BERISHA: FLIRTING WITH GREATER ALBANIA?

C O N F I D E N T I A L TIRANA 000686

SIPDIS

C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (TEXT - PARA 7)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/15/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINS KV AL
SUBJECT: BERISHA: FLIRTING WITH GREATER ALBANIA?

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


1. (C) Summary: A series of public comments by Prime Minister
Sali Berisha since August about "uniting the Albanian nation"
have caused concern throughout the region. While the
government assured Post that it had no intention of seeking
the territorial unity of Albania and Kosovo, an early October
op-ed by a media commentator close to Berisha calling for
just that added fuel to the fire. In a private meeting with
Berisha, the Ambassador warned the PM of the dangers of such
statements and urged him to use his October 6-7 trip to
Pristina to clarify Albania's position. Subsequently, in
public statements during his trip to Pristina, Berisha stated
unequivocally that Albania respects Kosovo's territorial
sovereignty and that Albania and Kosovo are "one nation, but
two states." He stressed that any integration of Kosovo and
Albania would be in harmony with the ideals of integration
into the European Union. While some critics see more devious
designs behind Berisha's initial comments, most believe they
simply reflect Berisha's clumsy attempts to become the "Elder
Statesman" of the regional Albanian community. One good
side-effect of the incident is a renewed effort by FM Ilir
Meta to improve relations with Serbia. End Summary.

"ONE ALBANIAN NATION"
--------------


2. (U) In early August, Berisha took his first probing steps
into the waters of Kosovo politics when he met with the
leaders of two Kosovar political parties and signed
memorandums of cooperation with them. The parties - the
Alliance for Kosovo's Future (AAK) and the Democratic League
of Kosovo (LDK) - were both seen as rivals to Kosovo Prime
Minister Hashim Thaci's Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK). In
light of the upcoming local elections in Kosovo, some critics
cried foul and blamed Berisha for taking sides in Kosovo's
politics.


3. (SBU) PM Advisors have told Poloff that Berisha sees
himself as a type of mentor or elder statesmen for Albanian
politicians in Kosovo and Macedonia. According to these
advisors, the PM is intent on playing a balanced hand in
Kosovo's politics and thus, Berisha was obviously stung by
critics' complaints. Many believe a controversial mid-August
interview given to a Kosovar media outlet was an attempt by
Berisha to answer these criticisms. In the interview, he
stressed that he is open to cooperation with any and all
political parties in Kosovo. However, he went on to call for
the "union of the Albanian nation and the removal of the
consequences of its unjust division." He laid out his desire
to remove all barriers to the freedom of movement of goods
and people across the Albania-Kosovo border and to harmonize
all legislation between the two countries so that an Albanian
from Albania and Kosovo "truly feel one."


4. (SBU) The Serbian government immediately protested
Berisha's comments as provocative and "a violation of the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of
Serbia." On August 19, then-Albanian Foreign Minister Lulzim
Basha officially replied to Serbia's complaints, noting that
Berisha's comments did not have to do with the territorial
union of Kosovo and Albania, but with the European Union
ideals of integration. The MFA also privately assured Post
that there had been no change in Albanian policy on Kosovo
and its respect for Kosovo's sovereignty and territorial
integrity.

"TWO SEPARATE STATES"
--------------


5. (U) In September, Berisha continued his meetings with
various political parties from Kosovo, including the New
Alliance for Kosovo (ARK) and the Liberal Party of Kosovo
(PLK). He also announced his intention to visit Pristina on
October 6-7. The trip was Berisha's first to Kosovo since it
declared independence, and some have criticized the visit as
belated.


6. (U) In the lead-up to Berisha's visit to Pristina, Blendi
Fevziu, a well-known pro-government commentator rumored to be
very close to Berisha published an op-ed in a pro-government
newspaper criticizing the taboo against speaking of "Greater
Albania." He went on to state that the unification of Kosovo
and Albania are inevitable and he urged Albanians to not fear
championing unification. An op-ed of this nature from
someone close to Berisha on the eve of Berisha's trip to
Kosovo caused some concern.


7. (C) In a private meeting with Berisha on October 5,
Ambassador Withers raised these concerns. He noted that the
Serbs are particularly sensitive to any suggestion of a
"Greater Albania" and that raising this issue would
complicate our efforts to advance peace and stability in the
region. The Ambassador urged Berisha to use his trip to
Kosovo to clarify Albania's support for Kosovo's sovereignty.
Berisha responded that his public comments had been
misunderstood and that he had never called for unifying the
states of Albania and Kosovo. His concept of unity could
only be realized in the context of both states' integration
into Europe. In a separate meeting, FM Ilir Meta stressed
that Albania's policy toward Kosovo's sovereignty and
territorial integrity had not changed.


8. (U) During Berisha's visit to Pristina, Berisha was
careful to stress in public statements that Albania and
Kosovo are one nation, but two states, and that Albania did
not seek to unify its territory with Kosovo's. In an
interview with a German newspaper, Berisha stressed that
ideas of a "Greater Albania" are "old and archaic." He went
on to state "close cooperation between two states does not
mean unification."

COMMENT
--------------


9. (C) Although this most recent revival of Greater Albania
seems extinguished for now, speculation is rife as to
Berisha's motives. Some claim it was a trial balloon to test
international reaction. Others say it was a response to
recent harsh treatment of ethnic Albanians in Macedonia
(refs) and to recent Greek minority demands for more
privileges. Socialist Party member and former Foreign
Minister Kastriot Islami claimed Berisha is competing with
Skenderbeg for the title of Albanian national hero. Others
argue that having achieved NATO membership and Kosovo
independence and having put Albania on the road to European
Union membership, Berisha has no great achievements left
except the unification of Albanians under one state.


10. (C) More plausibly, several advisors to Berisha have told
poloff of Berisha's desire to play the role of elder
statesman and to reach out to Albanian politicians throughout
the region. PM Advisor Glori Husi noted Berisha's desire to
use ethnic Albanian links throughout the region as a catalyst
for regional integration with Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro,
and even Serbia, and in this way to bring the region closer
to the European Union. Yet when the maladroit formation of
this policy caused fears of "Greater Albania" among
neighbors, the Berisha government found itself backpedaling
and justifying. One good outcome from this misunderstanding
is a renewed initiative by new Foreign Minister Ilir Meta to
reach out to Serbia. During an October conference in
Hungary, Meta met with his Serbian counterpart Vuk Jeremic
and held a joint conference in which he announced that
Jeremic had invited him to pay an official visit to Belgrade,
which Meta had accepted.
WITHERS