Democratic Party Chairman Sali Berisha has reacted repeatedly to the falsification and retouching of the history of the US-Albanian relations.

The former President and Prime Minister of Albania commented yesterday’s interview of US Ambassador Yuri Kim where she made a parallel drawing that Berisha said was scandalous at least.

“Lately, she has falsified history repeatedly, with erasure of pictures, and other things that Albanians know from their past”, said Berisha, referring to publication of old pictures from the visit of US Secretary of State James Baker III in Albania, in 1991. On the website of the US Embassy were published only pictures without the presence of Sali Berisha, at the time chairman of the newly founded Democratic Party which was strongly supported by the United States.

“However, what I found really laughable was a comparison of cutting the diplomatic ties in 1946 and 1997. She compared the incomparable”, said Berisha.

“In 1946, the diplomatic relations was interrupted officially by the US government, but also by the Albania government, because a communist dictatorship was installed in Albania. The restore of the diplomatic relations was used by the United States as leverage for the installation of the political pluralism in Albania. The US did not restore the relations with (communist dictator) Ramiz Alia until the Democratic Party was founded”.

Berisha was elected President of the Republic in 1992 after the Democratic Party won the general elections, and was re-elected in March 1997, but resigned in July, after the victory of the Socialist Party following an armed unrest in the country. However, there was no interruption in the US-Albanian relations, which he called a “fantasy”.

“Who has seen or heard any declaration that the United States cut the ties with Albania in 1997? This is pure fantasy. Several diplomats left fearing lack of safety, but there was never any declaration for the interruption of relations and a following process to restore it again”.

“What happened was an Ambassador left in the mid of her term and was replaced by another Ambassador, a former adviser to three US Presidents: Reagan, Bush, and Clinton, and he was a dear friend of Albanians, Mr. Robert Oakley”.

“Making analogies fitting to your politic agenda shows extreme weakness at least in history, not to mention other problems”, said Berisha.