[ALBSA-Info] Albania official fired, possible link to document leak

[Iris Pilika]

Albania official fired, possible link to document leak
Sunday, 27 February 2000 22:42 (ET)

Albania official fired, possible link to document leak

 TIRANA, Albania, Feb. 27 (UPI) --  The Albanian deputy foreign minister
was ousted, a move analysts said is linked to the recent publication of
documents alleged to be minutes of a meeting between U.S. Secretary of
State
Madeleine Albright and Albanian President Rex Meidani.

 Ben Blushi was discharged Saturday for what the government termed "abuse
of office." No further explanation was given. Blushi's dismissal followed
the publication of the purported minutes in the Albanian independent daily
Koha Jone.

 The paper printed that Albright allegedly had spoken of meeting with
Kosovo Albanian leader Hashim Thaci, and had promised to talk with U.N.
Administrator Bernard Kouchner about opening an Albanian communications
mission in Pristina, the capital of Kosovo.

 "This great error can destroy what we have done in two years," said
Foreign Minister Paskal Milo.

 Albanian journalist D. Kola said that the government is concerned that the
incident will damage U.S.-Albanian relations.

 A State Department spokesman Sunday had no comment, other than to confirm
Albright had been in Tirana last weekend and that scheduled meetings had
gone well. Dismissal of officials in other countries was an internal
matter,
he said.

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