THE Italian Foreign Ministry announced last night it had struck a deal with Albanian rebels in the town of Vlore by which they will hand over their arms. The dramatic announcement came just as the situation in Albania appeared to be again running out of control.
The international diplomatic - move began yesterday morning - when rebel leaders were flown to an Italian warship, San Giorgio, in the Adriatric to meet ministry officials, including Mr Paolo Foresti, the country's ambassador to Albania.
The rebels in Vlore are regarded as the most hardline of the anti government forces, and other rebels were expected to follow their lead.
It is unlikely to be clear until later today if the agreement will stick.
The key issue is understood to have been a guarantee that new elections would be free and fair. Rebels have been calling for the resignation of President Sali Berisha, but it is generally agreed that properly run elections would remove him anyway.
Talks between Mr Berisha's Democratic Party and opposition groupings on the formation of an interim government of national unity continued last night with an agreement that ministries will be divided equally. The prime minister will be nominated by Mr Berisha and the deputy prime minister by the main socialist opposition party.
A member of the socialist party's national executive, Mr Etham Ruka, told The Irish Times it was vitally important his party be given the interior ministry portfolio. "The rebels are more likely to hand over their arms to a socialist interior minister than to one who supports Mr Berisha," he said.
Mr Ylli Vejsiu, who was on the Democratic Party's team at the talks, said his side would not rule out such an appointment.
With rebds gaining further ground - yesterday it came as a major surprise that the Italians had pulled off such a dramatic deal. The most important rebel gain was the town of Berat, a strategic centre with a population of 40,000 which houses the important Polican munitions plant. The factory ceased to produce ammunition and grenades more than five years ago, but does have a large stockpile of material.
Government forces seem prepared to concede more territory. Columns of tanks and armoured cars headed northwards from the industrial town of Fier yesterday and took up position on the northern bank of the Shkumbin river, indicating a possible partition of Albania on ethnic grounds.
The poorer ethnic Gegs north of the Shkumbin have not been hit as badly by collapsing pyramid schemes as their more affluent Tosk cousins in the south. And Mr Berisha appears to be gambling on their comparative lack of motivation.
Should the giant VEFA Holdings investment company collapse in the capital, Tirana, however, the north of the country could become as badly embroiled as the south. A spokesman for VEFA reassured investors yesterday they would be paid back within two months.
Rebels under Gen Agim Gozhita's command took control yesterday of the main border crossing with Greece at Kakkavia, while at nearby Parmet six people were killed in shootings as the town went over to the rebel side.
Reuter adds:
A British charity said yesterday it had pulled its British and Irish staff out of Albania, where they arrived four weeks ago to set up a children's hospital in the southern port of Sarande.
The Children in Distress charity said the staff had been withdrawn on the advice of the British Foreign Office. Sarande has been the scene of rioting.
