Mero Baze reveals: Berisha's fuel revenge against US isolation

During the conflict in former Yugoslavia, Sali Berisha, took a bold step by violating the international embargo and supplying fuel to the Yugoslav army. His actions were driven by a desire for revenge against the United States, which had isolated him due to his problematic behavior in Albania. Berisha’s attacks on democratic standards, political arrests, and election rigging had strained relations with the US.

Berisha believed that the US, aiming to be a key global player and end the Yugoslav conflict at Serbia’s expense, could be influenced by sabotaging its political efforts. As a secret act of retaliation, Berisha opened the northern border to Slobodan Milošević, providing him with fuel.

Mero Baze, publisher of TemA, revealed details from his conversations with Berisha during this time. Berisha’s offer regarding Kosovo was made under pressure from the international community. He strategically used Kosovo as a bargaining chip to negotiate his own fate. In a declassified meeting with President Clinton, Berisha asserted that autonomy was sufficient for Kosovo; seeking more would be excessive.

The US State Department had anticipated Berisha would be tolerant on the issue of Kosovo, considering his issues with the arrest of an opposition leader, problems with justice, and tensions with the Greek minority. Berisha’s frustration with the Greek lobby’s influence in the US and Athens’ hostile attitude was evident during a private conversation. He questioned why the Greeks failed to recognize Albania’s historical relations with Belgrade.

Baze says that Berisha’s willingness to violate the embargo and supply Milošević with fuel was a deliberate message to the US: “While you fight against me, I align with your enemy—the Serbs. You use the Greeks, and I side with the Serbs.” Berisha’s complex motivations remain a topic of intrigue, but his actions during that time prevent him from ever writing a book about himself.