Скачать или смотреть ALBANIA: VLORA: HEAVILY ARMED REBELS REMAIN DEFIANT IN CITY

(7 Mar 1997) Natural Sound

Rebels in southern Albania have vowed to fight on, despite a government offer of an amnesty to those laying down their arms.

Heavily armed rebels remained defiant in the southern port city of Vlora, the epicentre of the souther revolt.

They are demanding the resignation of President Sali Berisha, the formation of a coalition government until new elections, and compensation for those who lost money in the collapse of shady investment funds.

The first pictures out of Vlora, since Albania's state of emergency was imposed Sunday, leave little doubt that rebels remain determined to fight on.

Armed militants continued to fire barrages into the air in the southern port city, although there were no signs of actual fighting.

The schools were closed, but the shops remained open, with gun-toting citizens remaining defiant.

The government has lost control of Tepelena, Vlora, Saranda and Delvina, as well as some surrounding villages, over the past several days.

Rebels holding the towns have held fast against the government, despite an agreement by President Sali Berisha and nine opposition parties aimed at ending the conflict.

In a bid to defuse the uprising in the south before it explodes into a full-scale war, the government agreed to suspend all offensive military operations for 48 hours beginning at 6 a.m. (0500 GMT) on Friday.

Under the agreement, anyone turning in their weapons, except those who had committed crimes, would be granted amnesty.

But rebels have vowed to fight on.

They say priority will be given to gathering weapons from minors, but insist adults will remain armed.

And their supplies -- looted from numerous military depots -- are considerable.

Their demands include not only the resignation of the president, but the formation of a coalition government until new elections, and compensation for those who lost money in the collapse of shady investment funds, which led to the violence.

Sharp north-south divisions have emerged in the last two months in this impoverished Balkan nation, where practically every Albanian family lost money in the investment schemes.

Southerners, who were generally wealthier, lost more than Northerners.

Berisha, whose base of support is in the north, imposed a state of emergency Sunday after weeks of protests erupted into violence.

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