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Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA), 98-03-04Albanian Telegraphic Agency Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA) Home Page at <http://www.telpress.it/ata>Albanian Telegraphic AgencyCONTENTS
[01] Press reviewTIRANA, March 4 (ATA) - Today's press highlights the situation on Kosova.The daily Koha Jone reports that the funerals of ten victims in Drenica were organised on Tuesday, but the death toll has not been revealed yet. It says that the Serb police have not allowed people to participate in funerals reporting that "Kosova is banned to cry." The same daily carries an interview with Iljaz Ramajli, chief of the office of the Republic of Kosova in Albania under the title "Serbs have warned of the massacre." Zeri i Popullit reports that the Albanian Foreign minister Paskal Milo will leave for France on Thursday to discuss the situation in Kosova with his French counterpart Hubert Vedrine. It says that the Socialist party has refused the invitation of the Democratic party to join a round table on Kosova saying that "Albanians expect statements by the state institutions and not by round tables." Gazeta Shqiptare says that "while Kosova is confirming reports on victims of the police violence, the political authorities all over the world point at Milosevic." It reports that the U.S. State Department has strongly reacted on the events in Kosova giving the ultimatum to isolate Belgrade. Rilindja reports on a meeting of the coordinating council of the political party in Kosova under president Ibrahim Rugova which denounced the savage police terror in Drenice. It covers the latest developments in Kosova. Rilindja Demokratike says that the DP is calling on 17 parties and seven associations to join a round table on Kosova quoting Berisha as saying "A nation, an attitude." ake/ak/ Today's newspapers report on the protocol of cooperation signed between Italy and Albania. Zeri i Popullit says that based on this protocol signed by Italian minister Lamberto Dini and the Albanian minister for Cooperation and Economic Development Ermelinda Meksi, Italy will provide Albanian institutions with 60 billion lira. The paper quotes's Dini as saying on this occasion: "The agreement confirms Italian commitment to Albania's internal stability in politics, bilateral and international cooperation". "The Albanian administration under Italian 'protectorate', says Koha Jone regarding the agreement on 60 billion lira signed in Rome. Today's newspapers also report on the VEFA company issue. "Koha Jone" says that foreign auditors have addressed a letter to the organiser of the VEFA strike, asking that an end be put to it, as it harms the creditors. The same paper says that Robert Cameron has issued an ultimatum to the presidents of the loan-taking companies, asking them to sent the balance-sheet of their financial situation in and outside the country. Gazeta Shqiptare says that the Deloitte & Touche company has denounced the VEFA company president for hampering it to exercise its duty envisaged by law. Albania says that the state captures VEFA's television, while Rilindja Demokratike says that the VEFA hunger strikers ask the Deloitte & Touche to leave. /a.ke/lm/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[02] National park "loses" 60 ha of green groundsTIRANA, March 4 (ATA) - By P. Shuteriqi: Some 60 ha of green grounds are considered "lost" due to numerous illegal constructions during the last five or six years in the national park of the capital, Azis Marku, director of the Enterprise for the Protection of green areas said to ATA on Wednesday.Until 1990 the national park of Tirana covered 260 ha of green grounds on the sides of the artificial lake. Now it has only 200 ha. This park has been created many years ago by the youths and inhabitants of the capital. ake/pas/ak/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[03] Commissariat 2 in Shkoder not attacked -OSCE's offices not raided, either-TIRANE, March 4 (ATA)-By Th. Thanasi, The building of commissariat 2 in Shkoder was not attacked on Tuesday, neither were OSCE offices raided, as alleged by today's press, Interior Ministry spokesman told ATA on Wednesday."None of these versions is true," spokesman Artan Bizhga said, explaining that bullets were shot into the air for a few minutes near the OSCE offices but special forces arrived in the area immediately. The spokesman said that the situation in the Shkoder city remains calm, while the police forces are under complete reorganisation, after the event occurring on February 22 when the city was terrorised and state, religious, bank and private institutions were raided. /a.ke/pas/lm/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[04] Women protest against Serb police violence in KosovaTIRANA, March 4 (ATA) - By P. Shuteriqi: Albanian women strongly protested against police violence of the Serb installed regime against peaceful population in Kosova in a demonstration on Wednesday in front of the Yugoslav embassy in Tirana.Albanian Women Federation, which organised the protest rally, gathers over 10 thousand members all over Albania and is a non governmental organisation (NGO), Mimoza Dajçi, Secretary of the formerly politically persecuted women association said to ATA. Today's rally aimed at denouncing the savage violence of the Serb regime of Milosevic against Kosova unprotected women and children, she said. The women gathered in Scanderbeg square denounced the recent police repression against Kosova peaceful protesters. Later they marched towards the Yugoslav embassy shouting "Drenica- Kosova", "Kosova-Albania," "No Albania without Kosova and Çameri" and others. ake/pas/ak/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[05] Science academy drafts platform on national issueTIRANA, March 4 (ATA) - By P. Shuteriqi: Board of the Albanian Academy of Science drafted recently a project platform to defend the Albanian national issue, Ylli Popa, current head of the Academy said to ATA on Wednesday.The project is being given to all academicians to present remarks and suggestions and a final text will be drawn up later in cooperation with the members of the Kosova Academy of Science and Arts which will be discussed by a nationwide assembly. ake/ak/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[06] EU Political Committee discusses Kosova issueTIRANE, March 4 (ATA)-The European Union (EU) Political Committee, convened in Brussels on March 3, wound up its meeting, which focused on the Kosova issue, the media and information department close to the Council of Ministers reports.Diplomatic sources say that the EU and the U.S. have urged the adoption of a series of preliminary practical measures to prevent a further escalation of the conflict and the strengthening of the outer wall of sanctions on Yugoslavia. The permanent working group to EU's Council of Ministers was delegated to define the strategy of taking these measures. The Political Committee is also reported to have very positively assessed the statement of Prime Minister Fatos Nano and options he presented for the solution of the Kosova issue, as an expression of a constant policy pursued by the Albanian government on this issue. The participants in this meeting observed that this approach of the Albanian government is constructive and standing. On this occasion they stressed that in EU's coming consultations to resolve this issue, Albania will be given priority. /a.ke/lm/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[07] Albania records good macro economic figures, IMF official saysTIRANA, March 4 (ATA) - Albania's president Rexhep Meidani met on Wednesday with a mission of the International Monetary Fund for Albania, headed by Juha Kakonen.The press and information office at the Presidency said that Kakonen informed President Meidani on contacts with competent Albanian institutions and praised Albania's good macro economic figures and important progress during the recent months but "the problem of order and social economic ones are as important as it should be taken into consideration." Kakonen, heading a six-member delegation which included the IMF resident representative in Albania John King, praised future plans of some ministries as a good basis for cooperation between this important financial institution and Albania. "We have discussed with the prime minister to create a high-ranking coordination group to fight red tape in order to pave way for important projects to revive Albania," President Meidani said. He praised as necessary the creation of specialists' groups of multisectorial experience at every ministry. President Meidani said that speeding up privatisation, transition of domestic businessmen from trade to production field, creating facilitated conditions for big foreign companies, which want to invest in Albania but also stimulating small business will create jobs for Albanians in their difficult way to reconstruct Albania. Later, President Meidani, responding to the interest of the delegation members, spoke of issues of the constitution, judiciary, order and his vision of the coming cnstitutional configuration of Albania. "We have lost little time in starting the educational process or, in other words, the process of the peoples' participation in approving the constitution. Its beginning would step up the simple citizens' pressure on politics to quickly perform the stages to draft and approve it," said Meidani. Referring to the relations between powers at present and in the future, the President maintained that of primary importance is separation and respect of powers and not domination of one over the other or abuse of power, a phenomenon from which Albania has suffered a lot. /a.ke/pas/ak/lm/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[08] Some 25 Albanians killed during unrest in DrencieTIRANA, March 4 (ATA) - The spokesman of the Albanian Foreign Ministry, Sokol Gjata, told Wednesday a news conference that 25 Kosovo Albanians have been killed on March 1 and 2, 1998, as a result of the violence exercised by the Serbian police forces in Drenice. Among them was also a pregnant woman, mother of two children. /s.sh/mima/mt/Albanian Telegraphic Agency[09] Act as entire nation to defend national interests- declare 18 Albanian parties and 9 associations -TIRANA, March 4 (ATA) - By A. Haxhiu: A statement, signed Wednesday by 18 Albanian political parties and 9 associations, condemned the Serbian violence in Kosova, called on the Albanians wherever they are, to act as an entire nation in front of the Serbian aggression and urges the international community to urgently intervene for the prevention of the further conflict in Kosova. "We call on Albanians in Albania, Kosova, Macedonia, Monte Negro, diaspora and elsewhere to be ready to react with determination and in cold blood against the Serbian aggression in Kosova as an entire national to defend our land," says the statement. "We call on the United States and the European Union to urgently and energetically intervene on Belgrade by suspending any possible alleviation of sanctions and by adopting them again, as well as by exerting pressure through all possible means to interrupt violence and escalation of conflict, " continues the statement. The Socialist Party and the parties of the government coalition did not participate in this table, as they declared their stand regarding this question in Parliament. The Albanian parliament, through a statement on Monday, condemned the violence in Kosova and asked the immediate interruption of the Serbian violence against the unprotected population in Kosova, and urged Serbs to talk for a peaceful solution of the Kosovar problem. Also, the Albanian parliament called on the European Union, Council of Europe, USA and Contact Group to undertake concrete initiatives which would put into motion the international institutions for their presence in Kosova and concrete engagement for the prevention of the conflict. /mima/mt/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[10] OSCE office in Shkoder is not raided - official saysSHKODER, March 4 (ATA) - By M. Malja: The representative of the OSCE office in Shkoder (North), Florian Ronik, confuted before domestic and foreign journalists the report printed in several Albanian newspaper, according to which this office was raided on Tuesday evening."On Tuesday evening, armed persons fired weapons in vicinity of the OSCE office. I immediately informed the police forces, they came and put under control the premises near our office," said Ronik. According to him, "tranquility was restored right after the arrival of the police forces." Attending the inauguration ceremony of opening this office in October 1997 was also the former OSCE mediator for the solution of the Albanian crisis, the former Austrian chancellor, Franz Vranitzky. This office closely follows the economical and political developments in the entire northern region of the country. /s.sh/mima/mt/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[11] Union for Democracy holds rally on KosovaTIRANA, March 4 (ATA) - The political grouping 'Union for Democracy' held Wednesday a rally in the "Skenderbej" square, expressing the support to the requests of the Kosova people for freedom and independence.On behalf of the Democratic Party, member of the above grouping, greeted Azem Hajdari, who condemned the Serbian violence against the unprotected population in Kosova and called for a wider support of the Kosova people. After the meeting, the participants headed for the building of VEFA company shouting slogans against the government. /mima/mt/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[12] Peaceful solution for Kosova issue, says Foreign MinisterTIRANA, March 4 (ATA) - By A. Haxhiu: Albania's Foreign Minister Paskal Milo, in a letter addressed Wednesday to the chairman of the U.N. Security Council, Momodow Kebka Yallow, stresses that the solution of the Kosova problem should be made through peaceful ways, the spokesman of this Ministry reported."The international community has denounced the state-sponsored violence of Yugoslavia. The Albanian government has joint the stand of the international community, by declaring in any case that the stable solution of the Kosova problem can be reached through peaceful ways, within the framework of a dialogue between Belgrade and Prishtine," says the letter. "Concerned by the threat of a conflict with huge consequences for the peace and stability in the region, the Albanian government urges the convention of an urgent meeting of the U.N. Security Council to discuss the measures to be taken to stop a new tragedy in Kosova and the region. At the same time, the Albanian PM has asked sudden intervention of the Contact Group for the solution of the crisis and has urged this group to draft a concrete plan for the solution of the Kosova matter," reads the letter of the Albanian Foreign Minister, Paskal Milo. /mima/mt/ From the Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA) Home Page at http://www.telpress.it/ataAlbanian Telegraphic Agency Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |