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Albanian Times, 96-09-09
Albanian Times
September 9, 1996
CONTENTS
[01] Albania to Retain High Growth, Berisha Says
[02] Oil Exploration Expands, Government Says
[03] Parliament Ratifies Return of Gold Held in Britain
[04] EU to Pay $20 Million Grant to Albania
[05] Woman Dies in Gang Shootout
[06] Parliament Allows Troops to Serve in Bosnia Mission
[07] Ex-Chief Judge Accuses Berisha of Detaining Socialist Leader
[08] Kosova Deal Mediators Expect More Progress
[09] Briton Denies Sex Abuse Charges by Albanian Prosecutor
[10] WHO to Help Albania Control Polio Outbreak
[11] Nebex To Start Share Trading
[12] Tirana Bourse Trading
[13] Greek Minister Visits Albania
[01] Albania to Retain High Growth, Berisha Says
TIRANA, Sept 8 - Albanian President Sali Berisha told World Bank officials his
country is retaing high growth and called for more investments in the nation's
crippled urban infrastructure. "We are determined to expand cooperation with
the World Bank and wish that the Bank's projects in the future cover districts
previously not included in its plans," Berisha told visiting World Bank
officials. Albanian government is looking for sponsors to ease problems
related with population shifts to the biger cities. The swelling of suburban
areas is overloading the already outdated communist era urban infrastructures.
The World Bank is granting Albania a special fund to improve sea transport
structures, Radio Tirana said. To date, the International Development
Association has committed $272.5 million to transition projects in Albania.
(Albanian Times)
[02] Oil Exploration Expands, Government Says
TIRANA, Sept 9 - Foreign investments in exploring Albania's oil and energy
resources are expected to amount to $200 million by the end of 1996, a
considerable increase over the last year, Albanian government sources said.
Oxidental Petroleum, AGIP and other major oil companies have been involved in
offshore and on land exploration in Albania. (Albanian Times)
[03] Parliament Ratifies Return of Gold Held in Britain
TIRANA, Sept 6 - Albania's parliament has ratified a memorandum for the return
to Tirana of $18 million of gold looted by the
Nazis during World War Two and held since in Britain, Speaker Pjeter
Arbnori
said on Friday. ``A problem created by World War Two and the Communist regime
is over. It will also strengthen relations with the UK,'' Arbnori said.
Britain agreed in May 1992 to return the gold in exchange for a payment of $2
million by Albania for the 1946 sinking of two British warships off the
Albanian coast, which soured relations between the two states for decades.
Britain and Albania restored full diplomatic relations in May 1991. The
allies took the 1,574 kg of gold as communist guerrillas seized power when
German troops withdrew at the end of the war, and it was held in the Bank of
England under the trusteeship of a joint Anglo-American-French commission.
After the United States and Britain signed agreements for its return, France
added its consent last February. (Albanian Times/Reuters)
[04] EU to Pay $20 Million Grant to Albania
BRUSSELS, Sept 5 - The European Commission has decided to
pay a grant of 20 million ECU to Albania to support the balance of
payments
and to reinforce its reserves, a EU statement said. The decision was
made
at the initiative of Yves-Thibault de Silguy, Commissioner responsible
for economic, monetary and financial affairs. It represents the second
instalment of the macro-economic assistance of 35 million ECU agreed by the
Council of Ministers on 28 November 1994. The first tranche was paid in
May
1995. The European Union supports Albanian economic adjustment efforts, the
statement said. This new support of 20 million ECU from the European Union is
in line with the various financial assistance measures granted to Albania
since 1992. After a first grant of 70 million ECU in 1992, the Council of
Ministers decided on 28 November 1994 to grant a further macro-financial
assistance of a maximum of 35 million ECU payable in two installments
conditional on the implementation of a coherent set of political and economic
reforms with the backing of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the
context of its reinforced structural adjustment facility. The first tranche of
community support (15 million ECU) was paid in May 1995. The Commission
authorised the payment of this second tranche in view of
the globally positive results achieved by the Albanian economy over the
last
two years, in particular as regards macro-economic stabilisation,
streamlining external trade and the mass privatisation program, the statement
said. The Commission has also taken account of the effective introduction of
VAT on July 1, 1996, continued progress with structural reform and the
assurances received from the Albanian authorities concerning the adoption of
further measures to correct the budgetary situation, the European Commission
statement added. (Albanian Times)
[05] Woman Dies in Gang Shootout
TIRANA, Sept 5 - A 65-year-old woman died in crossfire and eight people
were wounded when gangsters from rival bands exchanged gunfire
in the Albanian port city of Durres on Thursday, the interior ministry
said.
A ministry statement quoted on television said police had identified
those responsible for the shooting and were hunting them down. A series of
violent crimes has shocked the Balkan nation during the summer. Last month,
two policemen brothers were killed in an ambush, while in July a police chief
and a prison chief were shot dead, allegedly by gangsters. (Albanian
Times)
[06] Parliament Allows Troops to Serve in Bosnia Mission
TIRANA, Sept 5 - The Albanian parliament passed a law which allows
the armed forces to serve in peacekeeping missions abroad. A Defence
Ministry official said a unit of 50 troops would leave for Zadar in
Croatia on September 9 to serve alongside German troops in the NATO-
led
peace implementation force (IFOR) for Bosnia. State Secretary of
Defence
Leonard Demi said the new law showed Albania was committed to the
principles
and objectives of Partnership for Peace, which was the main route for gaining
NATO membership, the state-run ATA news agency reported. (Albanian
Times/Reuters)
[07] Ex-Chief Judge Accuses Berisha of Detaining Socialist Leader
TIRANA, Sept 6 - An Albanian former supreme court chief, in a newspaper
commentary on Friday, accused President Sali Berisha of being
behind the continued detention of opposition leader Fatos Nano, his strongest
political rival. The detention of Nano, who was jailed in 1994 on charges of
embezzlement while prime minister, has been criticised by international human
rights groups which say it casts a shadow over Albania's democracy. Zef Brozi,
who was sacked last year as supreme court chairman when he voiced doubts about
Nano's trial, denied that he himself had been the force behind Nano's
imprisonment. ``Fatos Nano...was sent to jail by (Sali) Berisha, the friend of
(the last communist president Ramiz) Alia,'' Brozi wrote in Koha Jone
newspaper. ``The prosecutors would not have arrested Nano if Berisha had not
given the order,'' he said. Brozi, who has been living in the United States
since his dismissal, said Berisha had continued to put pressure on the
judiciary to keep Nano behind bars. (Albanian Times)
[08] Kosova Deal Mediators Expect More Progress
ROME, Sept 3 - The group that mediated a landmark deal between
Serbia and ethnic Albanians in Kosova said the agreement should cut the risk
of conflict in the troubled province and could be followed by further
progress. The accord, which will allow Albanian students to return to
mainstream education after a six-year boycott, was brokered by the Sant'Egidio
Community, a Rome-based Roman Catholic peace group. ``The accord weakens the
friends of war,'' the group's founder, Andrea Riccardi, told a news
conference. ``It is an important political signal.'' He said Sant'Egidio,
which has been active in peace mediation in many world troublespots, would
continue to support the nascent dialogue between
the Serbian government and the opposition Albanian Democratic League
of
Kosova (LDK). ``There is no agenda, but I sense the next steps will be in the
areas of civil life, culture, ecconomy and health,'' Riccardi said. (Albanian
Times/Reuters)
[09] Briton Denies Sex Abuse Charges by Albanian Prosecutor
TIRANA, Aug 28 - A Briton detained in Albania on charges of sexually abusing
two young boys has denied all the allegations, his Albanian lawyer said on
Wednesday. ``We absolutely do not accept the charges and I can say there is no
proof that he committed any abuse,'' lawyer Delo Isufi told Reuters.
Paul Thompson, 34, was arrested on Sunday in a hotel in the Adriatic
resort of Durres, 45 km (30 miles) west of Tirana. He could face up to
five
years in jail if convicted. Isufi said Thompson, who is divorced, befriended
the boys, both aged under 10, because they reminded him of his own children
who live with his former wife in London. Isufi and a British embassy official,
who had been in contact with Thompson, said they were satisfied with the
conduct of the state prosecutor and said investigations were likely to be over
within the week. (Courtesy of Reuters)
[10] WHO to Help Albania Control Polio Outbreak
TIRANA, Sept 4 - Three World Health Organisation (WHO) experts
will arrive in Albania on Wednesday to try to control a puzzling polio
outbreak which has killed five people, a doctor said. ``The team is coming to
analyse the epidemiological situation in Albania,'' Kristo Pano, senior doctor
at Tirana's hospital for infectious diseases, said. He said a total of 25
people had been registered at the hospital, the main medical centre in Albania
treating the disease, and 13 of them had recovered. Two pregnant women, two
teenage girls and a 39-year-old man -- all from different regions of the small
Balkan country -- have died of polio since the sickness first cropped up in
June, Pano said. Experts were unsure if the outbreak could be contained,
saying the country was facing an extremely rare epidemic. They said the
disease initially spread from children who had received polio vaccinations to
persons with weak immune systems or who had not received adequate
inoculations. The experts said the disease was spread due
to poor sanitation. About 700,000 Albanian children up to the age of five
received polio vaccinations in April and May. New cases of polio worldwide
fell to an all-time low of 6,179 last year, 28 percent down from 1994,
according to U.S. health officials. (Albanian Times/Reuters)
[11] Nebex To Start Share Trading
CALGARY, Sept 4 - NEBEX Resources Ltd. reported that the Toronto Stock
Exchange has conditionally approved the listing of the Company's shares.
Trading is expected to commence the week of September 9, 1996. NEBEX is a
Canadian mining exploration company currently focusing its activities on
extensive mineral interests in Albania, where the Company four mineral
concessions covering 1,050 square kilometers, and in the Yellowknife
gold camp, Northwest Territories, where drilling is underway to follow-up
on
a recent gold discovery. (Albanian Times)
[12] Tirana Bourse Trading
TIRANA, Aug 30 - Albania's Savings Bank sold 400 million leks worth of
a
government bond maturing on August 1, 1998 to the Bank of
Albania at Tirana's stock exchange's first weekly session on
Monday. (Albanian Times)
[13] Greek Minister Visits Albania
GJIROKASTER, Albania, Aug 31 - Greece said on Saturday stormy relations with
Albania were over and pledged to push its European Union partners to provide
more aid to improve infrastructure in the impoverished state. Greek Foreign
Minister Theodoros Pangalos, the first senior EU minister to visit Albania
since a disputed general election in May, said Greece aimed to strengthen ties
with Albania and help in major projects to build and repair roads.
Pangalos held 45 minutes of talks with Albanian Foreign Minister Tritan
Shehu, focusing on bilateral ties, more visas for Albanians and road
building, Albanian government spokesman Gilbert Galanxhi told reporters after
the meeting. Albania and Greece signed a landmark friendship treaty last
March. Athens agreed to legalise the status of Albanian immigrants working in
Greece, estimated at around 350,000. In exchange, Tirana vowed to set up three
Greek schools in the south, settling one of the main grievances of the
minority. Road construction is an important economic and social issue in
Albania, where cars were a rarity during 45 years of communist rule, brought
to an end by popular protest in 1990. Driving 200 km (160 miles) can take
four hours on narrow, pit-holed roads, clogged with second-hand cars bought by
Albanian workers abroad, and carts drawn by horses or oxen.
Albania plans to upgrade roads from Gjirokaster to Fier, 120 km (80
miles) northwest of the town, and from Fier to the port town of Vlora on
the
southern coast. A road from Gjirokaster to the Greek border, linking it to a
route leading to the Greek town of Ioannina, was also discussed by the
ministers, Galanxhi said. He said Athens pledged to give its own assistance
and encourage the EU to step up cooperation projects like PHARE, the EU's
technical aid programme for East European countries. (Courtesy of
Reuters)
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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