Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA), 97-06-02

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

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

CONTENTS

[01] BRIDGE IN NATIONAL ROAD DAMAGED

[02] CAMPING EQUIPMENT FOR ALBA MISSION FORCES ARRIVED

[03] 12 PEOPLE HURT BY A BOMB IN A BAR IN TIRANA

[04] UNIVERSITY TEACHING PROGRAM NOT SUSPENDED BECAUSE OF ELECTIONS

[05] DP OPPOSES ALLIANCE WITH EXTREME LEFT-WING FORCES AND PARTIES STIRRING UP REBELLION

[06] 12 PEOPLE HURT BY A BOMB IN A BAR IN TIRANA

[07] DEMOCRATIC PARTY TO ANNOUNCE CANDIDATURES FOR FORTHCOMING ELECTIONS

[08] NATIONAL COUNCIL OF SDP DISCUSSES CANDIDACIES AND ELECTORAL TACTICS

[09] YOUNG MAN KILLED IN SHKODER

[10] LEKA ZOGU MEETS WITH INHABITANTS OF TEPELENA AND MEMALIAJ

[11] GREATER GUARANTEES FOR FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS

[12] OSCE OBSERVERS: ACTIVE IN CONDUCT OF ELECTION PROCESS

[13] BOMB EXPLOSION WOUNDS 20 PEOPLE AT A CAFE IN TIRANA

[14] NUMBER OF POPULATION IN TIRANA PASSES LIMITS OF INSTAT CALCULATIONS

[15] TAXI-DRIVER KILLED IN DOORSTEP OF HIS HOUSE IN GRAMSH

[16] FOREIGN GREEK MINISTER TO COME TO ALBANIA

[17] LETTER OF ALBANIAN PM BASHKIM FINO TO DUTCH PM VIM KOK

[18] SDP ACCEPTS TO TAKE PART IN ELECTIONS, BUT IT DEMANDS FREE CONSTITUENCIES BY SP

[19] LEFT WING EXTREME IS USING BOMBS INSTEAD OF ALTERNATIVES - DP

[20] ALBANIAN INTERIOR MINISTER MEETS WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF POLITICAL FORCES IN BERAT

[21] POLICE WOUND ONE OF THE THIEVES IN A SAVINGS BANK IN ELBASAN

[22] A BOMB PLACED IN A VAN BLASTS FOR THE SECOND TIME IN TIRANE ON MONDAY

[01] BRIDGE IN NATIONAL ROAD DAMAGED

The drivers of the taxi service in this line report that a big crater was opened in one side of the bridge due to the explosion.

Although the bridge is still passable, the possibility of its complete damage exists.

The political forces have expressed their concern that the multinational forces, deployed in Gjirokaster, have not taken yet under control any of the national roads in the southern districts. /eva/mt/e

[02] CAMPING EQUIPMENT FOR ALBA MISSION FORCES ARRIVED

Different sources said that the French ship "Sloman Regent" will arrive tomorrow in the port of Durres. The ship comes from Toulon of France and carries 30 containers and 5 big trucks loaded with camping and stationary equipment for French contingent stationed in Durres. a.ke/kled/ak/

[03] 12 PEOPLE HURT BY A BOMB IN A BAR IN TIRANA

The bomb blasted in a cafe which is situated between the Defence Ministry and the headquarters of the Socialist Party, property of the State Secretary in the Interior Ministry, Lush Perpali, appointed by the Socialist Party.

The area is surrounded by the police forces now.

Several days ago it was reported that a bomb was put in the that bar and it came to be a false alarm. /ak/mt/e

[04] UNIVERSITY TEACHING PROGRAM NOT SUSPENDED BECAUSE OF ELECTIONS

"June 29 is a date which does not have any relation with the teaching program or the exam dates. They are two different things," Gjergji File, director for the Higher Education said.

Rumors have been spread recently by the press saying that the teaching program will be suspended in the run-up to the forthcoming elections and the University in Elbasan will be closed.

The minister of the Higher Education and Scientific Research issued an order saying that the higher schools will end the teaching program at the end of July and this means a regular teaching program and exams. pas/ak/E

[05] DP OPPOSES ALLIANCE WITH EXTREME LEFT-WING FORCES AND PARTIES STIRRING UP REBELLION

"We will cooperate with those right-wing parties which did not collaborate with the extreme left that stirred up and organised armed rebellions in the south of Albania," Minarolli said.

He said that the DP will cooperate only with political forces, member of the political grouping "Union for Democracy", both before and after the elections.

"This collaboration will carry out the program of the DP and its alliance forces which aims at emerging Albania from this situation and integrating it into Europe," Minarolli said.

He said that the DP welcomes the cooperation with the National Front (Balli Kombetar) party.

"We have found an understanding for an open cooperation with the National Front party divisions and the "Union for Democracy" parties, he said, adding that the same thing has been noticed with different elements of the Republican party (RP) in order to have a joined campaign and support each other."

Such a stand of some RP elements and divisions differs from that of the RP presidency.

Minarolli said that "the RP's opposing stand to DP both through press and actions resulted from the participation of the Republican leader Sabri Godo in the signing of the March 28 agreement with the so-called salvation committees what was an open challenge to the Albanian democracy.

The political grouping "Union for Democracy" extended recently its ranks with other nine political parties and some 30 political, cultural and patriotic associations which said that will back the grouping's political forces and their candidates during the election campaign. kled/ak/E

[06] 12 PEOPLE HURT BY A BOMB IN A BAR IN TIRANA

[07] DEMOCRATIC PARTY TO ANNOUNCE CANDIDATURES FOR FORTHCOMING ELECTIONS

"Other proposals for candidates from the district party divisions are expected and they will be considered by the meeting of the party National Council," Vili Minarolli, DP Public Relations Secretary said.

Even the constituencies and common deputies who will represent the political grouping "Union for Democracy" will be set this week.

So far, this grouping is expected to have common candidates on some constituencies such as Diber, Mat and others.

The National Council, according to Minarolli, will also approve the DP emergency program and electoral one which will be used after the emergency period.

A clear and concrete emergency program foresees the possibility to recuperate the economic damages, restructure institutions, establish law and order violated as a result of the armed rebellion.

After this period, Minarolli said, the DP based on its development program will continue the process of quick privatisation of medium and large enterprises, strengthening democratic institution, division of powers without excluding the national issue and the objective for Albania's integration into Europe and Euro Atlantic structures./kled/ak/sh/

[08] NATIONAL COUNCIL OF SDP DISCUSSES CANDIDACIES AND ELECTORAL TACTICS

"Besides the candidacies, the meeting will also discusss the electoral tactics of SDP, such as the alliances, the electoral campaign, but I cannot specify anything now," said the SDP Secretary General Gaqo Apostoli while the meeting of the Council was going on.

The meeting is also expected to decide whether this party would take part in elections or not, an issue which has been so far not yet determined.

In the Parliamentary elections of May 26, 1996 and in the local polls of October 20, 1996, this party together with the Democratic Alliance Party stood for elections in the group "The centre pole," in alliance with the Socialist Party.

A meeting of the Forum of Democracy Sunday, a member of which is also the SDP, the Socialist Party proposed that the forum be represented in the polls with common candidates, but this opinion was oppossed by DAP and the Forum presidency.

In the mean time, it is not determined whether SDP will make an alliance with its 'old' allies, DAP and SP. Mutual attacks have been noticed between these forces recently, from which Prime Minister Fino too has not been able to escape. xh

[09] YOUNG MAN KILLED IN SHKODER

Sources of the police commissariat report that the event happened on Sunday by 18:00, and the young man, Nikolin Kola, lost his life. Unidentified people shot him by fire weapons, and fled away after committing the crime. Investigations to uncover the motives and authors of crime are going on. /s.sh/jz/mt/Z/

[10] LEKA ZOGU MEETS WITH INHABITANTS OF TEPELENA AND MEMALIAJ

At 10:45 in the main square of Memaliaj, Leka Zogu and the group accompanying him, was received by some 2000 inhabitants, supports of monarchy, shouting the slogans "Long-live Leka", "Long-live the king".

After the mayor, Syrja Hyseni, wished him welcome, the meeting of Leka Zogu continued in the form of conversation for about 30 minutes.

Later on, he held a meeting with intellectuals of the town, and at 11:30 he was received by hundreds of inhabitants of Tepelena, in the square "Ali Pasha", of this town. /s.sh/jz/mt/Z/

[11] GREATER GUARANTEES FOR FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS

Mr Fino informed them on the measures taken by the Government, and concretely on the conditions created for the functioning of the Central Electoral Commission, establishment of a special working group, headed by him, to coordinate and help different election bodies in the country, as well as the efforts to guarantee free and fair elections. Premier Fino restressed the request to lift the state of emergency, as well as the reduction of the voting time.

He also informed on the guarantees given by Italy and OSCE, and which have to do with the increase of the presence of the international community in monitoring the elections, their assistance in preparing and distributing the ballot papers and boxes, process-verbals, as well as the consensus reached for the reinterpretation of the mandate of the Multinational Force, so that it gives its help in protecting the polling stations.

The ambassadors of all diplomatic embassies appreciated the cooperation and their understanding with the Government of National Reconciliation and Premier Fino.

They supported the thoughts and concrete steps of the Albanian government, hoping that all the parties will not only participate in the June 29 elections, but will also immediately start their campaign in the whole country.

After they were interested in the legal aspects, they expressed understanding regarding the lift of the state of emergency and reduction of the voting time through a compromise, on which they will also offer their possible aid. On this occasion, they confirmed the readiness of their respective countries, in particular, and in the context of international bodies, to send a considerable number of international observers, aiming to make possible monitoring of a larger part of the country. /s.sh/jz/mt/Z/

[12] OSCE OBSERVERS: ACTIVE IN CONDUCT OF ELECTION PROCESS

"The observers will not only advise, but they will be participant in the electoral commissions," said Jeff Murray, adding that "this will not happen in all the 4 000 polling stations, but in most of them they will be present."

With regard to the coordination of the OSCE activity with "Alba" mission, sources of OSCE report that they are working together to coordinate the movements of the experts of this organization with those of the multinational forces.

The multinational forces accompany in most of the cases the experts in their trips outside Tirana.

Everything depends on the security and order in different zones of the country.

"In cases when it was not necessary the experts have travelled by themselves, without the escorts of soldiers," said Jeff Murray. /jz/mt/Z/

[13] BOMB EXPLOSION WOUNDS 20 PEOPLE AT A CAFE IN TIRANA

The bomb blasted in "Freskia" cafe which is situated between the Defence Ministry and the headquarters of the Socialist Party, owned by the State Secretary in the Interior Ministry, Lush Perpali, rented recently by someone else.

All the injured were immediately sent to the emergency ward of the Hospital no. 2, in the capital. According to the sources of the hospital their health situation was not very grave.

Among the injured are also two waiters and the counter-man.

"The injured have slight wounds," said the doctor Krenar Lila, who added that only four of them are in grave situation.

The bomb blast has damaged the grounds of the cafe, which is mainly constructed by wood, as well as the windows and other equipment.

The area is surrounded by the police forces now.

According to some police sources it is reported on a quantity of TNT or dynamite, which is not defined, put in the toilet of the cafe.

Arjan Shameti, who has rented the cafe of Lush Perpali for 6 years, says that he did not remember what happened, but "felt the ceiling falling down on his head."

He connects the event with a story printed in Albania paper, according to which it was reported that police had false information on Saturday that in this bar a bomb was put.

The situation about the event is not made clear yet, but according to some reports, police have ordered one of the waiters of the cafe not to come out of the hospital. /kei/mt/Z/

[14] NUMBER OF POPULATION IN TIRANA PASSES LIMITS OF INSTAT CALCULATIONS

INSTAT calculates the number of inhabitants in Tirana on January 1, 1997 to have been 560 000, meanwhile that it is impossible to calculate the increase of population over the past months.

Tirana counted 30 000 inhabitants in 1923; after the liberation the number increased by 50-70 000 inhabitants in each ten years. In 1993, the number of inhabitants reached in 384 000, 68 per cent of whom lived in city.

In the last three years, a drastic exodus from the districts, brought in Tirana some 176 000 people, which is the tenfold of the annual absolute increase, compared to the 5 previous decades.

The average annual rhythm of the increase of population for 1994-1996 is 13.6 per cent, meanwhile that for the town this index is 16.4 per cent.

The figures have changed a lot in these recent months, due to the grave situation in districts, a large number of people are coming in Tirana. The calculations will go beyond any prevision, considering the fact that most of the citizens of Tirana will not go on holidays this year due to the grave situation.

The prevision, based on the dynamic of the increase of population recently, see Tirana a city with 1 million inhabitants at the end of this century. /eva/mt/

[15] TAXI-DRIVER KILLED IN DOORSTEP OF HIS HOUSE IN GRAMSH

Some persons asked the taxi-driver to come out of his house, sources from this town report. As soon as he opened the door, volley of bullets and a defensive grenade caused the death of Baci, father of three children.

Sources of the hospital inform that the wife of Baci was also injured, who is safe now thanks to the surgical intervention of the staff. /s.sh/kei/mt/Z/

[16] FOREIGN GREEK MINISTER TO COME TO ALBANIA

In the agenda of the meetings of Minister Pangallos are included the meetings with President Berisha, Premier Fino, as well as with his counterpart Arjan Starova.

During his visit in Albania, the Greek Foreign Minister will visit the Greek contingent of the Multinational Protection Force, and will hold a meeting with the Albanian political parties in the Greek Embassy in Tirana. /kei/mt/k

[17] LETTER OF ALBANIAN PM BASHKIM FINO TO DUTCH PM VIM KOK

Mr Fino expressed his pleasure for the possibility created to him to greet the Queen of Holland, Beatrix and U.S. President Bill Clinton. Fino thanked the Dutch authorities for the excellent organization, with the participation of heads of states and governments to celebrate the day and the mission of the Marshall Plan for a Prosperous and Democratic Europe.

In the letter to his Dutch counterpart, PM Fino writes that the lofty ideals of George Marshall are still relevant and inspiring for our part of Europe which suffered for 50 years of isolation and communist dictatorship. At the end of the letter, Albanian PM expressed to the Dutch PM his thanks for the wisdom manifested by the European Union and the attention shown to the organization of a conference of donators for the economic recovery of Albania, along with the monitoring of the coming elections in Albania. xh

[18] SDP ACCEPTS TO TAKE PART IN ELECTIONS, BUT IT DEMANDS FREE CONSTITUENCIES BY SP

"It is high time that cooperation of SDP with SP and DAP be extended, by putting common candidates in a considerable part of constituencies," said SDP general secretary Gaqo Apostoli.

Apostoli said that SDP was ready to present candidates in 115 constituencies, but the number of the candidates will depend on the number of common and free constituencies that SP or the Forum for Democracy will leave, in which one of the main forces, besides SDP, is also SP.

According to a declaration, SDP agreed to take part in elections by naming 95 candidates.

The SDP chairman Skender Gjinushi demanded that the state of emergency be lifted, because, according to him "it is irreconcilable with the electoral campaign."

Before this meeting was held, SDP had declared it would not take part in elections if the state of emergency was not lifted.

SDP declared that it had agreed with DAP to cooperate at the level of party leaders, and this could be extended.

"But in fact," said Apostoli, we are not realizing a grouping as in the local elections."

Apostoli said that SDP supported the idea that SP stands for elections with common candidates in the name of the Forum for Democracy and said it was ready to also cooperate with right wing forces which are members of the Forum for Democracy like the Right wing Democratic Party.

Gjinushi asked a greater commitment of the OSCE for the full monitoring of the elections and a greater contribution of the peace-keeping forces for the security of the polling stations. kei/xh/k

[19] LEFT WING EXTREME IS USING BOMBS INSTEAD OF ALTERNATIVES - DP

"The left extreme is using bombs instead of alternatives," says a declaration of the Albanian Democratic Party.

The declaration said that "at a time when the political parties have just started the electoral campaign, the communist guerrillas are seeking "to undermine this solution, aiming at spoiling the campaign.

"Such acts, which follow the threats of the committees, are a clear expression of the tendencies of the left wing extreme to take the power through revolutionary ways and means while it lacks a reliable alternative," ends the ADP declaration. ssh/jz/xh/k

[20] ALBANIAN INTERIOR MINISTER MEETS WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF POLITICAL FORCES IN BERAT

Representatives of the Democratic Party and the Socialist Party told the minister Celo that "the apathy of the forces of order and failure to catch any of the criminals has made Berat close the doors of life."

Celo supported their concern saying that the main element for coming out of the grave crisis are the elections of June 29, for which the political forces should work so that the law be observed.

He pointed out that the National Reconciliation Government does not recognize the committees and that the ministry he directs will work for the realisation of the elections in the best possible normal conditions.

He described the elections as a condition which would restore peace in Albania.

During the past months, the city of Berat was ranked among the southern cities mostly affected by the destructions and crimes committed by armed groups. kei/xh/k

[21] POLICE WOUND ONE OF THE THIEVES IN A SAVINGS BANK IN ELBASAN

As a result of the fire, two policemen were wounded, one of whom was taken to Tirana for qualified medical treatment.

Police responded with fire to the armfire by the thieves, and wounded gravely Klajdi Gripshi, 21, resident in Elbasan, who is now in the hospital of Elbasan, jz.xh

[22] A BOMB PLACED IN A VAN BLASTS FOR THE SECOND TIME IN TIRANE ON MONDAY

The explosion took place not far from the Bank of Albania and the Socialist Party headquarters, where the another explosion blasted Monday at noon. Reports say that after the first explosion, two other blasts were heard. gd/xh

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