The US Ambassador in Tirana, Alexander Arvizu, met with the opposition leader, Edi Rama, at the Socialist headquarters.
After the meeting, Arvizu implied that during the conversation with Rama they haven’t left without discussing the names of the possible candidates, when asked by Top Channel.
“I can tell you that this meeting was 110% about the presidential election. I am really pleased of my relationship with Mr. Rama. We are at the point where we can be very candid and talk about specific names. It was a very open and free flowing meeting, and we talked about the process, primarily, because that’s important, but sure, we talked about some personalities. I think that practically speaking there is no single person in this country who can decide on his own or her own who the next president is going to be. Some people say that it is a political deal, but I don’t care what you call it, but there should be some kind of consensus. There has to be some kind of understanding, involving Mr. Berisha and the people he represents, Mr. Rama, Mr. Meta and others”, Arvizu declared.
Arvizu sent another message to the Albanian politics, saying that no one can play with the election of the new president, since he will have a decisive role in appointing the officials that will lead important Constitutional institutions such as the General Prosecution and the Secret Service.
“I hope that these key players will take into account what they are hearing from other people. From the United States perspective, obviously what’s very important is that Constitutionally, this person is supposed to represent the unity of the Albanian people. I think that in the 100th year of Albania’s independence it takes some kind of symbolics significance, but in very practical terms, this person is the guarantor of Constitution. This person has a strong say when it comes to who is the head of the prosecution, the intelligence services, who are the key appointments for judges and prosecutors. This is immensely important to the united state and I am sure to the European Union and Albania’s Integration. It’s important and it’s going to be difficult to find the right person who can fulfill all of these criteria. The person probably exists in nature. And that’s why the process is very important. What encourages me is that I think the dialogue, the processes underway of consultation. You reported on some dinners and meetings that people will have, but let’s hope that there are more meetings and dinners and discussions, and TV programs and talk shows and debates devoted to this subject” Arvizu underlined.
“The names are what you hear about everywhere and that you read about. Again, we didn’t focus exclusively or primarily on specific names. There were some discussions of this individual versus that individual, more of how you go about consulting with one another, what you bring to the table. We know what the Constitution says. Allow me to be sincere. The objective of the political class must be the election of the president in the first round”, the Ambassador emphasized.
Although this time he mentioned no concrete names, last month the Ambassador did not hesitate to value the figure of the former Prime Minister, Fatos Nano, with whom he had a 90 minutes long meeting in one of Tirana’s bars.
Top Channel
