Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA), 98-08-18

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

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

CONTENTS

[01] "Coordinative Assembly" starts concrete operations

[02] Ministry of Finances to identify employees who have abused with their office

[03] 254 306 people get old age pensions - Social Insurance Institute

[04] 6.7 billion lek trade deficit in July

[05] Tax incomes in 1998 are 120 per cent higher than in 1996

[06] Albania's Ministry of Culture accords 5000 dollars for Albanian Book stand in Frankfurt Book Fair

[07] Ministry of Culture reconfirms main sources of film piracy

[08] Serb shells 1000 meters in Albanian territory

[09] Growing demands in Albania for private schools

[10] Bridge of Leshnice, Sarande district, inaugurated

[11] Serb forces continue to torch and ruin Malisheve villages

[12] Albanian consumers, a prey to uncontrolled products

[01] "Coordinative Assembly" starts concrete operations

BIZE, August 17 (ata) - By Enkelejda Koraqi: Concrete fighting operations of the joint NATO exercises codenamed "Coordinative Assembly" started on Monday. After the opening ceremony at Rinas airport, the first operations programmed for Monday were concentrated on the international base of Bize.

After the flags of 14 participating countries were raised, the peacekeeping troops were installed in the location prepared long ago in the biggest military base of Albania.

At about 1 p.m. a NATO Harrier transport aircraft flew on the Albanian space and in a two-hour time nearly 60 parachutists demonstrated their landing. On the first day of the exercise, the program included medical evacuation, close air support and air-drop procedures.

The exercise will last on August 22, 1998.

Taking part in the exercise are about 2000 naval troops, pilots and marines of NATO, 300 of whom are Albanian commandos. 75 planes and helicopters will also take part in the exercise.

The Cooperative Assembly is directed by commander-in-chief of Southern Europe Allied Forces, Admiral T. Joseph Lopez.

On the second day of the exercise, the NATO troops are expected to realise a mine-sweeping demonstration in Kruje, search and rescue operations and other operations. /y.pa/pas/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[02] Ministry of Finances to identify employees who have abused with their office

The names of these people will be verified by the Monitoring Group if they are also in the lists of the creditors of the former loan-taking companies.

The verification will identify all those workers in the financial administration who have abused with their office by profiting illegally.

Also the names of those people who have taken their capitals from the loan-taking firms before their contracts ended due to their posts, will be identified.

The results of the control by the Monitoring Group will be sent to the Ministry of Finances which will also decide for the measures to be adopted for the officials who have made office abuses. /xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[03] 254 306 people get old age pensions - Social Insurance Institute

In the village, the number of the people who receive old age pension is 145 932 people. About 4 413 people get disablement pensions, 4 061 people for general diseases, 352 for accidents at work and 21899 people receive family pensions. /xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[04] 6.7 billion lek trade deficit in July

Imports in July were estimated at 10 053 billion lek, while exports were as high as 3 349 billion lek, the highest figure for exports since the beginning of this year.

Trade deficit over the first 7 months of 1998 has been estimated at about 50.7 billion lek. The deficit increased in May, during which imports were about 8.5 billion lek more than exports. In March the trade deficit was valued at about 8.1 billion lek, in April 7.5 billion lek and in June 6.7 billion lek. /xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[05] Tax incomes in 1998 are 120 per cent higher than in 1996

Commenting this fact, Gjipali said that in some directions, the incomes ensured over 1998 have a more uniform geography as compared to 1996.

"Strict control in the registration of private physical and judicial subjects, realised in cooperation with the local government and other institutions of this level has had a very positive impact," said Gjipali. According to him, the state gets averagely every month 50-55 million lek, while this figure was 20 per cent lower in 1996, and four times lower in the second half of 1997. /a.ke/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[06] Albania's Ministry of Culture accords 5000 dollars for Albanian Book stand in Frankfurt Book Fair

The chief of the cabinet in the Ministry of Culture, Blendi Gonxhe explained to ATA that this is the first concrete aid by the Ministry of Culture for a group of Albanian publishers. /f.n/pas/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[07] Ministry of Culture reconfirms main sources of film piracy

So far the ministry has declared the direct responsibilities falling on the director of Alba Film Distribution, Genc Ruzhdiu, who is accused of having favoured the illegal sale, reproduction and broadcast of Albanian film.

"It has been declared that every sale of Albanian films by any subject including the Albanian Television is realised without the licence of distribution issued by the National Cinematographic Centre, without the approval of Alba Film Studio and the respective payment for the copyright, and not that the Albanian Television (TVSH) is the main pirate and that judiciary will decide on it," explains the cabinet chief. /f.n/pas/xh/

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[08] Serb shells 1000 meters in Albanian territory

The chief of police commissariat of Tropoje district, Fatmir Meta told ATA that at about 9.10 a.m. on Tuesday and later Serb army has opened artillery fire on the border line between Albania and Yugoslavia.

The shells falling near the villages have forced the residents there to take away the children and women and be ready for anything to happen.

"In face of such a situation," said Meta, "police forces of the district have gone to the spot immediately and to adopt the necessary measures to stabilize the situation." /a.ke/pas/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[09] Growing demands in Albania for private schools

The tradition of the private education interrupted for nearly 5 decades, has been consolidated in the past 8 years at all levels, beginning with the pre-school education to the university.

Payment in this educational system varies from 90-600 dollars per month.

During the past school year, 34 private educational institutions have operated, they were laic or religious and approved by the Council of Ministers or the Ministry of Education and Science. For the 1998-1999 school year, this ministry has received nearly 60 requests for other private schools at various educational levels to be established. On national scale, there are 2 204 public schools, of which 403 are secondary schools. /s.s/pas/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[10] Bridge of Leshnice, Sarande district, inaugurated

The chairman of the commune of Dhiver, Petraq Bereti, told ATA that the construction of the bridge was enabled by a 6 million drachmas aid donated by the Institute of Greek Aid for Albania, centered in Ioannina.

Present in the inauguration ceremony also were the deputy of the zone, Ziso Lluci and representatives of the OSCE Regional Office in Gjirokaster. /a.ke.pas/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[11] Serb forces continue to torch and ruin Malisheve villages

A grave situation prevails among the displaced population of the commune of Malisheve, who is mainly on the mountains. Many residents of the districts of Gjakove and Decan joined these days over 5 000 displaced people in the mount Ponorc and 4 000 others in the mountains of Llapceve.

Yesterday, a Serb police expedition blocked the roads leading to and out of village Osek-Hyle of Gjakove (near the border with Albania) and went into some houses under the pretext of looking for arms, LDK sources in Gjakove report. The same sources said that people from the villages hit during the latest offensive of the Serb forces have continued to come to Gjakove also yesterday. A part of the population, 10 000 people, mainly women, elderly and children, are without any shelter, food and medical care in the mountains of Dushkaje, Anesdrin and in the mountains of Reka e Keqe. Their state is rather grave and besides hunger, they are risking various diseases. There are about 50 000 people who have fled their homes and are settled in the city of Gjakove and its suburbs. /p.ta/-pas/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[12] Albanian consumers, a prey to uncontrolled products

"For the past 15 days alone, the Albanian Consumer Association has registered a great number of complaints for various food articles, coming from 70 per cent of the country's districts," said to ATA the chairman of the association, Islam Cani.

According to him, most complaints come for canned and packed food, such as fruit juice, tomato sauce, macaroni, honey, spirits, whose packing has no date of production and expiry. The analysis made by the Association prove that a part of the traded products are not conformed to the set standards and are produced in inappropriate conditions of hygiene.

Abuses are mostly made with bottled refreshments. Packing of serious firms such as Coca-Cola, Glina, Fresh, etc, are used for false products and sold at lower prices than the original.

According to the information of the Albanian Consumer Association, a problem is the trading of the dairy products mainly of milk and yogurt and their by-products, which are produced in dairy farm and in domestic conditions, beyond technological standards. /s.s/pas/xh/

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

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