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Albanian Times, 96-05-08
Albanian Times
May 8, 1996
CONTENTS
[01] Officials Speed Up Preparations As Vote Nears
[02] Foreign Minister Serreqi to Visit U.S.
[03] Albanian Parliament Hooked Up On Internet
[04] Berisha Campaigns in Farming Districts
[05] Albanian Parties in Macedonia Blast Gligorov on University Issue
[06] Albanian Development Fund
[01] Officials Speed Up Preparations As Vote Nears
TIRANA, May 7 - Albanians will be able to use their passports as identification
for the May 26 ballot, Central Election Commission in Tirana said. Qualified
citizens who don't have identification papers may use their passports, a
spokesman for the commission said. Albanian citizens are no more required to
carry identification papers which in the communist era were printed by the
Interior Ministry. Soldiers will be given specially designed certificates so
they can vote in the barracks where they serve, without having to return to
their home districts, the spokesman added. The decision was made on a
proposal by the Defense Ministry. The Election Commission is expected to
announce the lists of candidates on Wednesday. The lists have gone through
careful sifting by a special commission looking into the background of the
candidates to see if they held high posts in the communist regime or were
spies of the former secret service. Dozens of would-be candidates of the
opposition Socialist Party were disqualified from running in the elections.
Two opposition politicians, Skender
Gjinushi, chairman of the Social-Democratic Party and Prec Zogaj of the
Democratic Alliance were dropped from the lists after their appeals were
rejected by the nation's highest court. (Albanian Times)
[02] Foreign Minister Serreqi to Visit U.S.
TIRANA, May 7 - Albanian Foreign Minister Alfred Serreqi will begin Wednesday
an official visit to the United States, invited by the Secretary of State
Warren Christopher, a ministry spokesman said. The talks with Mr. Christopher
are expected to include Albanian-U.S. bilateral relations and the situation in
the Balkans and in Kosova, the spokesman said. This is Serreqi's first
official visit to Washington since his appointment as foreign minister in
Aleksander Meksi's cabinet in 1992. (Albanian Times)
[03] Albanian Parliament Hooked Up On Internet
TIRANA, May 7 - Albanian Parliament has become the country's first national
institution to be linked up with the Internet. Albanian parliamentary speaker
Pjeter Arbnori said the UNDP sponsored project was "an important show of
support by UNDP for the country's democratic processes, and will help Albania
increase cooperation with parliaments in other countries." UNDP's Resident
Representative in Albania Peter Schumann said that UNDP was happy to help
Albania from "the list of those few countries in the world which still do not
have an internet connection." Since last year, a number of foreign
consultants have been working with local technicians to establish a
connectivity node in capital Tirana where computers are becoming a sought
after commodity and telephone lines are improving. (Albanian Times)
[04] Berisha Campaigns in Farming Districts
TIRANA, May 7 - Albanian President Sali Berisha has pledged support to
farmers, in an attempt to attract them towards the elction program of his
ruling Democratic Party. On his campaign trail, Berisha promised farmers in
the Pogradec district an advantageous loan system and tried to discourage them
from voting socialist. He said "the socialists have included a progressive tax
in their program," adding that the Democratic Party has rectified its initial
mistake by lowering taxes on farmers. On Tuesday, Berisha toured Permet and
other southern districts, where he raised the campaign tones against what he
calls "the Red Front" and where he includes the Socialist Party - the renamed
communists and other opposition groups. (Albanian Times)
[05] Albanian Parties in Macedonia Blast Gligorov on University Issue
SKOPJE, May 7 - Ethnic Albanian leaders in Macedonia have accused President
Kiro Gligorov of endangering regional peace by suggesting that only extreme
separatists support the Albanian-language university. Gligorov told a German
newspaper in a weekend interview the Albanian university in Tetovo was the
brainchild of separatists. ``(Gligorov's) statement pushes Albanians towards
real separatism by ignoring their demands (for a university)... which is
dangerous for peace in the region.'' said the Party for Democratic Prosperity
of Albanians in a statement. The university of Tetovo opened in February 1995
and operates now but is not recognised by the government. Macedonian
authorities say the country already has two insitutions of higher education,
which they argue are sufficient for its needs. They also fear that allowing
the Albanains their own separate educational institutions could lead to the
creation of a state within a state. (Albanian Times/Reuters)
[06] Albanian Development Fund
TIRANA, May 8 - The Albanian Development Fund (ADF), established in 1992 has
been helping the development of rural and urban areas by creating new jobs,
supporting economic activities and rehabilitating infrastructures. As an
agency that implements World Bank projects, the Fund supports those
infrastructure projects where most of the construction work is labor
intensive. The Fund also supports with small credits and advice the unemployed
and economically disadvantaged people helping them start their own business.
The main donors of the Albanian Development Fund have been the International
Development Association (IDA) - 37 percent, the Swiss Government - 3 percent,
the Italian Government - 22 percent, the International Fund for Aid
Development - 12 percent, the European Union - 16 percent, the Japanese Fund -
4 percent and the French government - 3 percent. Since 1992, the ADF has been
operating on an initial capital of 24,190,000 leks. (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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