Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA), 98-07-08

Albanian Telegraphic Agency Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

CONTENTS

[01] Fighting along Kosova-Albania border belt extends

[02] Meta says relations with EU completely renewed

[03] Albanian Government will accomplish commitments stemming from ESAF 2

[04] 6000 people employed in public works

[05] Production of iron-chrome in Bulqize increases

[06] Social insurances in Tirana - 97 000 pensioners

[07] Names of the people who have unjustly profited from pyramid investment schemes to be made public

[08] There is no organised arms trafficking - commander

[09] Plan of tax income realised 104.7 per cent

[10] Ships of NATO Mediterranean Naval Force arrive in Durres

[11] NATO-Albania relations to be intensified - Clark

[12] General Clark: We are here to demonstrate NATO's support for Albania

[13] Six Albanians killed by Serbian forces

[14] Slovenia ambassador presents credentials

[15] SP says DP's boycott politically failed

[16] OSCE, CoE calls on DP to reconsider parliamentary boycott

[17] Kinkel says Milosevic to accept ceasefire asked by Contact Group

[01] Fighting along Kosova-Albania border belt extends

"Fighting along the Kosova-Albania border belt has also extended to the region of Has, where the Serbian military and police forces on Monday attacked the villages of Goden, Zylfaj and Prush.

Yugoslav army forces, backed by heavy armaments, moved today from Prizren in the direction of the major border villages, Zhur and Dragosh, blocking the roads.

Border belt villages, Smolice, Stubell, Berjah, Morine, Nec and other villages in the suburbs of Gjakove and Decan, as well as in other regions in Dukagjin and Drenice, have been under the fire of war and shelling by the Serbian heavy artillery overnight and today.

Sources from the spot say that the Albanian resistance forces, headed by the Kosova Liberation Army (KLA), are resolutely resisting the barbarous attacks of the Serbian aggressive forces, which are suffering new victims and losses in military equipment.

Movements of numerous Serbian forces were reported in the city of Gjakova overnight while today they have blocked all movements in and out from the village of Bishtazhin. /das/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[02] Meta says relations with EU completely renewed

Meta said that strengthening and expanding relations with the EU is one of Albanian government's priorities.

Referring to the trade regime in Albania, Meta said that the maximum exploitation of the exporting possibilities of the Albanian and foreign economic operators in Albania, largely encourages foreign investments.

The delegation expressed the readiness of the European Commission to ever better exploit possibilities to increase exports, also considering the possibility of expanding exports with a series of other products, which meet trading conditions and norms in the EU countries.

They agreed to the idea that this is a serious bilateral effort to augment incomes for the Albanian budget, to encourage foreign investments and domestic production.

The EU delegation, composed of representatives of various service departments of the Commission, in its two-day visit to Albania (July 7 and 8), intends to analyse the trade regime of Albania with the EU aiming at increasing it and expanding the spaces of Albanian products trading to the European Market. /s.sh/das/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[03] Albanian Government will accomplish commitments stemming from ESAF 2

"The realisation of ESAF 2," said Nano, "is yielding its fruits, something also noticed in the fact that the people are set to work, especially following the collapse of pyramid investment schemes and elimination of their effects."

"We shall continue to respect the deadlines in the macro-economic and institutional reforms," added Nano. He stressed that these reforms are being accompanied by strong measures against corruption and smuggling, which must not be allowed to lower the efficiency of the administration.

Further on Nano explained that the Government is cooperating with the World Bank and other specialized organizations to implement the measures against corruption, and in this regard it is ensuring the support of CE to also reform some still corrupted elements in the Albanian judiciary, which due to narrow interests and sometimes political ones, are hindering the fight against crime of any kind."

IMF representatives congratulated the PM for the satisfactory results of the first stage of ESAF 2, saying that signs of the economic recovery can be seen. The prices have fallen 2 per cent, the realisation of the budgetary income is in the demanded level, the structural reforms are being carried out within the set deadlines, inflation is coming at the forecast levels and finally Albania seems to have done away with pyramid investment schemes.

According to IMF representatives, this progress must continue also in other directions such as in the efficient and rapid privatization, the fight against crime and corruption and the consolidation of the public administration. /das/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[04] 6000 people employed in public works

Also attending the meeting was minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Angjeli.

The participants in the meeting stressed that some 300 projects have been presented and 102 of them have been approved since the beginning of public works. They have employed more than 6000 people for six-months and funds of around 222 million leks have been opened out of a total of 1 billion leks the state budget has put at the disposal of public works projects this year.

The participants said that in the rural areas the projects of public works are proceeding very well while the participation in cities remains a problem. /lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[05] Production of iron-chrome in Bulqize increases

Hence, during this period, the miners extracted 47 645 tons of chrome ore, of which 37 416 was rich chrome ore. The enterprise is meeting the needs for chrome ore of the iron-chrome plants in Burresl and Elbasan and the needs for export.

According to the mine director, the realisation of the production could have been higher if the work at level 14 had continued.

During this year, 144 people have been employed in the mine and the future is rather promising for a further growth of the production of chrome ore conformed to demanded standards. /xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[06] Social insurances in Tirana - 97 000 pensioners

The pensions include: 62.300 old-age pensions, 5.600 pensions for invalid persons, 2160 pensions for professional diseases and 780 family pensions.

In the countryside 13 000 are old-age pensions, 480 pensions for invalid persons and 2180 family pensions.

Social Insurances on a country scale administer a budget of some 23 billion leks or 6-7 per cent of the total product.

The number of the persons benefiting from social insurances is 730 000 people of whom 508 are pensionists. /lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[07] Names of the people who have unjustly profited from pyramid investment schemes to be made public

The working group discussed the draft laws which will be examined by the Council of Ministers and approved by the People's Assembly, as part of the package of laws which has to do with the selling of the assets of the former pyramid schemes, the liquidation and returning of the financial values to their creditors at their best interest.

The chief auditor Farudin Arapi reported in the meeting of the work made and the concrete steps taken by the foreign companies Deloitte & Touche and Coopers & Lybrand in the process of the auditing of the loan- taking firms.

Mr Arapi stressed that due to the work made so far by financial experts, the financial values invested and their debt to the creditors; the values given to the managers in form of bonuses; the sponsorships and the credits these companies have granted to the detriment of the interests of the creditors; the contracts closed before the deadline and the concrete names of the people who have drawn profits from these companies have been clearly defined for each former loan taking company.

Mr Fino, as the chairman of the Working Group, asked Mr Arapi to immediately publicize the names of the people, subjects, press organs and other media that have profited from the fraudulent activity of the former pyramid investment schemes. He also demanded that until the other meeting of the Council of Ministers, they must determine the legal procedures to be applied for the return of the financial values unjustly profited by the above subjects. /xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[08] There is no organised arms trafficking - commander

The commander of the Second Infantry Division in Kukes, Brigade- General Kudusi Lamaj, has ruled out the possibility of organised arms trafficking across the Albanian-Yugoslav border.

"So far there has been no evidence of an organised arms traffic," Lamaj told ATA.

However, he did not exclude the possibility for certain persons, mainly inhabitants of border villages, to have sold weapons to inhabitants beyond the border.

Serbian official circles have recently accused Albania of allowing arms smuggling to Kosova.

"Despite the tense situation in some 120 km of Albania's border with Yugoslavia, the local government structures of the border communes, in cooperation with the border police, have worked to prevent any arms trafficking, the spokesman of the Kukes prefecture, Fadil Zhuda, told AtA.

The charges brought by the Serbian side, added Zhuta, aim at justifying the continued violence against the Albanian people of Kosova. /a.ke/das/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[09] Plan of tax income realised 104.7 per cent

While for the first half of 1998, the realisation of the incomes is 9 612 639 thousand lek from 9 201 102 thousand lek that was planned, 104.5 per cent altogether.

The structure of the realisation of the income is as follows:

From the VAT, 725 173 thousand lek or 98.3 per cent, from excises 288 283 thousand lek or 97.3 per cent, from the profits tax 371 370 thousand lek or 142.8 per cent, personal incomes 90 770 thousand lek or 93.7 per cent, small business 110 207 per cent or 132.3 per cent, national taxes 212 469 thousand lek or 107.1 per cent, tax on buildings 17 331 thousand lek or 38.2 per cent and games of chance 4 061 thousand lek or 12.7 per cent.

The districts which have contributed more in the realisation of the tax incomes are Tirane, Durres, Fier, Elbasan, Lushnja etc.

While the districts with lowest tax incomes are Mallakastra, Tropoje, Shkoder, Mat, Berat etc. /xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[10] Ships of NATO Mediterranean Naval Force arrive in Durres

On the board of the Italian frigate Espero, which anchored in the port of Durres at 12.20 hrs., was also the Allied Supreme Commander of Europe (SACOEUR) General, Wesley Clark.

The visit of STANAVFORMED to the Port of Durres is being made in the context of the NATO efforts to safeguard the security and stability in the region, especially in the conditions of the crisis in Kosove. The decision for this visit was taken at a Minister's meeting on May 28, 1998, in the context of the NATO initiatives to support the Partnership for Peace activities both in Albania and in FYROM.

This visit will also enable the NATO Force to familiarise itself with this major port of the Adriatic.

The force that has arrived today in the Port of Durres comprises ESPERO (Italy), CANARIAS (Spain), MACEDONIA (Greece) and KAREDENIZ (Turkey).

STANAVFORMED is part of the NATO Rapid Intervention Force, which is composed of ships of various allied countries which are trained and act jointly.

Over the past five years, it has taken part in all the naval activities, to support the embargo on former-Yugoslavia.

From June '93 until June '96 STANAVFORMED has also taken part in the Sharp Guard operation carried out in the Adriatic. /s.s/das/xh/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[11] NATO-Albania relations to be intensified - Clark

The spokesman of the Albanian PM told ATA that while presenting the viewpoints of the Albanian Government to reach the necessary normality in talks, PM Nano emphasized the efforts the Government is making so that all influential Albanian factors in Kosove gather round Ibrahim Rugova to constitute a joint structure, which will make up the negotiating group in the name of the Albanian people of Kosove. But, stressed Nano, Belgrade must first halt the killings of civilians and massacres in the Albanian villages.

The Albanian Government, stressed PM Nano, has demanded from its partners in Kosove to cooperate with each other in service of the diplomatic and the NATO military actions, and with other negotiators in the field, such as Holbrooke, Hill and Gelbard. "We, on our part," stressed Nano, "are stepping up our efforts to control the zones bordering conflict, where police and local government structures are greatly committed to blocking illegal trafficking.

This situation becomes more difficult when elements of the opposition stimulate trafficking and radicalisation of the climate merely for electoral interests, aiming, through adventures with the national cause, to assume power again.

But, despite the emerging difficulties, the government of Albania, the prime minister concluded, is ready to closely cooperate with NATO to prevent a conflict of regional proportions.

Clark said that NATO's relations with Albania will be intensified, adding exercises of various kinds, logistic assistance, assistance in deactivating the mines around depots as well as training of the Albanian army and police.

Meanwhile the Kosova Albanians, said Clark, should realise that there will be no NATO intervention without a preliminary political agreement and without attaining armistice.

This agreement, he said, is indispensable and urgent, as Belgrade might at any moment undertake wide-scale cleansing operation in Kosova, which would be of grave consequences for all. /s.s/a.ke/xh/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[12] General Clark: We are here to demonstrate NATO's support for Albania

"We are here to demonstrate NATO's support for Albania and to make clear the capacity of the Alliance in securing stability in this area of the world," Cark told a news conference held on the board of the Italian military ship "Espero", in Durres port.

Clark said that NATO is concerned about the situation in Kosova and that it is doing its utmost to find a peaceful solution through dialogue.

"The conflict continues to extend in Kosova and NATO has made clear its stand to resolve it," Clark said.

He said that the presence of these ships expressed NATO's resolution to peacefully resolve the crisis through political means.

Asked about his opinion of the Kosova Liberation Army, General Clark said that all parties should at all costs halt violence and enter into dialogue.

Asked whether Albania is ready to offer air and port facilities to the NATO forces, Clark said that he had extensively discussed this issue with the Albanian authorities this morning, including the Prime Minister and the defence Minister.

"I am sure Albania will create these facilities, but I would not like to speculate in this direction."

Ships of the NATO Mediterranean Naval Force (STANAVFORMED) arrived in the port of Durres Wednesday morning and will stay in Albania until July 10, 1998.

The visit of STANAVFORMED to the Port of Durres is being made in the context of the NATO efforts to safeguard the security and stability in the region, especially in the conditions of the crisis in Kosova.

The decision for this visit was taken at a Minister's meeting on May 28, 1998, in the context of the NATO initiatives to support the Partnership for Peace activities both in Albania and in FYROM.

This visit will also enable the NATO Force to familiarise itself with this major port of the Adriatic.

The force that has arrived today in the Port of Durres comprises ESPERO (Italy), CANARIAS (Spain), MACEDONIA (Greece) and KAREDENIZ (Turkey).

STANAVFORMED is part of the NATO Rapid Intervention Force, which is composed of ships of various allied countries which are trained and act jointly.

Over the past five years, it has taken part in all the naval activities, to support the embargo on former-Yugoslavia.

From June '93 until June '96 STANAVFORMED has also taken part in the Sharp Guard operation carried out in the Adriatic. /s.s/das/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[13] Six Albanians killed by Serbian forces

At least six Albanians have been killed by the Serbian forces in Kosova. According to sources of the Council for the Defence of Human Rights in Gjakova the corpses of five Albanians killed in the conflict zones on the Kosova-Albania border were sent to the morgue of the hospital today by the Serbian forces.

Bombardments by the Yugoslav army on the villages of Nec, Ramoc, Smolice and other villages continued overnight and today.

Other sources say that another Albanian was killed today by Serbian snipers, while he was selling newspapers in Suhareke, whose suburbs are also engulfed by war. /p.ta/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[14] Slovenia ambassador presents credentials

Directorate of State protocol at the Albanian Foreign Ministry said that Albanian Foreign Minister Paskal Milo was present at the credentials' ceremony.

The ambassador was accompanied by diplomats of the Slovenian Embassy in Skopje. s.sh/mima/ak/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[15] SP says DP's boycott politically failed

"The parliamentary boycott is an effort to set aside legal institutions resulting from massive votes of Albanians on June 29, '97 what runs contrary to the requests of the European troika and other Euro Atlantic organisations that the DP follows a new political course," the party statement said.

The DP national council decided that this party finally quits parliament a day after it passed the final report on investigation on unrest' 97 which plunged Albania into anarchy at the time when the DP was in power.

The report asked the prosecutor's office to start penal prosecution against some DP leaders, including its leader and former president Sali Berisha.

"The boycott of parliament is organised because of violence exercised against the members and militants of the DP, return to office of former State security officials and the creation by parliament of a commission to investigate events of spring' 97," Sali Berisha, the Democrat leader, said on Tuesday.

"With this action, which aims at causing instability in Albania, Berisha and his clan are hurting themselves and seriously damaging the DP, "Musa Ulqini, the SP Secretary for Public Relations said to ATA adding that he hailed the attitude of some DP leaders, who voted against the boycott.

The European troika, which visited Albania last week, hailed the DP's return to parliament, after a five-month boycott because a Democrat leader was shot and wounded by an SP deputy inside parliament, as a step to promote democracy in Albania. s.sh/mima/ak/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[16] OSCE, CoE calls on DP to reconsider parliamentary boycott

"The OSCE presence and the CoE Special Representative in Tirana are deeply concerned by the decision of the main opposition party to start a new, indefinite boycott of the parliament and strongly call upon it to reconsider its decision," the statement said.

The DP decided to quit parliament due to the "violence exercised against the members and militants of the DP, return to office of the former State security officials and the creation by parliament of the commission to investigate the January-March '97 events, which plunged Albania into anarchy when the DP was in power".

The decision came one day after the People's Assembly approved the final report on investigations about the January-March 1997 events which asked the Prosecutor's office to start penal prosecution against some of the main leaders of the DP, beginning with its chairman, former President of Albania, Sali Berisha.

The statement pointed out the negative effect of the boycott to the consolidation of a democratic state based on the rule of law, for which all parties have a responsibility.

"The OSCE Presence and the CoE Special Representative recall the Tri Parliamentary Mission's appeal for efforts to be made by all parties to overcome the climate of distrust and to build a more positive and constructive political debate on the priorities that face the future of the country," the statement said. s.sh/mima/ak

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[17] Kinkel says Milosevic to accept ceasefire asked by Contact Group

Kinkel said that if Belgrade fails to accept the cease-fire NATO's options will be executed.

The Contact group, which convened in Bonn on Wednesday, called for "immediate end to fighting in Kosova which will pave the way for a resumption of negotiations" between Belgrade and Albanians of Kosova for the future status of the province.

Kinkel was expected to meet with president of Albania Rexhep Meidani late on Wednesday and have an official dinner in which Albanian prime minister Fatos Nano would be present.

On Thursday, he will fly aboard a military helicopter to north Albania to meet with refugees from Kosova who have been settled in Bajram Curri, Tropoja and evaluate the situation on the ground.

Kinkel was also expected to hold a joint news conference with the Albanian Foreign Minister Paskal Milo at the Rinas airport before leaving for Skopje.

Dr Kinkel arrived in the Tirana airport at 18.45. p.m. and was received by his Albanian counterpart Milo and the German ambassador to Tirana Hans Peter Disdorn. s.sh/mima/ak/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

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

Albanian Telegraphic Agency Directory - Previous Article - Next Article