The last week decision of the US State Department to declare Sali Berisha, first Democratic Party (DP) president after the fall of communism and former PM of Albania as persona non- grata in the US, is like a lighting in the clear sky, has said the DP deputy and veteran official of that party, Tritan Shehu.
“Berisha is also paying a price for the ‘fog’ created against him by clashes with circles, currents or Albanian groups and beyond, especially in our region,” Shehu said in an interview with Syri.net TV on Sunday.
“In his efforts to overthrow communism, for democracy, against crime and corruption, for our western path, integration and pro-Americanism, a free, independent Kosovo and its territorial sovereignty, he has often clashed unwaveringly with the structure of circles having opposite interests, which has left traces, but these are temporary,” said Shehu, a close collaborator of Berisha, being among the first to speak out in defense of him when many kept the profile ‘wait and see’.
Shehu, who deeply believes in American institutions, also believes in the correction of this decision which is far from reality, Berisha’s contributions and his character.
According to him, Berisha is one of the pillars of Albanian democracy, policies and concrete pro-American, European and Western ties.
Finally, Shehu had a few words about the current process of election of the chairman and the hierarchy of DP amidst a tense atmosphere between the current chairman, Lulzim Basha and his adversaries who hold him responsible for the loss of DP in April 25 general elections:
“Now that the electoral process has begun in the Party, it is essential to hold it in a democratic, transparent, inclusive manner … It is important that even after this process we are all together to defend democracy in Albania, its European and Euro-Atlantic path, the well-being of civic dignity.” /argumentum.al
