Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09TIRANA639
2009-09-24 14:41:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tirana
Cable title:  

IMAMI: THE ACCIDENTAL MINISTER?

Tags:  PGOV PINR AL 
pdf how-to read a cable
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TIRANA 000639 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/18/2019
TAGS: PGOV PINR AL
SUBJECT: IMAMI: THE ACCIDENTAL MINISTER?

Classified By: Ambassador John L. Withers for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TIRANA 000639

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/18/2019
TAGS: PGOV PINR AL
SUBJECT: IMAMI: THE ACCIDENTAL MINISTER?

Classified By: Ambassador John L. Withers for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (U) Summary. The announcement of Arben Imami, until now
Prime Minister Berisha's chief of staff, as Albania's new
Minister of Defense caught even Imami by surprise. Imami is
a founding member of the Democratic Party (DP),although he
was estranged from the party for a decade and reconciled with
DP leader Berisha in 2003. Among other positions, Imami has
previously served as Minister of Justice. In 1999, he
conducted graduate studies at Georgetown University in
Washington, D.C. and is a strong supporter of U.S.-Albanian
relations. A close confidant of Berisha, Imami has
maintained ties to the opposition Socialist Party. He is
known as a hard worker, a thoughtful politician, somewhat
private, and sometimes a difficult negotiator. He will have
to rely strongly on these traits in dealing with a ministry
and military affairs in which he otherwise has no background.
End Summary.

DEFMIN APPOINTMENT
--------------


2. (C) After the DP won the June 28, 2009 national elections,
several names swirled around as possible ministers of
defense, none of them Imami. Media claimed that the two most
likely candidates were DP parliamentarian from Durres
Ferdinand Xhaferri or then-Minister of Transportation Sokol
Olldashi. Several of Post's sources confirmed these two
names. However, according to one source, on September 10,
only hours before submitting the final list of ministers to
the President for approval, Berisha went over the list one
last time and began penciling in last-minute changes,
including Minister of Defense.


3. (C) SP member Ben Blushi told Post that when he had had
coffee with Imami June 27, they discussed possible ministry
appointments and Imami gave no indication that he was being
considered for any position. Allegedly, Imami himself
learned of the appointment only when the decree became public.

EARLY POLITICAL LIFE
--------------


4. (U) Imami was born January 21, 1958 in Tirana. He
graduated in acting from the Albanian Fine Arts Academy in
1981 and went on to star in several communist-era movies.
With the fall of communism in 1990-1, he left acting to enter
politics as one of the seven founding members of the
Democratic Party, the first opposition party in modern
Albanian history. Imami's eventual estrangement from the
party coincided with Sali Berisha's rise to leadership in theQa@Q@QB Q QppQ
In 1992, the year BerishABC Q QQPQ`QaQa`hEcQa/b2 fd pulled their
candidates fpOipQa r!c$& Hm`mi uAq one of the leaders of
sq"s%quent macqsTrEat protests. Angry, Berisha derisifely
nickn!med Imami, "The General from the South." When the
protests were violently dispersed in late May, riot police
assaulted Imami and with a blow to his face, knocked out all
of his front teeth. (Note. Fellow protestor and national
sports hero-turned-politician Agim Fagu is said to have joked
with a convalescent Imami, "Cheer up! We are fighting for
something far more important than a few teeth!" End note.)


5. (U) With the 1997 collapse of the DP government and the
opposition Socialist Party's (SP) rise to power, Imami allied
his DAP with the Socialists. As a result, Socialist Prime
Minister Fatos Nano appointed Imami "Minister of Legislative
Reform and Parliament Relations." In subsequent socialist
governments led by various rival factions within the SP,
Imami continued to win favor, becoming Minister of Justice
under PM Ilir Meta, and then Minister of Local Governance and
Decentralization under PM Pandeli Majko.

RETURN TO DP
--------------


6. (U) In 2003, Imami was enticed to be reconciled with a
"reformed" Berisha and return to the right. When the
governing board of the DP - still bitter over Imami's long
opposition to the DP - refused Berisha's proposal that Imami
be restored to DP membership, Berisha instead appointed Imami
his chief of staff. When in 2005 the DP won national

TIRANA 00000639 002 OF 002


elections and Berisha was appointed Prime Minister, Imami
followed Berisha and became his Chief of Cabinet, which
position he held until last week. Imami has remained a close
confidant to Berisha.

CHARACTER
--------------


7. (C) According to acquaintances, Imami is gracious and
thoughtful, although not afraid to exert authority. He is
known to be even-tempered and have a positive disposition
overall, but can become difficult when under stress.
Contacts in the MoD have already noted the difference in
presence he brings compared to former DefMin Oketa,
especially in his ability to convey authority. In general,
he is very private and has been reserved about his private
life. There are suspicions as to his motives for returning
to the DP, but in general he enjoys a positive reputation. He
is a strong advocate of close ties to the United States and
will look to cooperate with the U.S. in continued defense
reforms and demilitarization.
WITHERS