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Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA), 97-12-02Albanian Telegraphic Agency Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA) Home Page at <http://www.telpress.it/ata>Albanian Telegraphic AgencyCONTENTS
[01] ALBANIAN INTERIOR MINISTER VISITS ATHENSATHENS, DEC.2 (ATA)-By R. Goro,Albanian Interior Minister Neritan Ceka arrived in Athens on Monday for a formal visit. Ceka has already met with Greek Minister of Public Order Jorgos Romeos and Minister of Marine Stavros Shumakis. Also attending the meetings have been Albanian ambassador to Athens Kastriot Robo and Albanian and Greek police chiefs, respectively Baraj and Vasilopolous. A better cooperation for the professional qualification of the Albanian order forces and further cooperation of the joint group created recently to combat drug trafficking and organised crime as well as robbers and traffickers of motorboats, vehicles and motorcycles were the topic of discussions in these meetings. Six Albanian experts to fight drug as well as a staff of criminal service have already been qualified in Greece. During a visit of Greek Minister of order to Tirane in August both sides agreed to attach to their embassies an officer to act as communicator between the two ministries. The ministers of the two countries agreed that the joint working groups meet every six months in a border town of each country. This may also be done in cases of emergency when asked by one of the sides. Separate meetings were also held between expert groups. a.ke/pas/lm Albanian Telegraphic Agency[02] IMF EXPERTS ARRIVE IN TIRANETIRANE, DEC.2 (ATA)- By M. Noti, Mission of International Monetary Fund (IMF) arrived in Tirane today. It will discuss draft-budget for 1998 with Albanian finance specialists.According to the IMF representative to Albania, John King, besides talks to approve the parameters of the next year budget, the mission will also discuss with the Albanian government a three year agreement "ESAF" (Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility), which is expected to be signed in the next spring. "IMF has committed itself to develop Albania economically so that it overcomes the post emergency situation, and to approve the budget of 1998". The Albanian government has prepared the draft for the 1998 budget and will submit this draft-law to Parliament for approval within December 1997. The draft-budget estimates the budget deficit to be 45-50 million leks or 9-10 per cent of the GDP. The IMF experts group, composed of four members, is expected to stay for talks in Albania during the first two weeks of December. kled/lm Albanian Telegraphic Agency[03] MILUTINOVIC EXPECTED TO VISIT KOSOVATIRANE, DEC.2 (ATA)-Milan Milutinovic, Foreign Minister of the Serb- Montenegrin Federation, is expected to visit Kosova today, in the context of his electoral campaign as a Socialist Party candidate running for president of Serbia.The Kosova Albanians have declared they will not take part in these elections and will not meet Milutinovic. During his electoral campaign Milutinovic has declared himself against the German-French initiative on Kosova and against the request of President Rugova for a U.S. and EU mediation in the Prishtine-Belgrade dialogue. p.ta/kled/lm Albanian Telegraphic Agency[04] CONGRESS OF LIBERAL INTERNATIONAL APPROVES KOSOVA RESOLUTIONPRISHTINE, DEC 2 (ATA) - The 48th Congress of the Liberal International, which wounded up recently in Oxford, Great Britain, approved a resolution on Kosova calling on Belgrade to start dialogue with Prishtina.The resolution presented by Gjergj Dedaj leader of the Liberal party of Kosova, which gained the observer's status of the Liberal International, called on Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic to start dialogue with the Kosova president Ibrahim Rugova and the legitimate leadership of Kosova at the presence of an internationally authorised side. pta/pas/ak/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[05] ALBANIAN GOVERNMENT INTERESTED IN CONDITION OF GROUNDS AND STREETS OF TIRANATIRANA, DEC. 2 (ATA) - Today, under the direction of Albania's deputy Prime Minister, Bashkim Fino, a working meeting was held between the Minister of Public Affairs and Transport, Gaqo Apostoli, the prefect of Tirana, Makbule Ceco, Mayor of Tirana Albert Brojka, and experts of the Council of Ministers.Upon the initiative of the government, the meeting decided that the forces of central government should coordinate the work with the local government, in order to clean Tirana from garbage and improve the damaged roads until Christmas and the New Year. Fino asked the participants in the meeting to prepare common plans, defining the means and ways to be used for the realisation of this urgent plan. Deputy Premier Fino underlined that the only way to meet the target is constant control should be exercised by the town hall, prefecture and the government. /a.ke/mt/k Albanian Telegraphic Agency[06] FORMERLY POLITICALLY PERSECUTED MAY STAGE A HUNGER STRIKE IF THEIR CHILDREN ARE NOT ACCEPTED IN UNIVERSITY WITHOUT BEING CONTESTEDTIRANE, DEC 2 (ATA) - By Aurel Simoni: "Prime Minister Fatos Nano is violating the law: he gives not scholarships to the children of the formerly politically persecuted," declared Kurt Kola, chairman of the Formerly Politically Persecuted Association on Tuesday."If it continues like this," said Kola, who has recently also been named director of the Institute of Integration of the Formerly Politically Persecuted, "the National Council of Association will decide in its meetign of December 6, to stage a hunger strike." In this regard, the Association has sent a petition to the President of Albania and to the Parliament Speaker. Kola said that his Association has presented a report to the Council of Ministers two days ago, demanding 400 scholarships for the children of the formerly persecuted, conformed to the law on "The Status of the Formerly Politically Persecuted under the communist regime." ake/kei/xh/k Albanian Telegraphic Agency[07] PRESIDENT OF ALBANIAN SOCCER FEDERATION ELECTEDTIRANE, DEC 2 (ATA) - By A Keko: One of the renowned personalities of the Albanian football, the Merited Sport Master, Mico Papadhopulli, was elected on Tuesday President of the Albanian Soccer Federation after a long meeting of the Electoral Assembly of Football.The new Executive Committee of the Federation was also elected. It consists of 11 members, all specialists of Albanian football and former football players. ake/kei/xh/k Albanian Telegraphic Agency[08] BERISHA UNCOVERS OTHER DISAGREEMENTS WITH FORMER BANK GOVERNORTIRANA, DEC. 2 (ATA) - By A. Simoni: Former Albanian President Sali Berisha uncovered other disagreements he had with former Governor of Albania's Bank, Kristaq Luniku on Tuesday midday during a news conference."By the beginning of this year, said DP chairman Sali Berisha, the then head of state, I have tried to lower the interest rates of banks, because the depositors could have favours, but the creditors might be damaged." Asked about who hindered Berisha, allpowerful in governing, to lower the interest rates of banks to 40%, one of the main officials of finances of that time, confirmed Tuesday that it was former Governor Luniku, who according to the law, should decide on the level of interest rates. At the beginning of the year, Berisha still Albania's President, conducted a tour in different districts of the country, to seriously restore the authority of DP, lost with the collapse of pyramid investment schemes, and in his speeches he praised the very high interest rates of the Albanian banks, "the highest in Europe." Berisha did not come to terms with the then governor since 1995, when Luniku sent him letters and two draft-laws against pyramid schemes, to which Berisha never answered back. /a.ke/kei/mt/k Albanian Telegraphic Agency[09] DRAFT LAW ON BANKS IMPAIRS THEIR INDEPENDENCE - DPTIRANE, DEC 2 (ATA) - By Aurel Simoni: "The new draft law impairs their independence," finance specialists of the opposition Democratic Party of Albania told a news conference on Tuesday.Albina Karamitro, DP Presidency member, said that ten points of the draft impair the independence of the banks, and risk to turn them into "a department of the Council of Ministers since four members of the Monitoring Council of the Bank are named by the Government, four by the Parliament and one by the Monitoring Council." Another point to be improved in the draft was the revocation of the right of the State Control Commission to control the banks and the granting of this right to a department in the Bank, which depends on the Monitoring Council. "There is no legal guarantee for the deposits in the banks," said the former Finance Minister Ritvan Bode, now DP Secretary General. He voiced the need of the approval of the draft law on the ban of the money-laundering. The democrats considered wrong the strategy of the banking liquidation and privatization, of which the Government officials said is under the observation of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Karamitro said that IMF and WB cannot make such suggestions and it is a failure for the government if it accepts impositions from international institutions. Bode said: "We too had noticed attempts for intervention by the IMF in this direction," recalling that IMF had determined deadlines for the privatization of banks. ake/kei/xh/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[10] ALBANIA'S JUSTICE MINISTER MEETS CE REPRESENTATIVESTIRANA, DEC. 2 (ATA) - Albania's Minister of Justice Thimjo Kondi held Tuesday a meeting with representatives of the Council of Europe and the Commission of Venecia. The meeting focused on the preparations done for drafting the constitution and the measures taken for the Office of Publications (mainly publications of juridical literature.)Minister Kondi expressed the readiness of the Albanian party that this office, on which the government of Norway has accorded 400 000 dollars, starts functioning as soon as possible. Meanwhile, according to the spokesman of the Justice Ministry, the deputy minister, Arjan Hajdari, ended his three-day-visit in Strasbourg. In the meeting with representatives of the member countries of the Council of Europe, he discussed about the cooperation in the fight against criminality and corruption. /a.ke/kei/mt/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[11] I AM PLEASED TO LEAVE ALBANIA IN A NEW STAGE -Austrian ambassadorTIRANA, DEC. 2 (ATA) - Albania's President Rexhep Meidani held Tuesday a meeting with the ambassador of Austria in Albania, George Calice, on the occasion of his departure from Albania, President's press and information office reports."We passed difficult moments, he said, but I am pleased to leave Albania in a new stage, of the economic and institutional recovery," said Ambassador Calice. President Meidani estimated the very good ties between the two countries and expressed the conviction that the special contribution of Austria during the recent Albanian crisis makes a strong base for strengthening further on of the relations between Albania and Austria. /a.ke/kei/mt/k Albanian Telegraphic Agency[12] CLARIFICATION ABOUT INTERVIEW OF ALBANIAN PRIME MINISTER WITH NEWSPAPER NASHA BORBA OF BELGRADETIRANE, DEC 2 (ATA) - Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano in an interview with the Belgrade newspaper Nasha Borba has not accused his party (SP) of inactivity while it was in opposition, as has been commented recently in some press organs.The Information and Media Department close to the Council of Ministers distributed on Tuesday the full text of that interview, which explains the stand of Fatos Nano regarding the role of his party in the victory of the June 29, 1997 elections. Asked by the reporter of Nasha Borba what was decisive in the victory of the socialists in the June elections, the strength of the party or the pronunciation of the electorate against DP..., PM Fatos Nano has said: "Both factors were present. During this period the Socialist Party knew to play its role as opposition, by being constructive... In the ATA report referred to the German Radio Deutche Welle, on Monday it was written "The Socialist Party did not know to play its role as opposition." kei/xh/k Albanian Telegraphic Agency[13] IT IS HIGH TIME THAT SCORCHED EARTH BE SOWN AND THIS MUST BE MADE BY ALL ALBANIANS - PM spokesmanTIRANE, DEC 2 (ATA) - The Albanians Government is following with preoccupation the reasonable reaction of those Albanians who after they left their homeland as a result of the political crisis in spring this year, must now be repatriated according to all international norms and standards and a bilateral agreement, said today to the press the Albanian Prime Minister's spokesman.According to the Re-Admission Agreement, signed on November 18, 1997 by both Albania and Italy, the Italian Government is closing, beginning from November 30, the refugee reception centers for those Albanian citizens who fled Albania as a result of the crisis of terror that the previous government wanted to exert on them, says the report. Albania has come out of the crisis and is not considered any longer as a country in emergency, a condition which gives the possibility to all the citizens to return home normally and start working in their own country. The spokesman added that the Albanian Government has asked the Italian authorities to treat with respect the Albanian nationals who have committed no crime, but have fled their country in March-April because of the state crime. The Government believes in the understanding of these nationals who fled leaving behind a scorched earth and expressed its confidence that they will be assisted with priority in the context of the Italian-Albanian projects and others for their employment and financial assistance. "It is high time that the scorched earth be sown and to this all Albanians must contribute," ends the report of the PM's spokesman. ake/kei/xh/k Albanian Telegraphic Agency[14] GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE FOR FIGHT AGAINST SMUGGLING SET UPTIRANA, DEC. 2 (ATA) - The Albanian government decided Tuesday to establish the Government Committee for the Fight against Smuggling.This decision was taken in a meeting of working groups of the Interior Ministry, Ministry of Finances, Defence, Justice, SHIK, as well as with the help of the General Prosecutor's Office, under the direction of deputy Premier Bashkim Fino. The Committee is headed by Fino and is made up of Minister of Finances Arben Malaj, Interior Minister Neritan Ceka, Defence Minister Sabit Brokaj, Justice Minister Thimjo Kondi, Chairman of the National Information Service Fatos Klosi, and the Director General of State Reserves, Agron Dibra. The Committee, which will convene every month, aims to draft the objectives against smuggling, guarantee and coordinate the work between ministries and other state institutions. The Government Committee against Smuggling will propose to the People's Assembly the approval of the draft-law "On confiscation of goods which are produced, imported or put on sale without the fiscal stamp," as well as a supplement to the law "On the Customs Code," which foresees that 60% of incomes from fines, sequestrations or confiscations of smuggling goods, pass to the state budget. While 40 per cent of the incomes is expected to pass to the favour of the body that has conducted the action. /s.s/kei/mt/k From the Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA) Home Page at http://www.telpress.it/ataAlbanian Telegraphic Agency Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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