Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA), 98-11-03

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

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

CONTENTS

[01] Soros finances text for pupils from Kosove

[02] A delegation of U.S. Congress in Kosove

[03] New juridical processes against Albanians in Peje

[04] Mayor of Gjirokaster demands assistance from Prime Minister for the city-museum

[05] Some $500 000 allocated for construction of cultural-vocational center

[06] OSCE establishes Election Observation Mission for Constitutional Referendum

[07] SP: Political institutions, NGO, should play positive role in approving constitution

[08] President Meidani meets Constitutional Court member

[09] Organising anti-mafia in Albania discussed

[10] Some 21 ships out of 27 with smuggling activity identified

[11] Supreme Court not to revoke arrest order for former state officials

[12] Obligatory reserves of second level banks, not only in dollars

[13] Meidani hails reelection of Avramopoulos as Athens' mayor

[14] Central Election Commission discusses media platform

[15] Draft law "On preventing money laundry" approved

[01] Soros finances text for pupils from Kosove

This is the first instalment by the project "Albanian Education Development Project" of the Soros Foundation used for the publication and distribution within a record time of about 3 000 text books for every class of the 8th form and secondary schools to be given free of charge to the children displaced from Kosove and settled mainly in the districts of Tropoje and Durres, as well as in Shkoder, Elbasan, Kurbin and Kukes, Ilmi Brace, director of the text book trading enterprise told ATA.

According to a report by the chief of the cabinet in the Ministry of Education and Science, Vaso Qano, the general number of the Kosova children of the school age who came to Albania to escape Serb aggression and genocide, varies from 7 500-8 000 people. /a.ke/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[02] A delegation of U.S. Congress in Kosove

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[03] New juridical processes against Albanians in Peje

According to the Kosova Information Center, this court condemned on 29 and 30 October under the same charge 11 Albanians from the commune of Gjakova, 10 of them members of Jetishi family. /p.ta/mt/

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[04] Mayor of Gjirokaster demands assistance from Prime Minister for the city-museum

Asllani asked from the PM to enable the delivery of a long term credit for monuments of the first category and for some monuments of second category. Asllani writes in his letter that the state must buy old houses with incalculable architectural and cultural values such as those of Skendulateve, Topullarajve, Zekateve, Angonateve, etc., from the legal owners saving them from complete ruin and to reconstruct them.

During the unrest of 1997 and a number of explosions especially over last December, many houses were completely ruined, among which the museum house of Hoxha family. In the mean time, many characteristic houses, part of the fund of the monuments of culture have been reconstructed in ways that have greatly damaged their originality.

Asllani demands from the PM to sign the decision to restore the status "City museum" to the centenary castle and that the branch of the monuments of culture in Gjirokaster depend on the town hall.

Gjirokastra has assumed the physiognomy of a civic centre in the 18th century. The construction of the castle started in the 6th century. /pas/xh/

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[05] Some $500 000 allocated for construction of cultural-vocational center

The square for the construction of this new vocational and cultural center has a surface of 12 500 square meters and has been rented to the foundation "The Institute for the total encouragement by the co-owners Bajram and Lutfi Shaba," seated in the capital.

"The establishment of this center aims at helping the Albanian young men be professionally qualified, necessary for their employment in different local or foreign companies," the director of the foundation, David Allison, reported.

Some 500 000 USD will be invested for the construction of this vocational and cultural center, added Allison. /pas/mt/

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[06] OSCE establishes Election Observation Mission for Constitutional Referendum

Upon an invitation from the Albanian Government, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODHIR) has established an Election Observation Mission in Albania for the 22 November Constitutional Referendum.

The Head of the ODHIR Election Observation Mission is Mr.Kare Vollan of Norway. Observers are expected to come from a number of OSCE participating States, members of Embassies to Albania and international organisations present in the country. The election Observation Mission will cordinate with parliamentary bodies that may send observers for the referendum.

During its temporary presence in Albania, the OSCE/ODHIR Election Observation Mission will get support from and work in close sooperation with the OSCE Presence in Albania, headed by Ambassador Daan Everts.

The OSCE/ODHIR Election Observation Mission will have a core staff of eight people and a number of Long-Term Observers deployed throughout the country. Part of the role of the long-term international observation is to observe the pre-electoral process, such as the campaign, the referendum administration and to assess the laws governing the referendum.

The OSCE/ODHIR Election Observation Mission will have regular meetings with the authorities such as the Central Voting Commision and District Election Commisions, with political parties, members of the media, representatives of the international diplomatic community and organisations active in civic education and democratisation.

The purpose of election observation is to assess the referendum process in accordance with OSCE commitments and international standards.

The OSCE/ODHIR will issue a preliminary statement on the referendum process shortly after the elections, based on its long-term findings as well as reports from observers on election day and a more comprehensive final report a few weeks later. /s.s./lola/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[07] SP: Political institutions, NGO, should play positive role in approving constitution

The Socialist Party (SP) on Tuesday expressed optimism about the stands of the Democratic Party (DP) in the referendum process.

"We do not in the least prejudice the stand of the DP, expressed in the resolution of the National Council of this party on October 29, and hope for a concrete engagement of this political force in the process of approving the constitution," said SP coordinating secretary, Ilir Zela.

In the press release distributed at this conference, the socialists hailed the DP decision to seriously engage in respecting their will expressed on November 22.

Referring to the SP commitments and performance regarding the referendum on the constitution, Zela said that the SP is also engaged in carrying out the obligations stemming for its representatives from the parliament's decision to create a Parliamentary Commission concerned with Draft-Constitution propaganda.

Zela evaluated the complementary role of the democratic institutions, political parties and NGO in approving the constitution. /pas/lm/

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[08] President Meidani meets Constitutional Court member

For personal and family reasons Jakova quitted his office, which he had been holding since June 1, 1992.

The Press and Information office close to the President of the Republic told ATA that at this warm and friendly meeting Meidani thanked Mr Franc Jakova for his important contribution as a jurist and especially as a member of the Constitutional Court, and wished him luckiness in his private life. /a.ke/lh/lm/

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[09] Organising anti-mafia in Albania discussed

The spokesman of the General Prosecutor's office told ATA that they discussed the possibility of financial support from the Government for the Prosecutor's office to fight organised crime.

They also stressed the importance of drafting and approving an anti- mafia law as soon as possible, said the spokesman.

He added that they agreed in principle, also according to international experience, to create a new structure, that of the Prosecutor of the Republic, special for fighting organised crime. /dast/lm/

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[10] Some 21 ships out of 27 with smuggling activity identified

Spokesman of General Attorney's Office, Ardian Visha, told ATA that based on the gathered information and documentation, General Attorney's Office identified 21 ships out of 27 foreign and Albanian ships carring out smuggling activity at different periods with consignments of high custom charges.

"Information provided by Division 21 and other sources, help start investigation, which will keep working to throw light on consignments, destinations and lines, these ships prefer," Visha said.

The 27-th ships' activity covers more than one-year-period.

"This investigation began on April '97. The 27-th ships under investigation have not been seized along Albanian shores, but they have carried out smuggling activity in our waters and their investigation is documented, thanks to the information provided by the ports receiving their consignments," Visha said.

"It's important to say that reception companies regarding smuggling activity in most of the cases are 'ghosts'," Visha underlined. /dast/lola/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[11] Supreme Court not to revoke arrest order for former state officials

"The judge-panel of the Supreme Court recently decided not to accept the request of the defence lawyers of Halit Shamata, Sokol Mulosmani, Safet Zhulali and Bujar Rama," the spokesman of the Appeals' Court Astrit Basha told ATA on Tuesday.

Defendants Halit Shamata, former Interior Minister, Sokol Mulosmani, former chief of the police commissariat in Vlore, Safet Zhulali, former Defence Minister, and Bujar Rama, former deputy head of the National Information Service (SHIK), are accused by the Military Prosecutor's office of "crimes against humanity in complicity."

The former state officials were arrested in August and by decision of the Military Appeals Court they are currently under house arrest.

After this decision of the Appeals Court, the lawyers of the four defendants appealed to the Supreme Courtto revoke the arrest order. But this court upheld the earlier decision of the Appeals Court. /dast/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[12] Obligatory reserves of second level banks, not only in dollars

From November 15, 1998 the obligatory reserves of the second level banks will not be in dollars alone, but also in three foreign currencies: German mark, Italian lira and Greek Drachma. Bank Auditing Council, which took this decision in its latest meeting, also approved the new regulation "On obligatory reserves for monetary deposits in leks and currencies".

From November 15 the current regulation will become invalid.

According to the sources of Bank of Albania the aim of this change was facilitation of second level banks performance and full compliance of this regulation with bank auditing ones. /lola/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[13] Meidani hails reelection of Avramopoulos as Athens' mayor

In this letter Meidani expresses the conviction that "Athens and its generous people will continue to be a warm house for all Albanian emigrants and their families, who are earning their living through honest work there."

At the same time Meidani expresses the conviction that the reelected mayor will encourage the local administration to undertake further positive steps for the Albanian emigrants' community to enjoy the right to a normal life, employment and schooling of their children in the Albanian language.

In this message Meidani encourages the increase of cooperation between the capitals of the two countries, in the citizens' common interest. /dast/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[14] Central Election Commission discusses media platform

The first meetings of the Central Election Commission (CEC) and those in districts have begun to discuss fundamental issues of the referendum on the Constitution.

CEC members met today to report on the administrative performance by the Local Government Ministry on the referendum.

"At this meeting we also discussed the platform of the media and its role in the campaign for the referendum," the chairman of the CEC, Daver Cano, told ATA.

Members of the opposition parties also made their remarks at the meeting and the material prepared by the Media Commission will be deposited at CEC.

By decision of the CEC, the composition of the commissions in districts, whose performance will help in the good proceeding of the referendum process, was approved. /lh/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[15] Draft law "On preventing money laundry" approved

According to the sources of the bank, with this draft law Bank of Albania fills the vacuum of Albanian legislation.

The approval of this law will help the respective bodies of Albanian State in fighting criminal money laundry activity. The draft law was compiled based on the suggestions of IMF mission and the international acts regarding it: thus the instructions of the U.N. Convent, European Council and European Union and also the Basel' principles to prevent the criminal use of bank systems for money laundry. /lola/

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

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