ALBANIA pledged yesterday to prosecute gunmen who ambushed the Prime Minister, Mr Bashkim Fino, on Saturday in an attack on authority in the Balkan state as it awaits the arrival of a UN approved, Italian led security force.
A local police chief in the northern town of Shkoder, Mr Martin Gjoni, said he had identified many of the grenade throwing gang which barred a road north of Tirana to a convoy of cars carrying Mr Fino and other ministers, forcing them to turn back.
Politicians in Mr Finos all party government and in Shkoder, which he had been planning to visit, condemned the attack as gangsterism and tried to play down fears of a north south split bin Albania.
Mr Fino is a Socialist from southern Albania, appointed on March 11th to head a government of national reconciliation.
The group of about 15 gunmen, which detonated two grenades by the road side and fired shots in the air, was demanding the release of 120 people from the Shkoder region they said were held in a southern rebel held port.
No one was hurt.
The cabinet was meeting yesterday to investigate the attack that underscored the chaos in Albania as it awaits the arrival of the force of about 6,000 troops to protect shipments of food and medicines.
Leaders of Shkoder, which is run by right wing parties, travelled to Tirana to apologise to Mr Fino.
"This is not the tradition of the people of Shkoder," the mayor, Mr Bahri Borici, said. "We thanked the premier for pardoning us this mistake and fir assuring us he will come to Shkoder."
Mr Fino (34), vowed on Saturday that his government would, press ahead undaunted with a programme including June elections under a deal last month aimed at ending an armed uprising sparked by public anger over the collapse, of pyramid savings schemes.
In Rome, Italy's ruling centre left alliance yesterday sought to salvage its credibility and mend potentially fatal rifts in its ranks over plans to lead the multinational force into Albania.
At the centre of the row is Mr Fausto Bertinotti, whose hard left Communist Refoundation Party refuses Jo support the mission and shows little willingness to compromise.
Mr Bertinotti told reporters his opposition to the mission remained unchanged, saying talks of a supplementary tax on Italians' to pay for it was the "last straw".