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Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA), 98-08-12Albanian Telegraphic Agency Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA) Home Page at <http://www.telpress.it/ata>Albanian Telegraphic AgencyCONTENTS
[01] European troika says EU backs stop of violence in KosovaTIRANA, Aug 11 (ATA) - By Irena Luto: The European Troika delegation, which arrived in Tirana to consult with the leaders of the Albanian state concerning a solution to the Kosova crisis, reiterated the stand of the European Union (EU) for a prompt stop to violence in Kosova and a peaceful solution to the crisis, Ilir Meta, Secretary for European Integration said to ATA following a meeting with Troika delegation."The EU Troika delegation favours an increase of pressure against Belgrade and creation of conditions for negotiations between warring sides, " Meta said. The delegation, headed by Gerhard Jandi, Austria's representative which is holding EU current presidency and including also British and German representatives. The press office at the Albanian Foreign Ministry said that the main topic in today's talks between Meta and Troika delegation was the present state of relations between Albania and the European Union and the grave situation in Kosova. As regards the relations of Albania with the EU, the troika delegation praised the achievement of the Albanian government in political, economic and institutional reforms and especially "praised the signing of ESAF 2 agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The same sources said that the troika representatives "condemn any kind of boycott against democratic institutions in Albania." The delegation also backed Albania's initiative for an international conference for Albania in Tirana, offering their contribution to its success. As regards the grave situation in Kosova, the troika representatives strongly condemned Belgrade's offensive against Albanians in Kosova as well as the humanitarian catastrophe they caused. "Pressure against Belgrade should continue," said Jandi, head of the delegation. Meta, number two of the Albanian diplomacy, said that the Albanians are being prepared to come out with an all embracing representation for the future of Kosova which will be ready to assume the responsibility for the future of Kosova responding the demands of the international community. As regards the political status of Kosova, Meta said that the Albanian government upheld the well-known stand that of the self-rule and opposes change of borders by force. On Wednesday, Troika delegation will visit Tropoja where most of the Kosova refugees have been settled and will leave for an official visit to Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. /ypa/ak/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[02] Contract on works in Milot-Lezhe road section signedTIRANA, Aug 11 (ATA) - By M. Pupa: The Italian firm "Falcione" and the Ministry of Public Works and Transports signed a contract on Tuesday in Tirana to start works in the Milot-Lezha road section, which is part of the North-South corridor.The road, 12 km long and 10.5 km wide, will be constructed in a new axis not in the existing one and will end within 20 months. The World Bank has accorded a fund worth $4.7 million for the construction. Specialists say that the axis will have the parameters of the first category and is part of the projects for national roads. This segment is a follow-up to Mamurras-Milot road segment. Ministry sources said that a bid is under way for the construction of another segment of the corridor, that of Fushe Kruje-Tapize. Turkish firm BEHASE, the winner of the bid, will start the work for the other road segment Rrogozhine-Elbasan. Some 20 million Ecus have been accorded by the European Bank of Investments for this segment. /ak/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[03] Jandl says EU praises Albania's progress in all fieldsTIRANA, Aug 11 (ATA) - By Y. Pata: Bilateral relations between Albanian and the European Union as well as the situation in Kosova were on the focus of talks between the Albanian deputy prime minister Kastriot Islami and the European troika delegation headed by the chief of the South Balkan Directorate at the Austrian Foreign Ministry Gerhard Jandl.Islami briefed the guests on the situation in Albania and priorities of the Albanian government, press and information department at the Council of Ministers said in a press communique obtained by ATA. He said that the process of drawing up a constitution was over and the Council of Ministers was expected to approve an action plan on fight against corruption within the week. Islami told the Troika delegation that the prime minister Fatos Nano had order the Ministry of Public Order, Ministry of Defence and that of the Local Government to draw up a detailed strategy which will cover the whole northeastern area of Albania whose aim was to fight organised crime, establish order and tranquillity as well as prevent weapons trafficking to Kosova. Islami asked for the assistance of the European Union in logistics and training programmes for Albanian police units particularly those of the northeastern area of Albania. Focusing on the recent situation in Kosova and the military offensive undertaken by the regime of Milosevic, deputy prime minister Islami said that these rendered difficult the efforts to find ways of dialogue and incited a new influx, whose accommodation would become difficult with the approach of winter. A solution to the Kosova conflict should be peaceful guaranteeing a unique stand of all Albanian realities in Kosova. Jandl shared the same view saying that he backed the line followed by the Albanian government. He said that the EU has praised Albania's recent progress in all fields, including establishment of tranquillity and order particularly in the northern area of Albania, fight against corruption and illegal trafficking. Another important issue being dealt with was a donors' conference to be held in Tirana in October to analyse the ongoing projects and define programmes of future investments. Jandl assured Islami that the E.U. will promote cooperation with Albania in the trade and fishing, influence attraction of foreign investments in Albania and strongly support high ranking participation in the international conference for Albania in October this year. ake/pas/ak/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[04] 100 Kosova people arrived in ShkodraSHKODER, Aug 12 (ATA) - By M. Malja: Number of Kosova people who have arrived in Shkodra city recently is 100.Town hall secretary Bardhosh Shaqiri said to ATA that 40 of them, including women, children and elderly people from villages of Peja, were settled in families of Shkodra residents. The Italian Caritas has set up a center with 200 beds near the Catholic Church to accommodate other possible refugees. The Albanian Red Cross is continuing to distribute aid for the first 60 people such as cooking oil, sugar, rice, detergent, mattresses and blankets. Shaqiri said that an office welcoming persons coming from Kosova was opened by the town hall. s.sh/pas/ak/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[05] Decan villages come under intensive attacksPRISHTINE, Aug 12 (ATA) - The offensive of the Serb forces in the villages of Gjakova, Deçan and Junik had been intensified during the last 48 hours, sources of the Democratic League of Kosova (LDK) said referring to the Kosova Information Center (QIK).The sources said that the fighting continued on Tuesday in all the villages along the Gjakova-Peja road, Western Kosova, but there were no reports on casualties. Some 21 Albanians have been killed in the last ten days of the Serb offensive in the commune of Gjakova. Part of the population in the villages along the Gjakova-Deçan road which were engulfed by recent fighting have been displaced from their houses which are still under artillery attacks. Some 15.000 inhabitants of these villages are in the fields between Skivjan and Novoselle villages in open air and without food and water. Most of them are women, elderly people, children and sick persons including child-birth women and pregnant ones, the same sources said. A number of inhabitants have been arrested and no one knows where they are. They are four Albanians arrested in Hereç villages and members of two families from Gramaçel village, commune of Deçan. The whereabouts of another Albanian arrested in the village of Meqe, Gjakove, are unknown. The above sources said that Serb military-police forces have blocked the access roads to Gjakova city from Prizren since yesterday. Some 100 Serb policemen deployed in Bishtazhin village, some 7 km from Gjakova, along the way to Prizren, have taken positioned to attack Anadrini villages. They have blocked and returned all passengers coming from Prizren to Gjakova. pta/pas/ak/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[06] Police undertake anti-drug operation in MarikajTIRANA, Aug 12 (ATA) - By Th. Thanasi: The regional anti-drug office of the Tirana police directorate undertook on Tuesday an operation aiming at destroying narcotic herbs in two villages of Tirana.A police spokesman said that some 628 roots of narcotic herbs were destroyed in personal plots in Marikaj and Kuç, commune of Vora. s.sh/pas/ak/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[07] New album on Kosova soonLIBRAZHD, Aug 12 (ATA) - By H. Balliu: The epic singer of the Albanian folk music Arif Vladi will soon present a new album for Kosova."The album will end soon and by the end of August the tape cassette will be traded," Vladi said to ATA. The singer has foreseen to give a number of concerts with the new songs of the album for the Albanians of diaspora. "The concerts will aim at lifting the moral of Albanians wherever they are working or living and the money will be used to help Kosova people, " he said. Arif Vladi, known for his contribution in the stylized folk song for 25 years in succession, was selected by the organisers of the festival "Këngë jeho" (Echo song) to open this activity in Struga in the first week in August. The singer who has graduated the song branch at the Highest Institute of Arts in Tirana has become known in the Albanian stage particularly in '80. s.sh/das/ak/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[08] Bilingual vocabularies to be published soon by ToenaTIRANA, Aug 11 (ATA) - By Nora Zela: A number of bilingual vocabularies will be published this year by the private publishing house "Toena", sources from the publishing house, which has been created five years ago, said to ATA on Wednesday.The series of these publications will be opened by the Albanian- French vocabulary of the well-known translator Vedat Kokona, who has published some bilingual vocabularies within 32 years. The new vocabulary of Kokona includes 35.000 words, phraseological phrases and proverbs. The work for the vocabulary has started years before and has been based in the Albanian-French vocabulary of 1997. The English language learners will have an English-Albanian vocabulary with over 6.000 words with Xhevat Lloshi and Abdurrahim Myftiu as the authors. Toena said to ATA that it foresees to publish a German-Albanian vocabulary of Ali Dhrima and an Albanian-Italian vocabulary with some 3.000 words with Myzafer and Nimete Kallajxhiu as the authors. f.n/pas/ak/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[09] Albania's South offers security to everybody - EvertsGJIROKASTER, August 12 (ata) - By H Cani: "I went to the south of Albania to see closely the situation of public order there and I may say that everybody who moves and stays here, be him investor or tourist, businessman or citizen feels the security around," told ATA the OSCE Ambassador in Albania Daan Everts who is having a two-day visit to the southern districts of Albania."I travelled last night on the national Sarande-Gjirokaster road and except the beauties these two districts offer, I had no other feeling," said Everts. Ambassador Everts had Wednesday in Gjirokaster a number of meetings with representatives of local government, the prefecture and political party branches. The main question of the discussions were the relations between the local and central governments. "One cannot say that the Albanian Government has not made progress towards the decentralization of the governments when it is common knowledge now that it has signed the charter of the autonomy of the local government, " said Everts, "but the laws are not always observed and as a result, they even lose their value." "The adoption of the Constitution will be the final success of our joint efforts," said Everts. /s.sh/pas/xh/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[10] 875 thousand dollars by Diaconia Agapes office to help 15 000 Kosove refugees in AlbaniaTIRANE, August 12 (ata) - The Diaconia Agapes office (Service of Love of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania, KOASH, which covers social programs of development and emergency, will realise an intensive emergency aid program for the refugees from Kosova.The spokesman of KOASH said that the program will be carried out in cooperation with the international organizations ACT (Action of Churches Together,) which is the office of emergencies close to the World Churches Council; IOCC (International Orthodox Christian Charities,) International Orthodox Organization of Charity from North America and NCA (Norwegian Church Aid,) organization of aid of the Church of Norway. Upon the initiative of the Arch Bishop of Tirane and all Albania, Anastas Janullatos, the office of Love service will ensure an emergent aid (no food aid) for the coming four months. It consists of new winter clothes, boots and 7 500 beds and mattresses to be given to the host families and to 15 thousand refugees in Northern Albania, who have fled their homes in Kosove to escape violence there. The spokesman also said the Arch Bishop Anastas has appointed Mrs Penny Delljani, from Illinois (USA) as director of Diaconia Agapes to follow the implementation of the four-month project envisaged to start in September. /s.sh/pas/xh/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[11] 12 545 roots of narcotic plants destroyed across AlbaniaTIRANE, August 12 (ata) - By Th Thanasi: The number of narcotic cultivated in villages of some districts destroyed by police forces of regional offices of the fight against drug-trafficking in cooperation with other police forces throughout Albania, is as high as 12 545."With the action to uncover and destroy narcotic plants, the regional offices of the fight against drug-trafficking close to the police departments throughout Albania, aim not only to detect but also to completely ruin these illegal plants and to catch the people responsible for these acts," said Arben Ujka, chief of the sector of the fight against drug-trafficking in the Public Order Ministry on Wednesday. So far, the action has been carried out in 27 villages, mainly in the districts of Durres, Fier, Gjirokaster, Elbasan, Tirane, etc. In private plots where narcotics were planted, police forces eliminated nearly 12 545 roots of cannabis, for which 72 people were declared to be direct cultivators and 62 others were declared involved. Among the people in the first group 9 were arrested, 19 are under free investigation while 34 have left. /a.ke.das/xh/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[12] Minister of Culture releases from the post director of Alba-Film DistributionTIRANE, August 12 (ata) - The Albanian Minister of Culture, Edi Rama signed Wednesday the release from the post of the director of Alba-Film Distribution, Genc Ruzhdiu, recently under charges by the ministry of causing confusion and great financial abuses in the Albanian film.Ruxhdiu, engineer, who came to the post in October 1996, is accused "of grave abuses in administering of material values, violation of procedures and work discipline, failure to meet legal obligations to present annual financial reports in the relations with the Ministry of Culture, abuses with material means and great incapability in the direction of the state enterprise Alba-film Distribution." In a press release on Monday, the chief of the cabinet in the Ministry of Culture, Blendi Gonxhe, accused Ruxhdiu saying that "he has sold and distributed films, and formulated and signed contracts of sales which have brought out of action the Albanian film and all artists and cinema workers." f.n/das/xh/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[13] All possible patterns of autonomy for Kosove will be considered - EUTIRANE, August 12 (ata) - By Irena Luto: Regarding the most favourable option for a solution to the crisis in Kosove, the delegation of European troika, visiting Albania since Tuesday, declared on Wednesday before reporters that "the international community and the European Union are exploiting all possible patterns of autonomy to present them to the two parties to the conflict."The alternatives presented by European diplomats have to do with a selection of autonomies in various countries which may be completely or partially applied depending on how the two negotiating parties will agree. "This," said the head of the delegation, Gerhard Jandl, demands first of all the creation of the conditions for a halt of the violence and to resume negotiations." Asked what EU would do in case of the crisis spills over to Albania and Macedonia, Jandl said that "this would be a real catastrophe, but military intervention would be realised only on a legal basis." Referring to the people displaced from Kosove, the European senior diplomats said that "it would be better if efforts were made to ensure the conditions for them to be resettled in their homes and the UNHCR mission and EU representatives in Kosove would give guarantees to the population of that zone." The European delegation, whose visit was made mainly to examine the bilateral relations between Albania and EU, confirmed in a news conference their guarantee and readiness to improve these relations. /y.pa/das/xh/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[14] European Troika in TropojeBAJRAM CURRI, August 12 (ata) - By Riza Hoxha: Wednesday before noon, European troika visited Tropoje district (northern Albania) in which, about 17 thousand Kosovars who have fled their homes, are accommodated.The aim of the visit was to see closely the present situation in the northeastern Albania and the developments going on there. In a meeting held in the district council, the delegation took interest in the present situation in that border district, the number of the refugees, their conditions and the situation on the border. The district council chairman, Xhevdet Hoxha informed the guests that the situation on the border with Albania keeps being grave, while people coming from the war zones continues. Hoxha said that immediate measures were needed to solve the housing problem for the newcomers, moreover when winter is approaching. Representatives of European Troika stressed their support for a peaceful solution to the crisis in Kosove and the need of continuous aid for that zone to face the problems emerging from the influx of the Kosovars. In this context, they also met with UNHCR representatives and those of other international organizations operating in Tropoje district and were briefed of their work in that district to help the refugees from Kosove. After a two-hour visit, the delegation of the European troika left Tropoje. /a.ke/das/xh/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[15] Italy, main partner for Albanian educationTIRANE, August 12 (ata) - By P Shuteriqi: The relations with Italy in the field of education were considered "fruitful" in a joint news conference held Wednesday in Tirane by Ethem Ruka, Albanian Minister of Education and Science, Marcelo Spatafora, Italian Ambassador in Tirane and A Palese, deputy chairman of the special Italian diplomatic delegation in Albania."Italy is our potential partner," stressed Ruka, presenting before reporters the projects of cooperation between the two countries which are underway or those to be realised until 2001. Among these projects, he highlighted the contribution of the Italian government in the publication of school books by delivering around 2.5. billion liras. In reply to a question by ATA reporter for the destination of 4 billion liras accorded to Albania over the visit of Assistant State Secretary Piero Fassino last week, minister Ruka stressed that "that moneye will be used to reconstruct the buildings of some faculties and those belonging to a non-university system," without specifying concrete districts or schools. Ambassador Spatafora brought to evidence in his address the importance of the cooperation which, according to him, would be concrete and continuous. In reply to media questions, A Palese spoke of the work and studies made by the special Italian diplomatic delegation for the creation of an Albanian educational network according to western standards. /a.ke/das/xh/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[16] DP must stop institutional boycott - TroikaTIRANE, August 12 (ata) - By I Luto: Delegation of EU troika urged Albania Democratic Party Tuesday to stop its institutional boycott and take part in the process for the drafting of the constitution."We have asked Mr Berisha in a meeting we had with him, to stop the boycott and take the road of dialogue with the state institutions. DP must also participate in the process of drafting the new constitution," declared the chairman of the Troika delegation, Gerhard Jandl in the news conference held today with troika representatives before they left Albania. The leader of the delegation also said that we have asked the government to make efforts to cooperate with all local political forces, especially with the opposition. The Democratic Party (the largest part in opposition) after a meeting of its National Council, decided to definitely boycott the parliament, while the democrat leader Sali Berisha has given the green light to cooperate in the drafting of the constitution. On August 31, a round table discussion will be held with all political forces on the content of the fundamental law of the state. /y.pa/das/xh/ Albanian Telegraphic Agency[17] Serb police close storehouse with emergent aid in PrishtinePRISHTINE, August 12 9ata) - ATA correspondent Behlul Jashari reports that the storehouse with emergent aid in Prishtine was looted and closed today at noon by Serb police. The humanitarian aid of the Emergency Council were destined for the population at risk and displaced from the regions at war.The Republican Council for Emergent Aid of Kosove, condemns through a report the hindrances and pressure the Serb power is using on this institution also through arrests and maltreatments of its activists. /l.t/das/xh/ 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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