Tirana on Washington list for verification of extreme left-wing groups

According to a Washington Post report, the US State Department has sent a diplomatic cable to more than 20 American embassies in the world, including the US Embassy in Albania, seeking information on extreme leftist groups.

The paper writes that the cable was sent in mid-June and addressed to American embassies in several countries, “from Argentina and Mexico until Italy and Albania”.

According to two people familiar with the issue, some of the embassies have returned, but none has indicated that they are compatible with the US administration's assessment of the threat level, the AP reports, broadcast Periscopi.

The report comes at a time when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has invited senior ministers from more than 60 countries to a meeting in Washington, focused on what the Trump administration calls “resurresive of the extreme-left transnational terrorism”.

According to documents reviewed by the Washington Post, this initiative has caused concern among some American officials, European allies and independent analysts, who do not see the threat in the same terms as the administration.

Some American officials are said to fear that this approach could be linked to efforts to use powerful antiterrorism instruments against activists in the United States, which the administration views as left extremists.

An American counterterrorism official told the paper that connection with foreign terrorist groups “could open some investigative tools”, including surveillance.

Meanwhile, some foreign diplomats have expressed reservations about Ruby's invitation, questioning the clarity of the meeting's goal.

“We don't have antifa”, a European diplomat for the Washington Post said. Another said: “I don't think we can find a reason why we would be interested in sharing in such activity”. /Periscopi/