Albanians Strip Trees Bare for Firewood

TIRANA, Albania —  There is something odd about the center of the Albanian capital Tirana, but it takes a while before Western visitors realize that it is not simply the obvious lack of cars or restaurants.

Many of the trees have no branches.

“The wood is being used for fuel,” said one Western adviser. “There is nothing here. Nothing.”

Senior Albanian politicians are pessimistic about the lack of food and heating.

Nearly one in three Albanians is out of work, and the country’s national income fell by 55% in the first six months of the year as the country began to crawl out of the shadows of more than 40 years of rigid Stalinist isolation.

The politicians are not the only ones who are pessimistic.

At Tirana University, students who recently met the visiting president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Jacques Attali, asked when the West was going to stop giving Albania advice and start giving it money.

Although the EBRD sees itself as a catalyst to promote economic reform, Attali made clear that it is not a fountain of money.

Some students appeared satisfied with Attali’s response, but others indicated that they believe their country is ready and able to handle a flood of cash from the West.

Albanian politicians stressed their country’s dire plight, pointing to an anticipated harsh winter in a country with empty pockets and bare shelves.

Farming and industry have collapsed, and recent miners’ strikes look set to spread as winter wears on and conditions become even tougher.

The country is now ruled by a coalition in a “stability government” formed after the Socialist party administration collapsed after a four-week general strike.

Some, like Democratic party leader Salih Berisha, want a new election sooner rather than later, saying the current government is not working and has no mandate.

Others say the country’s economic problems mean that a coalition is the best bet.

In the office of Deputy Prime Minister Gramoz Pashko, the architect of Albania’s economic reforms, there is a crucifix on the wall.

“He (Jesus Christ) was a man who died to save others. Sometimes I think that is the kind of burden I have on my shoulders,” Pashko said.