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ATA News from Albania (96-06-19)Albanian Telegraphic Agency Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA) Home Page at <http://www.telpress.it/ata>Albanian Telegraphic AgencyCONTENTS
[01] TEPELENA SOCIALISTS INCREASE BREAD PRICE ON EVE OF JUNE 16 POLLTIRANA, JUNE 18 (ATA)-The third round of elections in Tepelena, southern Albania, began nearly three days before Sunday, June 16, the newspaper Sindikalisti reports on Tuesday.The paper says that in Memaliaj, Tepelena district, three days before the June 16 elections, and in Tepelena a week before the elections the district local government socialists launched the campaign of raising the bread price. Until Saturday evening the bread price was 50 leks, while on Sunday, the voting day, its price amounted to 60 leks, the paper says. The bread sellers and producers, who had been earlier instructed, responded to the consumers:"We have been ordered by the government to raise the bread price". The socialist chiefs exploited the situation for propaganda purpose. In the elections for deputy to the parliament, in the two constituencies of this district won one candidate of the Democratic Party and one of the Socialist Party. kled/lm/k Albanian Telegraphic Agency[02] ARTICLES ON ELECTION OBSERVERS INVITED BY SP NOT DISMISSEDTIRANA, JUNE 18 (ATA)-By K.Shegani, Several articles and facsimiles published by the newspaper Albania about the inclusion of the observers invited by the Socialist Party and picked out among the European extreme left in the lists of the OSCE obervers to the May 26 parliamentary elections in Albania, have not yet been dismissed by those included in "the OSCE observer scandal".The article published by Albania during the last week have found a wide echo in the Albanian press. The left newspapers, although criticising these articles, have provided not fact to dismiss their content. The aforesaid people include agents of the former State Security, ill- famed body of the communist regime in Albania. Nine of the OSCE observers to the May 26 elections in Albania had been invited by the SP. The SP had chosen them among a Norwegian extreme left political grouping (The Norwegian working youth) that has nothing in common with the Social-Democratic Party of Norway. This observer group from Norway was attached on May 10 to the Central Electoral Commission as observers invited by the SP and after ten days, on May 20, the OSCE coordinator, Mark Power, attached the nine to the Central Electoral Commission as OSCE observers. The status of the OSCE observer to the May 26 parliamentary elections in Albania was also granted to Tue Magnussen from Denmark who turns out to have been close friend and collaborator with late dictator Enver Hoxha. Magnussen has been visiting Albania since in the 70s. His name has been for nearly 20 years the most renowned name among the Albanian political communist circles. Also the Bulgarian observer, Ivan Kostandinov, invited by the Socialist Party to the May 26 elections in Albania, turns out to be a former agent of Sigurimi. Ivanov was recruited as agent of the Albanian secret police in 1970. His activity mainly included Bulgaria, but Ivanov has also served as a coordinator of the agents' network of the Albanian secret police in the eastern countries. Ivanov who was invited by the SP as observer to the May 26 parliamentary elections, during the last 25 years has been preparing secret reports on the Albanian secret police. The German Wolfgang Erich Stoppel, also OSCE observer to the May 26 elections in Albania, had been spying on his own compatriots to the Albanian secret services. Stoppel came to Albania for the first time in 1983 and has been systematically spying to the Albanian secret services on a good part of the Germans who visited Albania at that time and especially those Germans who were members of the Albania-Germany friendship association. The OSCE report on the May 26 elections in Albania says that 32 of 79 articles, which have to do with the pre-election period the elections day, have been violated. Attending the June 16 elections in 17 constituencies in Albania, the Austrian observer, Grossruck, said that the voting was fair. Grossruck, who also attended the May 26 elections, said that the OSCE report points to several technical shortcomings, which have not affected the voting result and that such errors are inevitable. Confirming the calm election climate in the polling stations, Italian senator Piero Pelicini said that: "We consider the Sunday voting technically and not politically". pas/lm/k Albanian Telegraphic Agency[03] REPRESENTATIVES OF MARSHALL CENTER VISIT ALBANIATIRANA, JUNE 18 (ATA0- A delegation of the Marshall Center is visiting Albania as part of the cooperation between the Marshall Center and the Albanian educational military institutions.The visit of the delegation follows the successful visit of the second Defence College to the Marshall Center in Germany. The delegation is made up of Ambassador Marshall Brement, chief of European Security Studies Department, and Colonel Jack Piter, dean of the Marshall Center. The delegation was received today at the Defence Ministry by deputy Minister Luan Lazimi. Lazimi thanked the delegation on behalf of the Defence Minister for the continuous support provided by the Marshall Center in the context of its already known cooperation with the Albanian Defence College. He also stressed the indispensability of promoting this cooperation in the future. "The training of Albanian civil and military students by the Marshall Center has greatly helped the modernisation of Albanian army as an army of western models," he said. Referring to the promotion of cooperation in education and military, the two sides emphasised the concrete aid provided for the Defence Academy and the changes carried out in this institution. On the same day, the representatives of the Marshall Center had a briefing with high ranking defence officers. kei/lm/k Albanian Telegraphic Agency[04] CONTRABAND CIGARETTES INTERCEPTEDELBASAN, JUNE 18 (ATA)-By P.Zekthi, Some 130 boxes of "Cooper" and "Partner" cigarettes were recently intercepted by customs police of the Elbasan district.The contraband goods was loaded on two trucks with plates of Tirana and Librazhd moving towards Qafe-Thane-Tirana. It was intercepted in a police blitz operation. The 1.3 ton cargo was worth 25 million leks, according to customs sources in Elbasan. The customs police had also intercepted earlier another contraband nine ton cargo of "Partner" cigarettes in the vicinity of Prrenjas, south of Elbasan. s.sh/kled/lm/k Albanian Telegraphic Agency[05] ALBANIAN WRESTLER WINS GOLD MEDAL IN INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENTTirana, June 18 (ATA) By Aljosha Keko: Albanian wrestler Ndoc Cokaj won the gold medal in the international tournament of free style wrestling for juniors and grown ups which was held from June 10-14 in Melbourne, Australia.Cokaj won the four matches, in which the Albanian wrestling team contested with eleven participant teams from various nations. Another Albanian wrestler, Enkelian Mehmeti, won the silver medal and Fatjon Bathorja ranked the fifth. This is the second important international activity, in which Albanian wrestlers take part. "Partizani" team represented Albania in the international tournament of classic wrestling in Faenza of Italy on June 1 and 2. a.ke/jz/kei/lm/k Albanian Telegraphic Agency[06] DEPUTIES OF 13TH LEGISLATURE RECEIVE LAST SALARYTIRANA, JUNE 18 (ATA) - The Albanian deputies of the 13th Legislature received their last salary on Monday, newspaper Republika reports.Several former Democratic Party deputies will not join the next Parliament, because they didn't stand for the May 26 elections, in which their party won the majority of votes. Whereas socialist deputies stood for elections, but failed to win, the paper says. In the first round of polls, May 26, the Democratic Party (DP) won 95 of 115 constituencies on a the majority system. The opposition parties boycotted the first round three hours before the poll closed. They also did not take part in the second round on June 2 and in the partial re-run on June 16, alleging the elections were rigged by the ruling party, DP./jz/kei/lm Albanian Telegraphic Agency[07] DECREE ON THE SUMMONING OF FIRST SESSION OF NEW LEGISLATURE OF PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLYTIRANA, JUNE 19 (ATA) - On the basis of Article 17, third paragraph, and Article 28, point 3, of the Law No. 7491, dated April, 29, 1991 "On constitutional provisions,"I decree: Article 1 The first session of the new legislature of the People's Assembly will convene on Monday, July 1, 1996. Article 2 This decree comes into force immediately. Tirana, June 19, 1996 Decree No 1508 President of the Republic SALI BERISHA Albanian Telegraphic Agency[08] EUROPEAN BANK OF INVESTMENTS INVESTS FOR DURRES-VARNA CORRIDORTIRANA, JUNE 19 (ATA) - By A Lazaj: European Bank of Investments is present in Albania for the first time with investments in the sector of transports (29 million ECU) and precisely in the road corridor connecting the port of Durres (45 km far from Tirana) in the Adriatic Sea with the Port of Varna in the Black Sea along with the construction of a freighter terminal in the port of Durres.Besides this, a 5 million ECU loan by this bank will be used on projects in industry, equipment for the protection of the environment and the energy economy. kled/xh/sh/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[09] POLICE DESTROY 2500 NARCOTIC PLANTSTIRANA, JUNE 19 (ATA) - By I Manka: Antidrug police in Berat (Central Albania) after an organized operation, uncovered in some villages over 2500 narcotic plants (Canabis Sativa.)In a 500 square meter plot in Gradishte village there were planted 200 narcotics, whereas in Roshnik there were 250 of such plants sown. In most of the cases the narcotic plants were being cultivated in abandoned plots, between forests and far from dwelling places. In another case the narcotic plants were sown in some old kegs. Last year antidrug police in Berat destroyed 1800 narcotics. ssh/jz/xh/sh/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[10] POSSIBLE INCREASE OF TENSIONS IN KOSOVATIRANA, JUNE 19 (ATA) - The Information Centre of Kosova points out that the new wave of state violence and terror in Kosova proves of possibilities for efforts to cause great troubles at a time when the question of Kosova has become prominent for the International Community.Two days ago, a group of 20 Serbian civilians physically attacked three Albanian pupils near the primary school Faik Konica in Pristine, the ICK reports. One of the pupils in the fourth grade had bodily injures. Reports from Podujeva say that a grave situation is prevailing there after an incident the previous night during which a policeman was wounded. So far 30 people have been beaten and tortured on the street and in a police station. Serbian forces were present in great numbers during the night before last. While last night Serbian policemen in plain clothes entered in bars in Podujea intimidating and provoking Albanians in there. DLK branch in Podujeva considers the present repressive situation identical with some previous campaigns after unmotivated incidents by Serbian police. None of the reported incidents in the last years including some incidents in April this year, have yet been clarified. The leadership of Kosova has continuously repeated and attracted the attention that the policy of continuous terror against the Albanians is creating for years now a tense climate and a permanent threat. The peaceful orientation of the Albanian political movement and the avoidance so far of the armed conflict in Kosova are without doubt among the main results and values of the peaceful policy in Kosova. aca/gen/xh/sh/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[11] CHAIRWOMAN OF THE CE ASSEMBLY LENI FISCHER APPRECIATES WORK OF ALBANIAN JUSTICE MINISTRYTIRANA, JUNE 19 (ATA) - By Atlant Frasheri: "Achievements of your ministry are very impressing," said Leni Fischer, chairwoman of the CE Assembly, in a letter to Albanian Justice Minister, Hektor Frasheri.According to ministry spokesman, Fischer said in her letter that her meetings with Minister Frasheri were fruitful and a contribution to the continuous cooperation between the Justice Ministry of Albania and the Council of Europe. kled/xh/sh/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[12] DEFENCE ATTORNEYS REQUEST INNOCENCE FOR SIX FORMER SENIOR PLA OFFICIALSTIRANA, JUNE 19 (ATA) - By Atlant Frasheri: Defence attorneys of Foto Cami, Prokop Murra, Muho Asllani, Gaqo Nesho, Zef Loka and Dilaver Bengasi, in today's trial session asked the jury of the Tirana Court to declare their clients innocent.The six former senior officials of the Party of Labour of Albania, Prokop Murra and Muho Asllani, ex-politbureau members of the PLA, Gaqo Nesho, former PLA first secretary in Vlora and Tirana, Zef Loka, former director of the Interior Department and Dilaver Bengasi, former deputy Interior Minister, are accused of crimes against humanity in cooperation and on the basis of articles 74, 67 and 25 of the Penal Code, have to serve imprisonment terms ranging from 10 years to death penalty. The attorneys said the charge was groundless at a time when prosecutors had asked in their final saying some days ago 25 years in jail for Foto Cami and Prokop Murra, 20 years for Muho Asllani, 18 years for Gaqo Nesho and Zef Loka and 16 years in prison for Dilaver Bengasi. The attorneys considered the crimes of the defendants as acts carried out according to the laws of the system which they were serving and not as political crimes towards a stratum of the population. For the period when the defendants were in high posts of the PLA and the defunct communist state, the crimes they are accused of ran flagrantly and openly counter to the constitution and the International Convention "On crimes of genocide and those against humanity," where Albania had adhered to. Before declaring its decision, the jury will have another session on June 20, 1996 to hear the defendants for the last time. kled/xh/sh/ From the Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA) Home Page at http://www.telpress.it/ataAlbanian Telegraphic Agency Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |