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Albanian Times, 96-06-13
Albanian Times
June 13, 1996
CONTENTS
[01] Berisha Defends General Elections
[02] OSCE Criticizes Albania on Elections
[03] Daily Attacks OSCE For Selecting Pro-Socialist Monitors
[04] More Former Communists Convicted
[05] E-U Presidency Calls For Dialogue
[06] Opposition Parties Ask Austria To Mediate Row
[07] Opposition To Ask Greece To Protest Vote
[08] Multi-national Training Details Discussed in Tirana
[09] U-S May Send Back Troups to Bosnia, Perry Says Enroute To Skopje
[10] Ex-Yugoslav Countries, Albania Told To Cooperate
[01] Berisha Defends General Elections
ISTANBUL, June 12 - Albanian president Sali Berisha, has again defended his
country's controversial elections. Answering reporters' questions in
Instanbul, where he is attending a United Nations conference on human
settlements, Berisha said "(the elections) were held in a regular manner." He
described as a "Marxist decision" the withdrawal of opposition parties before
the closing of the ballots on May 26. "With their free vote, the Albanians
demonstrated they belong to democracy and Albania will be a democratic
country," he said. In his address to the conference, Berisha called on the
international business community to invest in Albania. The conference, which
will end Friday has drawn little international interest, although it was
dubbed as ``summit of summits'' by U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-
Ghali. (Albanian Times)
[02] OSCE Criticizes Albania on Elections
VIENNA, June 12 - The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) said on Wednesday in a final report on Albania's general election that
the ballot had failed to meet the country's own legal standards. ``The
administration of the election seriously departed from the election law,'' the
OSCE said. ``More specifically, 32 (election law) articles out of 79 dealing
with the pre-election period and election day were violated,'' the report
said. (Albanian Times/Reuters)
[03] Daily Attacks OSCE For Selecting Pro-Socialist Monitors
TIRANA, June 12 - An Albanian daily has criticised the Organisation for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) for selecting leftist observers to
monitor Albania's vote on May 26. The pro-government daily "Albania" said on
Wednesday that 30 percent of the OSCE observers who monitored the election
were proposed to the international body by the Socialist Party, the former
communists. "Albania" said a group of observers from Norway's Working Youth
Organisation, invited by the Socialist Party, was included in the OSCE
monitoring mission. The newspaper editor Ylli Rakipi told the Albanian radio
that the observers enjoyed a double status, representing both the OSCE and the
Socialist Party. This status was granted to them by the OSCE coordinator Mark
Power Stevens and the Swiss ambassador to Albania Thomas Voegel, Rakipi was
quoted as saying. The editor noted that "the Norwegians were harsher than any
other group" in criticizing the election and calling for a re-run of the May
vote. (Albanian Times)
[04] More Former Communists Convicted
TIRANA, June 12 - Three top former Communist officials were convicted of
crimes against humanity and given 49 years of prison sentences, Albanian
Television said. The defendants, Pirro Kondi, Qirjako Mihali and Sulejman
Bushati served as Communist Party secretaries in the cities of Tirana, Durres
and Shkodra where they ordered internal exile for hundreds of people,
including pregnant women and children. The defendants have rejected the
accusations. Three other top officials of the Communist regime were sentenced
to death on May 24 on charges of crimes against humanity. (Albanian
Times)
[05] E-U Presidency Calls For Dialogue
BRUSSELS, June 10 - In a statement released Monday, the Presidency of the
European Union has called for dialogue among the Albanian political forces,
following the controversial elections of May 26. "The EU Presidency
reiterates the expectation that all parties would show restraint, enter into a
substantial political dialogue and contribute constructively to the
implementation of the electoral process..." it said. "The appeals urging all
parties to re-establish fair conditions...have proved helpful," the
diplomatically crafted statement said. However, the E-U statement stopped
short of giving a clear verdict on the elections, which the opposition leftist
parties say were manipulated. (Albanian Times/E-U source)
TIRANA, June 11 - The ruling Albanian Democratic Party has responded
positively to a statement of the E-U Presidency calling for dialogue with the
opposition, but has sharply attacked its political foes. "We are open to
dialogue...we also favour a dialogue at round tables," Tritan Shehu, chairman
of the Democratic Party, told the Albanian Telegraphic Agency on Tuesday.
However, in a clear reference to the the opposition Socialist Party, the
former communists, Shehu called it "paradoxical and perverse in its attitudes
and decisions." "It has only one goal: to create a bad image of Albania," he
said. The Socialists and two other opposition forces, the Social-Democratic
Party and the Democratic Alliance have not directly responded to calls for
dialogue and have refused to participate in the partial re-election scheduled
for June 16. (Albanian Times/ATA/Radio Tirana)
[06] Opposition Parties Ask Austria To Mediate Row
TIRANA, June 12 - Two Albanian opposition parties said they had asked Austria
to help settle a row over the last month's elections, signalling they may be
ready to talk to the ruling Democrats. In a letter made available to Reuters,
the opposition parties ask Austrian Chancellor Franz Vranitzky to act as
mediator to help bridge Albania's political impasse. ``Your Excellency's
mediation would be a great honour for us and for our people, who wish to
regain the right of free and fair elections, denied for 50 years by the
communist dictatorship,'' says the letter, which was faxed to Vienna on
Tuesday. It is signed by Social-Democratic leader Skender Gjinushi and
Democratic Alliance leader Neritan Ceka. ``Albania is going through a critical
situation as a result of manipulation and physical violence during the whole
process of the May 26 elections. This crisis demands a fair and immediate
solution,'' the letter said. (Courtesy of Reuters)
[07] Opposition To Ask Greece To Protest Vote
TIRANA, June 11 - Leaders of Albania's three opposition parties, left for
Greece on Tuesday to call for support from Athens. ``The goal of the visit is
to explain to the Greek authorities that a coup d'etat took place in Albania
during the May 26 elections,''Gaqo Apostoli, secretary general of the Social
Democratic Party, told Reuters. ``They will ask Greece and the European Union
not to recognise the elections.'' The delegation was made up of Socialist
vice-chairman Namik Dokle, Democratic Alliance president Neritan Ceka and
Social Democrat chairman Skender Gjinushi. Two weeks after the disputed
ballot, the Greek government continued to observe what some Albanian
newspapers have described as a silence tantamount to approval of the result.
(Albanian Times/Reuters)
[08] Multi-national Training Details Discussed in Tirana
TIRANA, June 12 - Details of a multi-national military training, the largest
yet to be held in Albania, were discussed Wednesday in Tirana. Military teams
from Albania, the United States, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Turkey, Italy and
Macedonia have made final preparations for the exercise code-named "Peaceful
Eagle 96" to be held a month from now in Biza, central Albania. The materiel
has been shipped and installation work will begin in the rugged training
grounds of Biza, Albanian defense officials said. The training will be held
from July 15 to July 20. (Albanian Times)
TIRANA, June 11 - A Tirana court has rejected a demand to lift custody for
Irakli Kocollari, former head of National Information Service, accused of
destroying former secret police files while in office. A prosecutor in Tirana
has presented as evidence remains of scorched documents which he said were
destroyed following an order issued by the defendant on December 24, 1991.
Kocollari, a former intelligence officer, was appointed to head the National
Information Service by a coalition government of Socialists and Democrats in
1991. He was arrested last March together with former Interior Minister
Vladimir Hysi. Both face up to 7 years in prison if convicted. (Albanian
Times)
[09] U-S May Send Back Troups to Bosnia, Perry Says Enroute To Skopje
SKOPJE, June 12 - U.S. Defence Secretary William Perry said on Wednesday he
would recommend sending U.S. troops back to Bosnia next year if NATO decides
to deploy any new ground force to prevent a renewal of ethnic warfare there.
``If they make that decision, it would be my recommendation that the United
States participate in any force that is so designated -- including ground
troops, including whatever is determined,'' Perry said en route from
Washington to the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia. Perry met with some
of the 500 U.S. troops serving with Nordic soldiers in a U.N. peacekeeping
force watching over Macedonia's borders with Serbia, Kosova and Albania to
prevent the spread of ethnic unrest in the region. (Albanian Times/Reuters)
TIRANA, June 12 - Albania will apply value-added tax (VAT), beginning July 1,
officials in Tirana said. VAT is a tax levied on the difference between the
cost of materials and the selling price of the commodity. The 12.5 percent
VAT will replace the current turnover tax of 15 percent. The Ministry of
Finances has asked private businesses with a turnover of more than 2 million
Leks ($20,000) to register as the deadline approaches. Without a VAT
registration card, businesses will not be allowed to proceed through customs
offices, the ministry warned. (Albanian Times)
[10] Ex-Yugoslav Countries, Albania Told To Cooperate
LUXEMBOURG, June 10 - The countries of former Yugoslavia have been told by the
European Union they must cooperate with each other if they expect EU help.
Briefing EU foreign ministers on Monday after a weekend visit to the region,
European Commission President Jacques Santer said the former Yugoslav
republics must learn that not working together has a high human, political and
economic cost. The countries were told that favourable relations were on
offer, but only on a regional basis and if they worked together to secure
peace and stability. Albania is to be included in the same group, but
Slovenia is on a different, individual track. ``Our message was very simple,''
Santer said. ``Cooperate together if you want the European Union to cooperate
with you.'' German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel echoed Santer's comments. He
also said Serbia must do something about the 2,400 to 2,800 refugees coming
into Germany every month, mainly from Kosova. Earlier, Santer dropped plans to
visit Albania saying the elector
al process there was still in the process. (Albanian Times)
ROME, June 12 - Italian President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro received Mother Theresa
of Calcutta on Wednesday afternoon. The Albanian born nobelist was received
at the Quirinal Palace. Last month, Mother Theresa was awarded the honorary
citizenship of Rome. (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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