Wikileaks cables, “Justice to investigate”

05/09/2011 20:45

Wikileaks, in cooperation with the newspapers “The Guardian”, “Der
Spiegel”, “New York Times” and “Le Monde”, published since 28 November
2010 around 250.000 correspondence cables between the US embassies from
the entire world with the US State Department. This was considered an
earthquake in the international diplomacy, the shocking waves of which
have also shaken Albania recently.

The website of the Australian Julian Assange, chosen as “Man of the year 2010” by “Times Magazine” has published a series of cables for Albania, which received the first reactions from the Transport Minister Sokol Olldashi, who called the cables “mere balkanian gossips”, while Prime Minister Berisha called them “a reflection of the local daily press”.

But are these cables true, and what’s their significance? The three former Albanian Foreign Ministers, Besnik Mustafaj, Paskal Milo and Arta Dade declared for Top Channel their opinion about these publishing.

Mustafaj: These are part of the cables of US Embassies around the world that were published by Wikileaks, and there nothing different for Albania. The way they were published and their source are illegal, but I think that everyone, including the political class, must read them very closely. Justice institutions should start investigating.

Milo: Unfortunately, we have another negative evaluation over the quality of the Albanian politics. But even worse, we have evaluations, because I don’t want to call them accusations, for a series of Albanian personalities. There’s nothing worse. These evaluations are very serious, not just press comments. These are evaluations that come from our greater strategic partner.

Dade: There’s a consistence with the reality and I don’t think there’s anything exaggerated there. They see the Albanian reality from their point of view. This is a functional duty of the diplomacy, and the Albanians are seeing it from another point of view.

But should politics reflect in face of such information, especially the people whose name is mentioned in the cables? The three former Foreign Ministers give this answer:

Mustafaj: This responsibility belongs to everyone. You cannot say that politics or the institutions should treat this as a Bible, but moral requires them to react. A report that has been made about me, which happened a very long time ago, is extremely correct and has really happened.

Milo: If there would be a minimal of democratic culture in Albania, which in the Western countries is a norm that characterizes politics in general, many Albanian politicians who have been mentioned should have resigned from their active duties. If I would have been on their shoes, I would have immediately done it, before the justice institutions would start a full investigation, based on what has been published.

Dade: The investigation should not be made only because there are names mentioned. We must reflect for what has happened. This is only a reflection of the reality, since this reality has existed and continues to exist.

But what do the former Foreign Ministers think for the fact that the US embassy has made different reports to Washington, and different in public?

Mustafaj: The declarations of a diplomat should never be taken as an absolute truth, because they have their limits of what to pronounce. But they have the obligation to inform their government for given events and characters.

Milo: Whoever knows the mechanism of diplomacy, will understand this type of double speaking. A diplomat, as representative of the USA mission, cannot make public the evaluations that he addresses to his government.

Dade: They inform the government for everything through their structures, they share the concerns with the highest rank authorities, mainly the Foreign Minister. How the authorities evaluate these concerns, is up to their own integrity.

Top Channel