Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA), 97-01-28

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

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

CONTENTS

[01] MEETING OF POLITICAL FORCES TO OVERCOME THE SITUATION AFTER COLLAPSE OF PYRAMID INVESTMENT FIRMS - Peqin

[02] SOON THE LIST OF POLITICIANS, INVESTORS IN PYRAMID SCHEMES, TO BE ANNOUNCED

[03] STUDENTS TO REPAIR DAMAGES IN TIRANA CENTRE

[04] TOWN HALL OF PESHKOPIA SET TO FIRE

[05] TRIAL AGAINST FAILED SAVINGS SCHEME MANAGER STARTS

[06] ALBPETROL LEADERS ADDRESS PROTEST-ACCUSATION TO EXTREME LEFT

[07] PRESS REVIEW

[08] PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATION OF TIRANA CITIZENS AGAINST VIOLENCE AND DESTRUCTION

[09] TWO MUNICIPAL COUNCIL MEMBERS, SP AND DAP REPRESENTATIVES DISCHARGED - Korce

[10] ALBANIA'S FIRST CARDINAL MY LORD MIKEL KOLIQI PASSES AWAY

[11] SP HAS FINANCED ITS ELECTORAL CAMPAIGN THROUGH A LOANING FINANCIAL SYSTEM - Shehu

[12] DP CHAIRMAN HOLDS NEWS CONFERENCE

[13] LEFT OPPOSITION LED PROTESTS HAVE CAUSED A 50 MILLION DOLLAR DAMAGE

[01] MEETING OF POLITICAL FORCES TO OVERCOME THE SITUATION AFTER COLLAPSE OF PYRAMID INVESTMENT FIRMS - Peqin

Also present in the meeting were the mayor of Peqin and the deputy of the region.

The political forces distanced themselves from the elements of violence and destruction, a quality of set revanchist groups. They proposed the creation of an exclusive commission close to the municipality to control the procedure of the distribution of the money, promised by the government to start on February 5, 1997.

They approved a resolution to senior government and state structures through which they demanded that the people responsible for the collapsing firms be identified.

The elected bodies and political forces of the region of Peqin pledged they would totally be committed that the savers in the pyramid schemed be disassociated from ill-doers.

Such a meeting was also held today in the town of Librazhd in which political forces agreed by consensus to overcome the situation peacefully. Also the protests held by inhabitants of Peqin on January 25 were peaceful. pas/xh/Z/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[02] SOON THE LIST OF POLITICIANS, INVESTORS IN PYRAMID SCHEMES, TO BE ANNOUNCED

In this context, the newspaper will also publish the lists of the politicians of the position and opposition who have invested their money in these foundations and the people with the same family name with these politicians.

So far, it has been confirmed that the investors who have lost a lot of money are the present SDP leader S Gjinushi with 20 000 dollars (in his wife's name) and A Imami, one of the Democratic Alliance Party leaders, with 17 000 dollars, writes the newspaper. jz/xh/Z/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[03] STUDENTS TO REPAIR DAMAGES IN TIRANA CENTRE

The students want to convey the message for the construction and not destruction of Albania. eva/xh/E

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[04] TOWN HALL OF PESHKOPIA SET TO FIRE

The crowds also headed for the police station hurling stones at passive policemen as well as at social assistance officials and damaging doors and windows.

After repeated warnings, public order forces fired in the air. According to the preliminary data four protestors and four policemen have been wounded.

On Sunday morning, Prime Minister Meksi declared that the money from the frozen funds of the "Populli" and "Xhaferri" foundations would be given back to the savers beginning from February 5.

Crowds of people, led by right opposition forces, gathered "to protest against the failure of the loan-taking companies," burning buildings of town-halls and district councils in Lushnje, Berat, Vlore, Korce and other towns and destroying the documents stored in them. Documents of archives, social assistance, courts and other document has as well been destroyed.jz/pas/lm/E

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[05] TRIAL AGAINST FAILED SAVINGS SCHEME MANAGER STARTS

The trial began after 50 denunciations filed to the court by several savers, denunciations which have been considered valid by the specialists.

The first denunciations have been filed by four citizens from Tirana who sold their own houses one year ago and deposited their money in the "Sude" company, failing to retrieve either their returns or their initial capital.

In the court's hall Sude stated that she would not speak without the presence of her lawyer, Hysni Beti, who for unknown reasons did not appear before the court yesterday. Judge Artur Gaxhi put off the process for another day.

According to sources inside the prosecutor's office, hundreds of indictment have been deposited against maksude since January 15 when she was arrested. Some 200 of them have been so far approved. jz/lm/E

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[06] ALBPETROL LEADERS ADDRESS PROTEST-ACCUSATION TO EXTREME LEFT

"All what happened on Sunday in Patos was politically intended by the Socialist Party," newspaper Albania says quoting the protest-accusation.

The protest says that the angry crowd shouted slogans for the violent toppling of the government and that the crowd were led by the SP chairman of Patos and former town mayor. The latter was also "the protagonist" in launching the attack against the Albpetrol building, the protest-accusation says.

"At the beginning the crowd damaged the windows of the building and then broke into it stealing the apparatuses and computer equipment, telephones, chairs, office equipment and in the end it set everything to fire.

This criminal act led to the destruction of documents of great value which reflected the economic oil activity for 50 years.

The same happened with the geophysical enterprise of oil in Patos. But the intervention of several oil workers helped save unburned the hall of the apparatuses.

The total damage, although its estimation is not yet completed, is expected to be 10 million USD," the protest says.

The Albpetrol department also reports that it has brought a charge against the organisers of this crime. eva/lm/e

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[07] PRESS REVIEW

Rilindja Demokratike carries the statement of the Democratic Party regarding these destructions, under the title: "Legal punishment is the most merited response to terrorists". The paper entitles its editorial :"Protect the city-halls against socialists. They burn them". The seventh page covers the foreign press on the protests in Albania under the title:"Behind angry crowds hide communists who ask the toppling of the DP power".

Zeri i Popullit, instead of the editorial carries a statement of the secretary general of the SPA, Rexhep Mejdani, under the title:"The state power responds to the constructive spirit of the opposition with threats on the streets". "Forty thousand people ask the resignation of the government", the paper says regarding the rally of the opposition on January 26 in Tirana.

In the feature "Actuality", Zeri i Popullit covers the joint press conference of the Socialist, Social-democratic and Democratic Alliance parties. The paper justifies the burning of the Vlora city-hall as a switch of the people's legal revolt onto acts of violence and vandalism".

"Albanians, stand off violence!" says Republika in its editorial. In the article "The foundations have not failed legally", the paper says that the revolts in several cities and towns of Albania were mainly sparked by the arrest of two presidents of the charitable foundations "Xhaferri" and "Populli".

Albania entitles its editorial:"Albania set to fire by 'red gangs'". The fourth page covers the chronicles of the savers' protests and the damages caused in the cities and towns of Berat, Korce, Vlore, Burrel, Shkoder, Fier, Durres and Permet.

Rilindja carries the article"The Albanian government promises reimbursement of money", which covers the violent protests of the investors in the pyramid scheme companies in several cities of Albania.

"Numerous raids and arrests yesterday and today in Kosova," the paper says. Under the title: "The main aim is to return to our schools and universities," the paper carries an interview with prof.Dr. Muhamet Bicaj, minister of Education of the Republic of Kosova.

Gazeta Shqiptare reports that the trial against the savings scheme manager Sude began. The paper carries the statement of the U.S. State Department under the title:"Stop violence and the parties should start dialogue".

Dita Informacion covers Sunday's events in the cities of Korce, Shkoder and Vlore. The paper covers the news conference of the Albanian opposition under the title:"Inter-party round table for dialogue". eva/lm/e

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[08] PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATION OF TIRANA CITIZENS AGAINST VIOLENCE AND DESTRUCTION

On this occasion, Albanian President Sali Berisha, after putting symbolically some slabs on a damaged part of the town hall, addressed to participants to show self-control and to have complete trust for the solution of the problem created by the collapse of pyramid schemes.

"The problems will be solved in a serious and honest way.", said Berisha.

The main leaders of the Democratic Party, its chairman Tritan Shehu, DP chairman of Tirana Albert Brojka etc, were among the numerous citizens, who converted their demonstration into a demonstration to reconstruct Tirana Mayor and the Palace of Culture, shouting slogans "We are and belong to Europe", "Put an end to the red terror", "Albania is ours", "We construct", and others.

These objects fell prey to the violence of the crowd led by left opposition parties, SP, SDP, DAP, on Sunday.

Last week, in several town of Albania, opposition parties, pretending that they were supporting the people who had lost their money in loan- taking companies, led crowds of people, who fired and destructed the buildings of local government, public and cultural buildings as well.

President Berisha, addressing the participants, for the reconstruction of their future and country said that "Albania and Albanians have not planned and do not plan the development of the country based on pyramid schemes, which will never exist in Albania, but on the other hand, a great freedom of the free initiative will exist, as well as a legislation, which will favours it even more".

Berisha guaranteed again that "the government is working seriously to give all the money frozen in the state-owned banks, in deceived foundations, as well as to reconstruct as soon as possible the damage caused by people, individuals and groups", who according to him "are organized based on a moral which has nothing in common with our moral, with our approach".

"What happened is a disease of the freedom and not a morbid freedom", said Berisha. /jz/mt/sh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[09] TWO MUNICIPAL COUNCIL MEMBERS, SP AND DAP REPRESENTATIVES DISCHARGED - Korce

In an extraordinary meeting held Tuesday to discuss on public order and respect of the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens, after the events of January 26th, where during a meeting organized by the Socialist Party and other left opposition parties, some public buildings were set on fire, with the proposal of Mayor Dhionis Kotmilo, according to penal procedures and by secret vote, were discharged from the duty of the town hall counselor Niko Pandeli, SP representative, and Niko Krėku, DAP representative, with the motivation that during the rally of January 26th they have committed anti-constitutional and illegal acts which were in opposition to the interests of the town hall and the counselor's oath.

After this decision, the municipal council addressed a request to SP and DAP to replace the counselors according to the nominal list.

At the end, the municipal council approved even a statement in which they denounce the acts of violence and destruction led by the Socialist Party, Social Democratic Party and the Democratic Alliance in the Sunday meeting, and call on citizens to distance themselves from such acts./kled/mt/sh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[10] ALBANIA'S FIRST CARDINAL MY LORD MIKEL KOLIQI PASSES AWAY

Cardinal Koliqi aged 94, died after a long and serious illness. In September 1995, Cardinal Koliqi had a surgery in one of Italian clinics and since then his state of health kept deteriorating.

Mikel Koliqi was ordained Albania's first cardinal in September 1994 by Pope John Paul 2, an event which has been considered as an expression of the revival of religion in Albania after the overthrow of the 50 year communist dictatorship, which ruined religious institutions and persecuted the majority of Albanian clericals.

Cardinal Mikel Koliqi was jailed in the prisons and concentration camps of the Albanian communist dictatorship for 38 years. He was arrested for the first time in February 1945 to continue then imprisonments and internments until 1986.

Cardinal Koliqi was one of the most honourable figures in the field of national culture and religious belief in Albania. He has been honoured after the democratic processes with titles such as "Torch of Democracy," "Mother Theresa," and the Golden Medal "Nation's Honour" in December last year. sk/kled/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[11] SP HAS FINANCED ITS ELECTORAL CAMPAIGN THROUGH A LOANING FINANCIAL SYSTEM - Shehu

Reading a DP press release, Shehu pointed out that SDP leader, Skender Gjinushi, has launched through the newspaper Zeri i Popullit on Nov. 28, 1996, the idea of uniting as a party with the party of the Foundation Populli, called the People's League. Shehu stressed that Zeri i Popullit and its articles of Nov, 16, 1996, Nov. 26, 1996, Dec. 3, 1996, Dec. 13, 1996, Jan. 11, 1997, Jan. 12, 1997, Jan. 14, 1997, Jan. 18, 1997 etc., have supported and testified to the relations of the left extreme with the pyramid scheme foundations.pas/xh/sh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[12] DP CHAIRMAN HOLDS NEWS CONFERENCE

At the beginning of the conference, Shehu issued a press release saying that the Democratic Party has carefully and with concern followed two dramatic events: the financial disaster of a majority part of the population due to the collapse of pyramid schemes, and the terrorist revanche of the political forces of the left wing extreme, who tried to recuperate their complete political loss on this human disaster by their revolutionary actions.

"The Democratic Party thinks that the financial loss for the absolute majority of the Albanian families does not justify the terrorist acts led and realized according to a scenario completely political, deeply anti- governmental, anti-human, and what is important anti-Albanian. Now, even the simple socialists themselves have it clear that the terrorism manifested these days on the streets of our cities and villages was an ideological, revolutionary, Marxist act. It was the succession of the destructive policy experienced by Albanians during the 50 years of the communist dictatorship, and mainly in its agony of death.

The instrumentalization of this financial disaster, its extreme politization is undoubtedly an approach far from any political ethic. The destruction of government and public units to encourage artificial situation of crisis, the strategy of the 'scorched land', all these features are the complete evidence that the Albanian left extreme is led by a Stalinist and terrorist group.

Those who did really support the pyramid schemes were left wing leaders and extremists. According to Zeri i Popullit, dated Nov. 28, 1996, Skender Gjinushi has launched the idea of uniting as a party with the party of the Foundation Populli, called the People's League. Zeri i Popullit and its articles of Nov, 16, 1996, Nov. 26, 1996, Dec. 3, 1996, Dec. 13, 1996, Jan. 11, 1997, Jan. 12, 1997, Jan. 14, 1997, Jan. 18, 1997 etc., have supported and testified to the relations of the left extreme with the pyramid schemes.

The Socialist Party itself practiced during the election campaign a loaning financial system, through selling in the market of its advocates the "Bonuses of the Socialist Party." They promised ten times returns of the paid value in case SP won the elections. The bonuses had a value ranging from 200-200 000 lek. Hence, SP, prior to and during the elections based its political support on a pyramid scheme system," said the DP press release.

It pointed out that until late, this system did not present any danger or was not a subject of worry for the opposition and when DP government froze bank accounts of the foundations, the opposition accused the state that it is damaging the interests of the citizens. "Now it is clear that this intervention of the Government defended and saved from a sure loss two thirds of the Albanians involved in this activity, says the press relase.

Regarding the left wing opposition led protests, the statement points out that with the rallies it held, the terrorist leadership of the left opposition caused the state a damage estimated at about 5 billion lek.

"In Lushnja, Berat, Skrapar, Korce, Fier, Patos, Mallakaster, Vlora and other towns, the opposition caused damages to public buildings and in some cases it destroyed their documentation and archives, which is an incalculable damage. Set organized groups blocked national roads in many points. In the lead of the terrorists were local left extreme leaders.

According to reports DP has received from its branches in districts, it comes out that the SP deputy chairman in Korca, Rami Memetllari called on protesters to attack the prefecture after such calls were also made by Niko Kereku, DAP lead in Korca.

In Berat, the crowd of people are instigated in their vandalisms by Flamur Rogu, SP chairman of the district and Sokol Azisi, secretary of the SP branch.

Eduard Alushi, SP chairman for Vlora and Kudred Lila, secretary of the cells of the SP branches demanded destruction and confrontation at any cost.

In Lushnja, Skender Satka, SP secretary for the district, has instigated the people in setting buildings ablaze, acts carried out together with other leaders in the SP Council.

In Polican, Pellumb Kondi, SP local chairman was the protagonist. In Tirana, the crowd attacked the forces of order only after "speeches" by extreme leaders Mejdani, Ceka, Gjinushi and Imami.

The rule of law will, without doubt, have its say for the terrorist acts which caused the Albanians within few days such a material damage accompanied with a moral damage which is several times greater," says the press release of the Democratic Party. kled/pas/mt/xh/sh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[13] LEFT OPPOSITION LED PROTESTS HAVE CAUSED A 50 MILLION DOLLAR DAMAGE

The statement points out that in Lushnja, Berat, Skrapar, Korce, Fier, Patos, Mallakaster, Vlora and other towns, the opposition caused damages to public buildings and in some cases it destroyed their documentation and archives, which is an incalculable damage.

The leading staff of Albpetrol in Patos addressed a protest- accusation to the left extreme wing that burned and ruined the Albpetrol's department on Sunday.

The protest-accusation says that during the riot of "revolted people" led by SP local leaders, documents of great value which reflected the economic activity for 50 years were destroyed.

The total damage, although its estimation is not yet completed, is expected to be 10 million USD./pas/xh/sh/

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