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Advancing Democracy in Albania

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Advancing Democracy in Albania ADVANCING DEMOCRACY IN ALBANIA HEARING BEFORE THE COMMISSION ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION JULY 20, 2004 Printed for the use of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe [CSCE 108–2–8] Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.csce.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 2006 26–094 PDF For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2250 Mail Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402–0001 COMMISSION ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH C OMMISSIONERS HOUSE SENATE CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey BEN NIGHTHORSE CAMPBELL, Colorado Chairman Co-Chairman FRANK R. WOLF, Virginia SAM BROWNBACK, Kansas JOSEPH R. PITTS, Pennsylvania GORDON H. SMITH, Oregon ROBERT B. ADERHOLT, Alabama KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, Texas ANNE M. NORTHUP, Kentucky SAXBY CHAMBLISS, Georgia BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, Maryland CHRISTOPHER J. DODD, Connecticut LOUISE MCINTOSH SLAUGHTER, New York BOB GRAHAM, Florida ALCEE L. HASTINGS, Florida RUSSELL D. FEINGOLD, Wisconsin MIKE MCINTYRE, North Carolina HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, New York EXECUTIVE BRANCH COMMISSIONERS LORNE W. CRANER, Department of State VACANT, Department of Defense WILLIAM HENRY LASH III, Department of Commerce (ii) ADVANCING DEMOCRACY IN ALBANIA JULY 20, 2004 COMMISSIONERS PAGE Hon. Christopher H. Smith, Chairman, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe ............................... 1 Hon. Frank R. Wolf, Commissioner, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe ................................................................................ 6 Hon. Benjamin L. Cardin, Ranking Member, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe ............................. 17 Hon. Robert B. Aderholt, Commissioner, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe ............................. 31 MEMBER OF CONGRESS Hon. Eliot L. Engel, a Member of Congress (NY–17) ................................... 28 WITNESSES Hon. Bob McEwen, former Member of Congress (OH) ................................... 3 His Excellency Osmo Lipponen, Ambassador, Head of OSCE Presence in Albania ........................................................................................................ 3 Nicholas C. Pano, Professor Emeritus of History, Western Illinois University .................................................................................................. 12 Erion Veliaj, Executive Director, Mjaft! (“Enough!”) Balkans Youth Link . 14 Kreshnik Spahiu, Executive Director, Citizen’s Advocacy Office and Chairperson, Albanian Coalition Against Corruption ........................... 17 Fatmir Mediu, President, Albanian Republican Party ............................... 20 Edward Selami, former Member, Albanian Parliament ............................. 22 His Excellency Fatos Tarifa, Ambassador of the Republic of Albania to the United States ....................................................................................................... 33 APPENDICES Prepared Statement of Osmo Lipponen ....................................................... 45 Prepared Statement of Nicholas C. Pano ..................................................... 60 Prepared Statement of Fatos Tarifa ............................................................ 67 Material submitted for the record: Government of Albania Accomplishments and Reforms, 2003 ........... 79 (iii) ADVANCING DEMOCRACY IN ALBANIA JULY 20, 2004 COMMISSION ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE WASHINGTON, DC The Commission met in Room 334, Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC, Hon. Christopher H. Smith, Chairman, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, presiding. Commissioners present: Hon. Christopher H. Smith, Chairman, Com- mission on Security and Cooperation in Europe; Hon. Benjamin L. Cardin, Ranking Member, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe; Hon. Frank R. Wolf, Commissioner, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe; and Hon. Robert B. Aderholt, Commissioner, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. Other Member present: Hon. Eliot L. Engel, a Member of Congress (NY–17). Witnesses present: Bob McEwen, a former Member of Congress (OH); H.E. Osmo Lipponen, Ambassador, Head of OSCE Presence (Field Mis- sion) in Albania; Nicholas C. Pano, Professor Emeritus of History, West- ern Illinois University; Erion Veliaj, Executive Director MJAFT! (“ENOUGH!”) Balkans Youth Link; Kreshnik Spahiu, Executive Di- rector, Citizen’s Advocacy Office and Chairperson Albanian Coalition Against Corruption; Fatmir Mediu, President, Albanian Republican Party; Edward Selami, Former Member, Albanian Parliament; and Fatos Tarifa, Ambassador of the Republic of Albania in the United States. HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, CHAIRMAN, COMMISSION ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE Mr. SMITH. The Commission will come to order. I want to welcome all of you and thank you, especially Mr. Ambassador, all of you for being here today at this hearing of the Commission on Security and Coopera- tion in Europe. The title of today’s hearing is Advancing Democracy in Albania. Let me start by emphasizing that Albania is a close friend of the United States. Albania’s support and cooperation during periods of regional conflict in the 1990’s and in the dangerous world we face today must be acknowledged and it is indeed greatly appreciated. Official relations are very good, thanks in large part to the work of one of our witnesses today, Ambassador Tarifa. Through the Partner- ship for Peace and the Adriatic Charter, among other things, we can look forward to the day when Albania is not just a close friend, but a NATO ally. 2 The bilateral relationship, however, is more than between govern- ments. It is also between people, and the people of Albania have clearly demonstrated in many instances their attachment to the United States. Likewise, Americans who have visited or worked in Albania develop similar affinities with the people of that country. This is, in part, due to the hospitality they receive, but it is also the result of the positive spirit so many Albanian citizens show despite the difficult conditions in which they live. Of course, the Albanian-American community has contributed tre- mendously to the building of bridges between the two countries on all levels. This was particularly important as Albania emerged from the horrible Communist repression and self-imposed isolation in the early 1990’s, but it remains important today. So why is the Helsinki Commission holding this hearing today on Albania? It is precisely because we want to encourage Albania to suc- ceed in its democratic transition and its economic recovery. We want good bilateral relations, but we also want to encourage respect for hu- man rights and adherence to the rule of law. Rather than mutually exclusive, the two are mutually reinforcing. Now is also a good time to focus on Albania’s record relative to its OSCE commitments. Parliamentary elections are to be held within the next year. Past elections have seen some improvements, and there are reports of further progress since last year’s local elections. Hopefully, by discussing the remaining issues and concerns today, more can be achieved so that by election day 2005, OSCE standards can be met. We also owe it to the people of Albania to insist that steps be taken to tackle official corruption and combat organized crime. We cannot be- come fatalistic about these phenomena, suggesting that they are an unfortunate but unavoidable reality in Albania or any other society, for that matter. Measures taken so far by Albanian authorities clearly in- dicate otherwise, but more needs to be done, including at the highest levels of the country’s leadership. Members of this Commission remain particularly concerned about trafficking in persons, but more broadly, we realize that any type of corruption and crime siphons economic progress and opportunity from the people. In addition, we live in a dangerous world today, where toler- ance of corrupt practices can unintentionally become an attractive lure to notorious criminals and terrorists on the international level, people who pose a threat to global peace and security. It is my hope that today’s hearing will give the Commission, which has not held a hearing on Albania in several years, an accurate picture of Albania’s progress in adhering to OSCE commitments. I hope we will hear about the development of democratic institutions, rather than the promotion of personalities. The presence of representatives of an ac- tively engaged international community, as well as of independent, civic- minded domestic organizations is reason to be optimistic. By focusing on continuing problems at this hearing, the Commission can contribute to positive changes that Albania needs, and we all want to see. I would like to yield for any comment that he might have to our former colleague, Bob McEwen, a former Representative from Ohio, who I would say is not only a very good close personal friend. We served on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee; as a matter of fact, we sat just a couple of seats from each other when he served here. He and I have traveled throughout the world. We had a very important trip to Nicaragua dur- 3 ing the height of the rule by the Sandinistas. I will never forget when we met with Daniel Ortega and grilled him on his lack of human rights adherence. We then met with the Minister of Interior Tomas Borges, who was—no other word can describe—a
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