ALBANIA: REBELS DEMAND RESIGNATION OF PRESIDENT SALI BERISHA

Описание: (20 Mar 1997) Albanian/Nat

Albanian rebels have said they will no longer continue to support the country's new Prime Minister Bashkim Fino if he doesn't call on President Sali Berisha to resign.

The Socialist leader was appointed Prime Minister last week after a beleaguered President Berisha was forced to form a coalition government.

The rebels backed away from further threats of violence Wednesday - earlier they'd threatened to march to the capital Tirana to personally overthrow Berisha.

Meanwhile the Prime Minister scrapped plans to meet with rebels in Southern Albania after a newly-established northern vigilante group warned him not to talk to the southern rebels.

The group - known as the Committee of National Salvation - has threatened to mobilise thousands of armed men to deal with the armed insurgents.

In the Albanian capital Tirana a newly-established vigilante group threatened to mobilise thousands of armed men to punish anti-government armed rebels.

Before the war this battalion numbered around 1,200 men, capable of easily manning a 25-tank squadron.

Now there's only enough men to send a handful of its ageing, Chinese-made T-55s into action.

But with hundreds of civilian volunteers joining up, the Committee of National Salvation says they will use all of their force to protect all the Albanian institutions from a possible rebel attack.

Regular soldiers were joined by civilian volunteers for military drills.

Saranda in southern Albania - the scene of violent eruptions over the past two weeks.

Rebels looted government barracks of guns and tanks after hundreds of thousands lost money in shady investment schemes.

On Wednesday the rebels backed away from further threats of violence. They'd earlier threatened to march to the capital Tirana to personally overthrow Berisha.

Now rebel leader Xhevat Korchiu says the rebels will try and oust Berisha in a democratic way.

And he warned that the rebels would no longer support Prime Minister Bashkim Fino if he continued to support Berisha.

Fino has already rejected the rebels' demands for the President's resignation.

SOUNDBITE: (Albanian)
"We support Mr. Fino the prime minister but we support him because we believe he is asking Berisha to resign, but if he is not doing this we will not support him".
SUPER CAPTION: Xhevat Korchiu rebel leader

The first plane to leave Tirana airport for a week took off for Sofia, Bulgaria, Thursday.

After being grounded for so long, thorough checks were carried out on the aircraft - which wasn't allowed to take off until hours after special forces had declared the airport secure.

Only one flight departed - but it was a clear sign that the north of the country, at least, is returning to some kind of normality.

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