Tirana Times
TIRANA, Feb. 3 – The international community has understood that its work is indispensable to resolve the political conflict in this tiny Balkan country.
For a year and a half they were leaving everything in the hands of the Albanian politicians. In certain moments they tried different ways to mediate or exert pressure on them, like the mediation of the Council of Europe last year and after those of the European Commission and the Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele.
But it seemed at the time no more was needed. This tiny country is now a NATO member and has applied for the EU candidate status. That likely means that it needs to increase efforts to ameliorate the capacities of its administration, approximate much of its legislation to that of the European Union, fight organized crime and corruption and achieve tangible results and the like.
But they did not think that this country, its politicians and the political class or the political parties are still immature. They fight so hard to get or stay in power that very often that fight turns into a very personal one.
They have shown in the last two post-communist decades they have never been capable of resolving any difficult contest in a democratic western-style way.
That means that the international community should get directly involved solving it.
In this effort one should also take into consideration that the international community itself is not in unison, especially the European part. Europe is also run by two political groupings, the rightist and the leftist. That is seen very often in the reaction of the European parliamentarians on Albania.
But what is ahead?
After the first efforts and calls on Albania to resolve the situation on its own, Washington and Brussels seem to be serious to help this country help itself.
Timing is no good with the unrest in the Arab countries, not so far away and so much more interesting to the western world due to the oil industry and other issues.
The US ambassador, Aleksander Arvizu started his diplomatic job immediately with efforts to calm down the Albanian anger. It is said he has left for Washington where he may take other advise from the Department of State on how to further proceed with the assistance, mediation in this country.
The European union sent its envoy, Miroslav Lajcak who met with all the top political leaders and factors making it clear to them that they should not use and stop violence, put life back to normal (institutions and parliament), and should try to sit down in dialogue and resolve the political crisis that is blocking the country.
They managed only to convince the governing Democrats cancel their rally last week and clearly tell the opposition violence would not help their case.
That is for the moment. The political crisis (that was turned to deadly one after the death of three opposition supporters shot at the rally) continues.
Europe is focused on Albania. After the monthly meeting of its 27 foreign ministers Monday (where Albania was a topic of the agenda), the Slovenian Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar came to Tirana Wednesday to meet with all top leaders.
His words were clear: calm down, think more of the country’s and people’s goals and sit down in dialogue to resolve the crisis. Europe, which is concerned on the recent unrest, is always ready to help.
That is just one step taken from Europe. On Thursday Lajcak is again in Tirana. The words he is to tell may not be much different than those last week. It is also said that he will tell the government that the media is and should remain independent and no pressure on that.
He may say much more, or more aggressive words in meeting different leaders. Tell them that this is not the way to go to Europe, that if the last progress report left 12 points for Albania to fulfill this year, now it could have many more and a basic one: politics is a fundamental topic and they should try to apply that in the European way, or forget about Europe.
But Lajcak, that is Europe, should also consider if such a threat could be the real one that could be efficient to convince ‘crazy’ Albanians come to terms with each other.
Do the Albanian politicians really care about taking the country to Europe?
