Italian Troops Leave Albania

Nearly 300 Italian soldiers pulled out of this still chaotic country on Saturday, soon to be followed by thousands of other foreign troops.

The Italians had hoped to leave Friday but were delayed by high winds. Several hundred Romanians set sail Friday despite the choppy seas. Spanish troops are to begin leaving Wednesday.

Eight nations sent a total of about 7,000 soldiers to Albania in April. Led by the 2,600-strong Italian delegation, the troops’ mission initially was to help secure desperately needed aid shipments.

They had planned to leave in June but stayed on to help keep order during parliamentary elections on June 29 and July 6. Now their withdrawal date is Aug. 18, despite continuing violence.

Albania descended into chaos after the collapse in January of pyramid schemes in which many Albanians had invested their life savings. Albanians blamed President Sali Berisha for allowing the schemes to operate.

In the recent vote, Berisha’s Democratic Party was overwhelmingly defeated by the Socialists but the new parliament has yet to convene and Berisha has yet to make good on a promise to step down.