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Albanian Times, 96-09-11
Albanian Times
September 11, 1996
CONTENTS
[01] Direct Phone Links Between Albania and US
[02] Half of Tirana Homes Own Telephones, Telecom Says
[03] Albania Invited in Industrial Property Conference
[04] Albanian Observers to Help Monitor Bosnia Vote
[05] Prosecutor Asks Jail for New Communist Party Founders
[06] World Bank Promises Continued Support, Radio Says
[07] Albanian Soldiers Leave for Croatia
[08] Average Wage Surpasses Subsistence Level
[01] Direct Phone Links Between Albania and US
TIRANA, Sept 4 -- AT&T and Albanian Telecom announced the
availability of direct, digital communications between Albania and the U.S.,
an AT&T press release said. For the first time, people in Albania will be able
to call collect in the United States. To use the service in Albania, people
call +00800-0010 from any hotel or residential phone. Some phones may require
a coin or card deposit to access local service. The balance of the call is
billed to an AT&T Global Calling Card or made as a collect call. The new
development more than triples the available telephone circuits between the two
countries and improves sound quality. To make this possible, AT&T provided an
earth station and worked closely with Albanian Telecom on its installation and
maintenance. (Albanian Times)
[02] Half of Tirana Homes Own Telephones, Telecom Says
TIRANA, Sept 11 - Over 50 percent of Tirana's households own telephone lines,
according to statistics made available by the Albanian Telecom. The
percentage has trippled since last year and is 15 times higher than in 1991.
The increase has been made possible by new digital communication equipment
installed in Albania in the recent period. About 10,000 new telephone lines
that added to the system in the past 8 months, more than doubled the existing
availability in the capital and demand is still high. Telecom clients pay
their bills correctly unlike water and electricity consumers, a company report
said. Relations with household customers are especially good, it added.
(Albanian Times)
[03] Albania Invited in Industrial Property Conference
BRUSSELS, September 9 - Albania and 10 other former communist countries have
been invited to participate in a conference on Industrial Property in European
Integration, organised by the European Commission and the Polish Government in
Cracow, Poland. The conference will be held on September 15-17. It is part of
the integration process launched by the Europe Agreements concluded between
the European Union and the Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs),
under which the CEECs agreed inter alia to introduce similar industrial
property rules to those applied in the European Community. The conference will
also be attended by senior Commission officials and representatives of
industry from both the EC and the CEECs. (Albanian Times)
[04] Albanian Observers to Help Monitor Bosnia Vote
TIRANA, Sept 10 - A team of three Albanian observers will help
monitor this week's elections in Bosnia, the Albanian news agency ATA said.
The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has asked three
experts, led by Pellumb Cela, deputy chairman of Albania's electoral central
commission, to monitor Saturday's polls, ATA said. ``This is the first time
observers will represent Albania in another country in the context of the
OSCE. It is important for Albania to be presented with dignity and to gain
this type of experience,'' Cela said. The OSCE has criticised Albania's third
multi-party polls on May 26 and June 2 as failing to to meet all the criteria
for a democratic election. (Albanian Times/Reuter)
[05] Prosecutor Asks Jail for New Communist Party Founders
TIRANA, Sept 10 - A prosecutor asked a Tirana court to jail four Albanians for
up to three years for founding a communist party and conspiring to overthrow
the government. He asked for a three-year jail term for Timoshenko Pekmezi,
54, and Sami Meta, 62, and 18 months and one year respectively for Tare Isufi,
73, and Kristaq Mosko, 45. ``They should be sentenced not for their communist
convictions and ideas but for propagating them -- something which is anti-
constitutional,'' prosecutor Kadri Skeraj said. The four are charged with
``creating anti-constitutional parties and associations in collaboration'' in
a case brought by the country's secret police, SHIK. Parliament outlawed all
communist organisations in July 1992. (Albanian Times)
[06] World Bank Promises Continued Support, Radio Says
TIRANA, Sep 10 - Visiting World Bank officials have pledged continued economic
support for Albania, Radio Tirana said. In a meeting with Foreign Minister
Tritan Shehu, World Bank's Director for Central Europe and Asia Jean Michel
Severino referred to Albania's "fast growth and generally positive results"
and said a meeting between World Bank and Albanian officials to be held later
this year would define new strategies of cooperation. To date, the
International Development Association has committed $272.5 million to
transition projects in Albania. (Albanian Times)
[07] Albanian Soldiers Leave for Croatia
TIRANA, Sept 9 - A unit of 33 soldiers left Albania for Zadar in Croatia to
serve alongside German troops in the NATO-led peace implementation force
(IFOR) for Bosnia, an Albanian Defence Ministry spokesman said. Pandeli
Ristani said the peacekeeping unit would have ``mainly logistic duties like
those of the German troops'' stationed in Bosnia during its planned four-month
stay. ``The unit may stay after the Dayton agreement expires if it is
requested,'' he added. The Albanian parliament last week passed a law allowing
the armed forces to serve in peacekeeping missions abroad. (Albanian
Times)
[08] Average Wage Surpasses Subsistence Level
TIRANA, Sept 11 - Average wage in Albania has surpassed subsistence level by
eight percent, according to a recent study by the International Monetary Fund.
In August 1996, the average monthly wage in Albania was $75, an increase of
$10 from the end of 1995 and double as much compared to 1993, the Tirana based
Institute of Statistics said. In August 1996, food expenses constituted 62
percent of the average salary, compared with 70 percent the year before.
According to the IMF study, about 55 percent of Albanian families still live
below subsistence levels. However, the figure has improved compared with 80
percent in the year 1994. (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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