German experts tells how to open files

TIRANA, Oct 21 – An Albanian-German conference in Tirana discussed on ways or how the tiny Balkan country should open its former communist secret police Sigurimi files.
German senior official Marianne Birthler, in charge of Stasi files in former East Germany, was also present offering her expertise on the issue.
Birthler said that Albania had to open the files in order to clean its consciousness, adding their opening in Germany did not cause any problem but only clarified and calmed the population.
East Germany was the eastern European country with most of secret police files that practically covered the whole population, or as Birthler said, 112 kilometer long.
There are different opinions in Albania on opening the files. There are also many draft laws on lustration from different political groupings on the issue.
There have been some previous attempts in the former communist country opening files of election candidates or officials in the senior position.
But as always everyone fears that opening Sigurimi files will be exploited only as a fighting political tool.
German official said, however, that the new law should not let free space of abuse and offered her country’s model as an example but adding that is only a model that can’t be applied exactly the same.
“We should find the way how to live with the past and how to treat that,” said Birthler.