TROOPSHIPS are due to arrive off the Albanian coast today, bringing the main contingent of an Italian led force aimed at restoring public order and helping deliver humanitarian aid.
But the soldiers appear to be sailing into confusion, without clear guidance on how to go about their task and deeply suspicious of their host, President Sali Berisha, according to officials.
Officers already in Albania as part of the advance guard say they believe the biggest threat to their safety will come - not from rebels or bandits - but from gangs loyal to the president which many expect to engineer clashes as a means of putting off the June elections which Mr Berisha is expected to lose.
"What we fear is some kind of manipulation from the government before the elections," one senior officer said.
While politicians have promised great things from the 6,000 strong multinational force, very little groundwork has been laid for its arrival. The troops (from Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Romania, Denmark and Austria), have vague orders to establish a "calming presence", and to avoid direct involvement in aid delivery.
"It is not for us a humanitarian mission. We cannot be an NGO (aid organisation), but our presence can deter aggressive actions against NGOs," said Maj Herve Gourmelon, a French military spokesman in Durres.
There has been no co ordination between the force commanders and the humanitarian organisations, whose shipments they are meant to protect. According to aid officials, the arrival of the first bulk consignment, 420 tonnes of grain and beans, has been delayed by over 10 days, principally because the main port at Durres will be clogged with troop carriers.
The World Food Programme (WFP), which organised the shipment, said it had intended to distribute the food without military support, as a relative calm has descended on Albania over the past month, following an outburst of anarchy and anger caused by the [collapse of fraudulent savings schemes in January. Durres (whose public buildings were all fled in March), has been open to commercial traffic for the past fortnight and the airport is now functioning.
The WFP's regional director, Mr Jean Marie Boucher, said he was glad the Italian led troops would be there as a safety net. "If they can provide assistance when we need it, then we hope to coordinate with them," Mr Boucher said. But Mr Boucher said there had so far been no talks with any representatives of the force.
There were hopeful signs yesterday that the soldiers and the aid workers might finally make contact. Officers at the French base camp (a crumbling beach side resort near Durres intended for retired Albanian soldiers), were asking journalists for the WFP's address in the capital, Tirana.
It is still unclear whether the multinational operation, codenamed "Alba" will try to disarm the population, many of whom seized weapons from government stores during the chaos. The Danes and Austrians are said to be keen to give disarmament a try, while the Italians and French have ruled it out for the time being as being too dangerous. Meanwhile, Italian troops have been issued with a phrase book telling them how to shout "Stop!" and "Drop the Gun!" in Albanian.
Mr Nikoll Lesi, the publisher of the independent newspaper, Koha Jone, believes President Berisha could resort to violence to avoid judgment at the June polls.
"My sources of information (in the security services), say this is going to happen," Mr Nikoll said. "Berisha is already training people outside government structures. When it comes to destruction, he is a powerful man."