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Albanian Times, April 7, 1996From: Albanian Times <AlbaTimes@aol.com>The Albanian Times (by AlbAmerica TRade & Consulting International) DirectoryCONTENTS[1] Democrats Call to Prevent Return of Former Communists[2] Tirana and Athens Boost Trade[3] Tirana to Install New Public Phones[4] Serb Police Bans Albanian Weekly in Prishtina[1] Democrats Call to Prevent Return of Former CommunistsTIRANA, April 6 - The newly elected chairman of the Democratic Party called on the Albanian electorate to prevent former communists from returning to power. Tritan Shehu, 47, said the party convention which ended on Friday, has confirmed the "Union for Democracy" an alliance between right-wing and centrist parties aimed at foiling the attempts of the opposition Socialists to win this year's general elections. A number of small rightist parties and political associations have promised to join. "The Democratic Party, convinced in its victory, is ready for alleances, cooperation and compromises with these forces, it is open for post-election coalitions with them," Shehu told a news conference on Saturday. "There is no doubt we'll win more than 50 percent. This is shown by our achievements, our alternatives for the future, as well as the support of the people and Europe," Shehu said. The Socialists have predicted a victory of opposition forces by more than 50 percent in the coming elections. The Socialist Party held its own convention late last month promising market reforms, jobs and tax reliefs for farmers. President Berisha will open consultations with the political parties to decide on the date of the elections, which are widely expected to be held in early summer. (Albanian Times)
[2] Tirana and Athens Boost TradeTIRANA, April 6 - Albanian and Greek trade organizations were expected to sign an agreement in Tirana to boost economic ties between the two countries as a follow-up to a friendship treaty concluded between the two Balkan neighbors last March. The accord between Tirana Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Athens Chamber of Commerce for Small and Medium Businesses will enable the implementation of several E-U programs, and will provide further guarantees for Greek investments in Albania. According to visiting Greek businessmen, the cooperation aims not only at promoting trade but also at increasing investments in Albania. Representatives from more than two dozen Greek businesses are visiting Tirana in an effort to establish contacts with their Albanian counterparts. Tirana will be the site of the upcoming Greek Week, a major event bringing together businessmen from Greece and Albania. (Albanian Times)
[3] Tirana to Install New Public PhonesTIRANA, April 6 - New telephone booth may soon be dotting Tirana landscape. The Albanian Telecom and the Greek firm Intracom have plans to install 190 telephone booths in Tirana and expect to expand their project in other districts. As a first step, 15 new booths will be installed in central Tirana, according to the Albanian radio. Tirana and a number of Albanian cities have direct access to the global telephone network, but overall connections are poor and the system often breaks downs. Improving telecommunications is seen as a top priority by the government in its efforts to rebuild the nation's infrastucture. (Albanian Times, Radio Tirana)
[4] Serb Police Bans Albanian Weekly in PrishtinaBELGRADE, April 6 - Serbian Police in Kosova have ordered to stop Albanian language weekly Koha from printing, Beta News Agency reported from Belgrade. Six policemen in Prishtina have ordered Koha publishers to submit manuscripts before sending them to print. Koha magazine was founded two years ago and has been registered with Serbian Ministry of Information. (Albanian Times)
The material was reprinted with permission of AlbAmerica Trade & ConsultingInternational. For more information on ATCI and the Albanian Times, pleasewrite to AlbaTimes@aol.comCopyright (c) ATCI, 1996 |