ATA News from Albania, 96-10-07

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From: The Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA) Home Page at <http://www.telpress.it/ata>

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

CONTENTS

[01] THIEF OF ICONS IN NATIONAL MUSEUM ARRESTED

[02] SOCIALISTS INTRODUCE IN KORCA CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR

[03] OSCE OBSERVERS WILL BE PRESENT IN OCTOBER 20 ELECTIONS - Spokesman

[04] ALBANIAN PRESIDENT INTRODUCES DP CANDIDATES FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN ELBASANI AND DURRES PREFECTURE

[05] MASIVE VACCINATION CAMPAIGN AGAINST POLIO STARTS - 3.4 milliom doses for the first phase which is over on October 14 -

[06] LEZHA TO BECOME ARCHBISHOPRIC

[07] KOSOVA, VERY SERIOUS INTERNATIONAL ISSUE REQUIRING CORRECT SOLUTION - Hass

[08] SIGNS OF INTOXICATION MANIFESTED IN TETOVA ALBANIAN SCHOOLS

[09] CONTROL OF CANDIDACIES FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS CONTINUES

[10] A BOOK-REQUIEM ON BOSNIA BY AN ALBANIAN

[11] ONE OF THE THIEVES OF SOME ICONS AND EPITAPH OF GLLAVENICA DETAINED

[01] THIEF OF ICONS IN NATIONAL MUSEUM ARRESTED

After a raid carried out Sunday in the house of citizen Aleksander Sota from Tirana, one of the icons stolen at the midnight of February 3, 1994 was found.

Sota had hidden the rare icon in his kitchen, and as soon as the police entered his house he threw it out of the window.

The icon, although thrown from the fifth floor was not damaged so much. Police arrested Aleksander Sota who confessed it was one of the four icons and the epitaph of Gllavenica he stole in collaboration with other people about two years ago from the National Historical Museum.

Police have also identified the other authors of this theft whose names were not declared. pas/fh/lm

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[02] SOCIALISTS INTRODUCE IN KORCA CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR

The meeting, held at the sports hall "Tamara Nikolla" in Korca, was attended by some 300-350 people.

SP Secretary General Rexhep Mejdani told the participants that of a special importance for the Socialist Party are "the veterans, the Albanian production and the people's health care".

Fabri, the candidate for mayor, said that the party in power "has closed all factories and plants and no smoke will come out of their chimneys this year."

Dritero Agolli, one of the SP leaders, told the meeting that "the SP is a powerful party whose spirit of unity drives its political opponents mad."

Regarding the party in power and the government, Agolli said: "They hate the socialists so much that they are ready not to vaccinate them against polio". /a.ke/lind/mt/lm

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[03] OSCE OBSERVERS WILL BE PRESENT IN OCTOBER 20 ELECTIONS - Spokesman

"Albania is an OSCE member country, and considering the institutions of this organisation its own, it, as always, will favour a close cooperation with them", spokesman said.

The statement says that the Albanian government wants the participation of the OSCE and other important international organisations in the local government eelctions and has invited their observers to watch the voting process. ake/pas/fh/lm

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[04] ALBANIAN PRESIDENT INTRODUCES DP CANDIDATES FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN ELBASANI AND DURRES PREFECTURE

Albanian President Sali Berisha introduced Sunday the Democratic Party candidate for mayor of the Belshi town, Elbasani Prefecture.

Berisha expressed his belief that Xhevair Halili, finance economist, will be wholy devoted to prosperity, public order, tranquility, and urbanization with the aim to make Belshi a prosperous municipality.

Berisha regarded considered the socialist vote counting boycott in the May 26 elections as the most "shameful act of the Albanian Stalinists, who ignored the ballots of their electorate just for clan's purposes".

Belshi, proclaimed municipality a short awhile ago, by a decision of the Council of Ministers, has been promised among other things for the years to come the implementation of a programme for the development of vineyard and tobacco planting.

Berisha introduced to the inhabitants of the Shalsi commune doctor Kamber Balla, the DP candidate for mayor.

In the Cerrik town, the President of the Republic introduced to inhabitants of this town the DP candidate for mayor Mishelina Xhelo.

Berisha stopped at the Shtermen village of the Gostime commune, Elbasani Prefecture, and promised that local government in the future will pay more attention to the problems of telecommunications, infrastructure, irrigation, health services, education, marketing and quick trading of food products, investments in agr.-industry and other sectors.

Berisha introduced the candidate for commune chairman in Gostime, the economist Qamil Boja, in Gjergjan, the dentist Vaso Paparisto and in Bradashesh, the businessman Sabri Shllaku.

"It is very important for us to be open to the socialist electorate, so that they join us and their vote should be a powerful message of friendship and understanding," said Berisha.

On the same day Berisha held meetings in Peqin and Rogozhina districts. He introduced the DP candidate for mayor in Peqini, the engineer Sadik Dokia, and in Rogozhine, teacher Fatos Deda.

Berisha invited the electorate to participate in the elections stressing that "the DP alternative is the best." He promised the citizens of these towns a new platform on local governing, which foresees a transformation of these municipalities into modern ones, increase of investments, free initiative and maintenance of public order.

President Berisha also held meetings in the Durres prefecture. In the Manza commune of this district he introduced Besnik Hoxha as the DP candidate for commune chairman.

The DP candidate for local government was also introduced in the northern district of the country. In Lac of Vau Dejes Speaker of Albanian Parliament and deputy in this constituency Pjeter Arbnori introduced the teacher Zef Mardoda as candidate for mayor. pas/fh/lm

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[05] MASIVE VACCINATION CAMPAIGN AGAINST POLIO STARTS - 3.4 milliom doses for the first phase which is over on October 14 -

The massive vaccination campaign against polio, which includes ages ranging from 0 to 50 years old, started today at 8.00 in all the country's districts.

The preparatory measures and the sensitization of the public opinion led thousands of people this morning to the vaccination centers in schools, policlynics, health care centers, out-patient clinics and hospitals.

Some 3.4 million doses will be used during the first phase of the campaign which will be over on October 14.

The Italian govermnet has financed some $ 300 000, while the Europen Union, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and other donors have contributed with advice and the neccesary material basis to distribute and store the vaccine in optimal conditions.

Working groups with specialists from the Ministry of Health and Environment, Institute of Public Health and representatives of the local government are working in all districts' vaccination centres which stay open until 21.00.

After the first vaccination phase, the revaccination will be carried out from November 11 to 18, that is the second phase of the campaign against polio including ages from 0-50 years old. /mt/lm

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[06] LEZHA TO BECOME ARCHBISHOPRIC

This has been decided in the Vatican City, but the clergy who will hold the post of the Lezha Archbishop of Lezha is not yet appointed, sources from the catholic clergy in this district said.

With this decision the Vatican aims to restore to Lezha and its believers the tradition of the 13-14th century, when Lezha diocese numbered some 19 catholic parishes.

Works have began at the centre of Lezha town, in an area of one thousand square metres, for the construction of the Catholic Cathedral with a capacity of 800 seats and a fund of $1 million.

According to the catholic clergy sources, the cathedral is thought to be the centre of Lezha's Diocese.

The Cathedral's project is drafted by the design and construction firm ANSHIP in Lezha and their works are being carried out by another local company "Beate-Anibali." ake/pas/fh/lm

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[07] KOSOVA, VERY SERIOUS INTERNATIONAL ISSUE REQUIRING CORRECT SOLUTION - Hass

During a meeting in the offices of the German Foreign Ministry with the chairman of Kosova Liberal Party (LPK), Gjergj Dedaj, Hass said: "Germany is concerned of the Kosova issue, and closely follows the political situation there and is engaged in its peaceful solution."

He appreciated the education agreement as "an important step towards the solution of the Kosova issue" and warned Belgrade that "Serbia's integration into the European structures will certainly be contingent on the solution of the Kosova issue."

The LPK chairman, Dedaj, who has also visited the U.S. State Department and Congress recently, considered indispensable the direct engagement of Germany, the European Union and the U.S. in the solution of the Kosova issue.

"This engagement will help avoid an ethnic conflict of consequences for all the region" said Dedaj.

He also pointed out that without a correct solution of the Kosova issue, according the will of its people, no one can have illusions about the end of the regional crisis. pta/pas/fh/lm

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[08] SIGNS OF INTOXICATION MANIFESTED IN TETOVA ALBANIAN SCHOOLS

Similar cases have also been manifested in other schools of Tetova and its sorroundings, said Center for Information of Kosova.

The intoxitation of the pupils in schools of Tetova has caused great concern among parents and has given rise to the indignation of all inhabitants in Tetova commune. All the 150 pupils intoxicated on Thursday are kept under the care of doctors in the hospital of Tetova and Skopje.

The Macedonian Minister of Health, Dr Ilija Filipçe, who paid a visit to Tetova hospital, stressed that "the Ministry of Health will take all the measures for a quick recovery of pupils and to find the cause of intoxication". pta/l/pas/mt/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[09] CONTROL OF CANDIDACIES FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS CONTINUES

The deadline for the lists of the candidates of the Albanian political subjects sent to the Central Election Commission by the district, municipality and commune election commissions was October 5.

"We are handling the materials sent by election commissions because on the basis of these information the State Secretariat for the Local Government will prepare the ballots," said Fiqiri Kupe, secretary of the Central Election Commission.

According to Kupe, during the examination of the material received, "technical defects have been noticed such as the order of the candidates in the listsnot according to the alphabetic order of the political subject but according to the name alphabetic order or their signature."

These materials have been sent back to commissions to be corrected according to the law.

"Election commissions of communes, municipalities and the districts should send to the Central Election Commission a copy of the final candidates lists no longer than two days after the list has been announced, " says the law "On local Government elections." kei/xh/k

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[10] A BOOK-REQUIEM ON BOSNIA BY AN ALBANIAN

The book is written in Bosnian. It is the author's second volume with 37 poems.

"Bosnia are my years" is published by TOENA publishing house. The whole volume reflects the war which led poet Baci to reflecting the facts and events from Albania, while being poetically there where "his blood stems from."

"I devote my book to those who fell in the war in Bosnia," the author says.

Baci belongs to that Bosnian minority in Albania living in the Shijak town suburbs, about 40 km from Tirana. This minority settled there 120 years ago after expelled from Bosnia in 1878, when the Serbs exerted genocide against Moslems, who even nowadays are called in Albania as "muhaxhir."

This minority has long ago integrated itself in the Albanian life, but at the same time it has preserved the roots of the origin.

"The publication of the book was made possible by a special assistance from Mr Muhamet Hoxha, the president of the Bosnians' Association in Albania, Zambak. Copies of the book have also been sent to Bosnia. kei/xh/k

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[11] ONE OF THE THIEVES OF SOME ICONS AND EPITAPH OF GLLAVENICA DETAINED

The objects were stolen by Aleksander Sota in cooperation with some others. Sources of the commissariat No. 2 report that besides the icons and the epitaph, police also found pistols of the dictator Enver Hoxha, as well as the inkhorn and the pen of the Renaissance patriot Andon Zako Cajupi.

This is considered as one of the most successful operations of police especially for the national value of the linen of the icons of the 18th century, one of the historic elements which shows of the genesis of the Illyrians as one of the the most ancient peoples of the Balkans.

Yesterday, in the early morning hours, one of these rare museal values hidden by Sota was found. The icon was stolen on February 3, 1994. ssh/kei/xh/k

From the Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA) Home Page at http://www.telpress.it/ata

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