failed to mention that the original version of the draft PG law as prepared by MOJ would have severely limited the independence of the prosecutor general and that OPDAT, EURALIUS (an EU counterpart to OPDAT),and the Prosecutor General,s office are fighting to get a copy of the draft law and to get sensible changes introduced. Only after the Ambassador spoke with Berisha himself did this happen. END COMMENT.) ¶6. (C) DAS Jones thanked Berisha for his support and emphasized the close level of relations. DAS Jones described to Berisha the White House ceremony on October 24 in which President Bush had officially signed the articles of accession for Albania's entry into NATO. However, he told Berisha that the GOA must continue to work at building independent democratic institutions and support them politically and economically. Jones added that Ambassador Withers is Albania's best friend. By raising his concerns about Albanian democracy and corruption with the government, he helped ensure that Albania was ready to join the Alliance. Now that the protocols were signed, Albania must not slide backwards. Berisha assured Jones that he was committed to a transparent process for passing legislation and also to protecting the independence of the Prosecutor General. ¶7. (C) Berisha then went to pains to explain that Foreign Minister Basha's recent trips to the U.S. served only to TIRANA 00000797 002 OF 002 reiterate directly to Washington the reforms and changes Albania is making. He said he is concerned that some observers are attempting to color this visit in a different light, however no ill will was meant. ¶8. (C) Moving on to the March explosion at Gerdec (ref A) Berisha said it was "a very tragic accident." He said that as a result of this tragedy the Minister of Defense resigned and many high-level military officers were dismissed. Immediately following the explosion, he said he met with Prosecutor General Ina Rama and told her that he would give whatever help she needed to complete the investigation. Berisha then claimed that the ongoing investigation into Gerdec, particularly the investigation of former Defense Minister Mediu, had actually harmed the investigation as it "shifted" the military into a defensive and timid posture which made the uniformed military afraid to act for fear of losing their jobs. He said that the GOA needs a full investigation into the Gerdec explosion, and the military is involved at every step. (COMMENT: Berisha left unsaid the fact that he and his government attempted early in the investigation to shift the blame to the military and that this more than any thing else explains the current reluctance of the military to make any decisions. END COMMENT.) ¶9. (C) Berisha also reiterated his commitment to the independence of GOA institutions. Parliament is Parliament, he said, and even when mistakes are made, as long as it is adhering to the Constitution, it must be respected. However, he said, there is a perception that Parliament is politicized. He then launched into a passionate defense of Damir Fazlic, a Bosnian businessman suspected of money laundering by the PG (ref B),saying that the PG opened a case against him with no evidence and tried to stop him at the airport and freeze his assets, all without evidence, according to Berisha. He said he could not accept this. Berisha said he never did Fazlic a favor, nor did Fazlic ask for one. (NOTE: Fazlic's close ties to Berisha and to FM Lulzim Basha are a matter of public record. Fazlic, for example, was a key advisor in Berisha's 2005 electoral campaign. Any legal difficulties that Fazlic encounters here or abroad could pose serious political problems for the PM. END NOTE.) ¶10. (U) DAS Jones cleared this cable. WITHERS