They started to speak and debate on a proposed bill that would disclose the identities of members of the communist-era secret police, Sigurimi.
Berisha argued that the Socialist opposition, which is successor to the communist era’s ruling Albanian Labor’ Party, was eager to see the bill go through only because of an ongoing power struggle inside the party.
“You want to fight each other, get rid of each other, but this law should not be used in that way,” Berisha said.
Berisha’s words were directed against Socialist leader Edi Rama who has been involved in a fight with his predecessor Fatos Nano.
Berisha was nervous on alleged Socialists’ tactics of delaying a debate on the 2008 budget by initiating the discussion on the former secret police files.
But eh opposition Socialist parliamentary group leader Valentina Leskaj came out and said that Berisha made a direct threat not only to them but also to his members showing that he had those files at hand and could punish anyone he wanted. Only a day later the opposition said that Berisha should first apply those files on officials he elects in different top posts, mentioning a newly-elected member of the High Council of Justice who had been moved from the post because of former links with the communist secret police.
The opposition counter-attacked saying that Berisha with words only shows that he would not like to open the Sigurimi files.
Albania, a former communist country, has still to open such files.
During more than 40 years of the communist regime of late dictator Enver Hoxha, the Albanian secret police Sigurimi had employed many people, some of whom may still be members of parliament or in top public posts.
Berisha reopens the issue of former spy files
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