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Albanian Times, 96-07-25
Albanian Times
July 25, 1996
CONTENTS
[01] EU Commissioner Expected in Albania Today
[02] Perina, Pashko, Gage in Congressional Hearing on Albania
[03] Albanian Parliament Approves Government Program
[04] Court Revokes Death Sentences
[05] Albania Cited In Nato Membership Resolution
[06] Commission to Investigate Election Violations
[07] Socialists Scramble to Avoid Rift As Leader Goes His Way
[08] Bomb Kills Albanian Fisherman
[09] New Premier Promises Fast-Paced Reform
[10] Paliament Ratifies Agreement With German Bank
[01] EU Commissioner Expected in Albania Today
BRUSSELS, July 25 - The European Union Foreign Policy Commissioner Hans van
den Broek is due to arrive in Albania Thursday, EU sources said. Commissioner
van den Broek, the highest foreign diplomat visiting Tirana after the
controversial general elections, will be received by President Sali Berisha,
Prime Minister Aleksander Meksi and foreign Minister Tritan Shehu. The talks
will focus on EU-Albanian relations, Radio Tirana said. Mr. van den Broek will
also meet leaders of Albanian opposition parties. This is Mr. van den Broek's
second official visit to Tirana. Albania and the EU have a Trade and Economic
Cooperation Agreement, in force since December 1992. Albania has adopted a
clear pro-Western foreign policy after 1992 and wants to upgrade its links
with the EU. It is a full member of the Council of Europe since July 1995 and
participates actively in NATO's partnership for peace programme, an EU press
release noted ahead of the Commissioner's trip. Draft negotiation directives
on a new "sui-generis''
cooperation agreement are still pending. Albania has received, in total,
almost ECU 400 million of EU grants in the period 1991-1995 in the framework
of the PHARE-programme and is the CEEC which most benefited per capita from EU
assistance. The EU is by large the first partner of Albania (about 80% of
total trade). (Albanian Times)
[02] Perina, Pashko, Gage in Congressional Hearing on Albania
TIRANA, July 25 - A congressional hearing on human rights and democracy in
Albania has been scheduled for Thursday afternoon in Washington, DC. The
hearing, organized by the House Subcommittee on International Operations and
Human Rights will feature Rudolf V. Perina, Senior Deputy Assistant Secretary
of the US State Department. Other panelists include: Gramoz Pashko, former
Vice Prime Minister and guest scholar at the Woodrow Wilson School of Eastern
European Studies and Nicholas Gage, President of the Panepirotic Federation
and a harsh critic of President Sali Berisha. Pashko and Gage have been
actively criticizing Albanian governmnet following the May-June general
elections, denounced as severely flawed by the opposition. The tandem is
being seen with suspicion by Albanian officials and state run media as a pure
effort organized by the Greek-American lobby. Reportedly, Pashko has denied
allegations he has asked US officials to cut all aid to Albania. (Albanian
Times)
[03] Albanian Parliament Approves Government Program
TIRANA, July 24 - After a two-day debate, the Albanian parliament has approved
on Wednesday night priorities of the new government outlined in a program
submitted by Prime Minister Aleksander Meksi. The debate focused on lawmakers'
demands to strengthen social support measures and to completely return to
owners properties confiscated by the former communist regime. Deputies also
insisted on giving more priorities to the development of poorer regions. Only
one Socialist deputy is attending the parliament sessions. The Socialist
Party has refused to participate in the new parliament where the ruling
Democrats have 122 out of 140 seats. (Albanian Times)
[04] Court Revokes Death Sentences
TIRANA, July 24 - An Albanian appeals court has revoked the death sentences of
three senior communist-era officials and reduced sentences imposed on two
others. The court commuted the sentence of Zylyftar Ramizi - the former
deputy Interior Minister and head of the notorious communist security police -
to life imprisonment. The terms of former Supreme Court Chairman Aranit Cela
and former Prosecutor-General Rrapi Mino were commuted to 25 years in prison.
The court reduced the prison terms of former president Haxhi Lleshi and former
deputy Prime Minister Manush Myftiu to five years probation. Both men
initially received life sentences, but were ordered freed because of poor
health. The court also dropped charges of crimes against humanity against all
five of the convicted former officials. (Albanian Times)
[05] Albania Cited In Nato Membership Resolution
WASHINGTON, July 23 - The House of Representatives on Tuesday
called for expansion of NATO and authorised up to $60 million to help
the
three leading applicants measure up for membership. In a bill approved by a
353-55 vote, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic were said to have made the
most progress on meeting NATO criteria and should be eligible for the aid,
along with any other country designated by the president. It said Congress
also believed the United States should support efforts
of Slovenia, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania,
Albania, Moldova and Ukraine to qualify for membership in the 47-year-
old
alliance. The non-binding measure does not name any specific country to be
admitted to NATO and sets no date for enlargement. (Albanian Times)
[06] Commission to Investigate Election Violations
TIRANA, July 24 - Albanian parliament has set up an ad hoc commission on
Tuesday to investigate the violations in the May 26 elections and the violence
used against opposition leaders following the vote, Albanian Television said.
The recommendation came from a group of parliamentarians of the European
Council. The commission is composed of 4 Democrats, 1 Socialist, 1 of the
Human Rights Party and 1 of the National Front Party. (Albanian Times)
[07] Socialists Scramble to Avoid Rift As Leader Goes His Way
TIRANA, July 23 - The General Steering Committee of the Albanian Socialist
Party has accepted the jailed Socialist leader, Fatos Nano's resignation as
head of the working group preparing the upcoming party congress. Socialist
Party's vice chairman Servet Pellumbi was chosen to head the group and to
submit the keynote report to the congress. The Nano-Pellumbi rift has been
deepening since the May 26 general election boycotted by the Socialists and
other opposition parties over alleged widespread irregularities. Both men
claim they intend to reform the Socialist Party, a heir to the communist Party
of Labor. The infighting has brought the Socialists to the brink of a major
schism over who controls the various factions. Nano has asked to submit his
individual report to the Congress, an idea rejected by the steering committee.
In Tuesday's meeting, his supporters agreed to abandon the idea "for the sake
of avoiding a major split of the party ranks". (Albanian Times)
[08] Bomb Kills Albanian Fisherman
TIRANA, July 23 - An Albanian fisherman who tried for a bumper
catch by dropping a World War Two bomb into the sea was killed when it blew up
while he was handling it, an Albanian newspaper reported on Tuesday. The
fisherman died on Sunday in the southwestern port of Vlore as he tried to
remove the bomb's detonator, the daily Gazeta Shqiptare said. Two brothers
were killed a month ago in a similar accident in the same region. The illegal
practice of using explosives to kill fish is widespread in Albania, where
World War Two bombs litter the coast. After the bomb explodes the fisherman
simply scoops up the shoals of dead fish. (Courtesy of Reuters)
[09] New Premier Promises Fast-Paced Reform
TIRANA, July 22 - Albanian Prime Minister Aleksander Meksi
pledged on Monday that his new government would step up the pace of
market
reforms while ensuring they had a kinder, social face. The prime minister said
his government would continue the drive towards European integration. ``The
Democratic (Party) government's programme aims at moving swiftly towards full
reform of the Albanian economy and a developed market economy,'' Meksi told
parliament. Foreign investment remained a top priority to help Albania's
fragile market economy, Meksi went on. ``We expect about $450 million in
foreign investment agreements to be signed in 1996,'' he added. Meksi vowed to
keep the country firmly on track with reforms to improve the weak
infrastructure. He said roads, communication, energy and water supply would
receive 60 percent of the public sector investments. ``We are still convinced
that the fate of reforms and the future of Albania's democracy depend on
privatisation,'' he added. ``Privatisation of sectors of strategic importance
like energy, mines, telecommunication, water supply, ports, airports and
railway transport will have primary focus in
the process,'' Meksi said. He also promised his government's tight budget
policy would have a social profile with more investments in public services,
housing, transport, telecommunications, job creation and health care schemes.
The prime minister pledged to keep inflation under control during his term and
said tourism, a main pillar of the economy, would receive a boost with port
rehabilitation and modernisation of airports. (Albanian Times/Reuters/Radio
Tirana)
[10] Paliament Ratifies Agreement With German Bank
TIRANA, July 23 - The Albanian parliament ratified a credit agreement with
Germany's KFW Bank for the reconstruction of Tirana's Rinas airport. The DM 48
million soft credit agreement was signed last May and designates Siemens as
the main partner for the implementation of the project. The 40 year loan has a
grace period of 16 years. Siemens will reconstruct the runway and upgrade the
airport building. It will also install new lighting and
navigation equipment. (Albanian Times)
This material was reprinted with permission of AlbAmerica Trade & Consulting
International. For more information on ATCI and the Albanian Times, please
write to AlbaTimes@aol.com
Copyright © ATCI, 1996
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