Word: berisha
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...uprisings that spread north to overtake the capital of Tirana last week were outbursts of lawlessness more than any kind of movement, since the insurrection has no command. President Sali Berisha clung to office, but he could hardly cling to power. At one point Skender Gjinushi, an oppositionist who had just met with the President, remarked, "Berisha accepted that he has no national control. He has no army, no police...
...town of 70,000, had recently been prosperous, at least in Albanian terms, largely because some of its residents are noted for their skill at smuggling. Since they had money to lose, they lost more than most Albanians in the collapsing pyramid funds. They have had it with Berisha. "He is a thief who stole our money," says Idris Nimet, a carpenter turned rebel. "Berisha will never get to Vlora. The people are with us, the soldiers are afraid, and everyone has guns...
...city center a crowd of about 1,000 gathers to hear a speaker demand the ouster of Berisha, but he is preaching to the converted. "Here in Vlora," says Velo Cazin, 44, "all people think as one. Berisha must come down." They also think they can somehow be given back the money taken by the pyramid funds, even though almost every Albanian lost some savings...
With a standoff shaping up, Berisha sat down for five acrimonious hours on Thursday with opposition political leaders in the capital, Tirana, then agreed to a two-day halt in military operations in the south. He is offering amnesty to citizens who turn in their weapons and have not committed crimes, which he did not define...
...Berisha should be worried. Albania's European neighbors and the U.S. certainly are. They have been lecturing him on the need for a peaceful settlement, and they are sending emissaries to try some cool-headed mediation. To make it work, the rebels will have to moderate their demands, and Berisha will have to switch to a more conciliatory approach. If they do not, the next step is likely to be into a real civil...