ALBANIA VLORA HEAVILY ARMED REBELS REMAIN DEFIANT IN CITY

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(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. • • Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork • Twitter: / ap_archive • Facebook: / aparchives • Instagram: / apnews • • • You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...

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