Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA), 98-11-16

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

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

CONTENTS

[01] ESP: We have come to bring you Europe's support

[02] CoE to finance reconstruction of Hani i Hotit custom

[03] "Angel of Mostar" wounded in Tropoje

[04] Serbian police maltreat Albanians in Mitrovice

[05] National Conference on Human Rights starts

[06] We hope all Albanians take part in Constitutional Referendum - Petrovski.

[07] Gjinushi says Constitution is of democratic standards

[08] German gift for Vlore hospital

[09] Some 380 million leks income from posts

[10] Survey by TV1-Amantia before referendum -45% of the inquired for the Constitution; 30% in waiting

[11] Constitution, significant document sanctioning Albanians' will - Meidani

[12] Practical realisation of basic human rights, goal of Albanian government - Milo

[13] ADF to support more projects in 1999

[14] $US 1 as against 142.2 leks

[15] Majko meets Ministry of Transport officials

[01] ESP: We have come to bring you Europe's support

Representatives of the ESP delegation said that their visit to Albania is an expression of the "interest shown by Europe in Albania and ESP's interest in holding the Referendum and in a broad participation in it."

"We have come here to bring you Europe's support," said the ESP delegation members.

The ESP delegation was composed of Swedish Minister for development, Pierre Schorri; Italian Minister for European Affairs Umberto Raniery; Greek Euro-deputy Janis Rubatis; Secretary General of the European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity, Conny Fredereiksson; Marko Piantini from the European Socialist Party and Hanspeter Huber from the Austrian Institute "Renner".

Gjinushi said at the meeting that the Albanian parliament has been committed to carrying out the institutional reform, beginning with the Constitution, which was approved by 80 % of the deputies, with no one against. Gjinuishi stressed that this Constitution was prepared in cooperation with the Venice Commission and it is the best project prepared.

Referring to the opposition to the Draft-constitution by the DP chairman, Sali Berisha, Gjinuishi said that the reason should be found in the "tactics he pursues to destabilise the country".

Gjinushi thanked the European Socialist Party for its support for Albania, as a whole, and the Albanian left, in particular. /pas/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[02] CoE to finance reconstruction of Hani i Hotit custom

"At the beginning of '99 the reconstruction of custom's building, also including the electric and hydraulic network, will begin with the fund provided by the Council of Europe through PHARE program," north region custom director Skender Dizdari told ATA.

Dizdari also said that within the next year the 6-lane road laying the custom entrance, asphalting of vehicles parking and its checking point construction will finish.

Hani i Hotit custom, 30 km far from Shkoder city, has remained closed by Yugoslavian side since 1997. Despite frequent intervention from Albanian side, it has not been opened yet, affecting country's north region business. /s.sh./lola/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[03] "Angel of Mostar" wounded in Tropoje

Becker, dubbed the Angel of Mostar, was wounded in the leg. She was immediately taken to the local hospital.

OSCE ambassador in Tirane Daan Everts condemned today's incident, which "occurred in a place where security has been a concern for quite some time".

However Everts stressed that "this is an isolated incident and should not be regarded as an indication of the lack of order throughout Albania."

Becker, who has also become wellknown for the Kosova children, for her unsparing assistance even in the most difficult moments, belongs to the British charity Operation Angel.

Recently Becker has undertaken to help as many Kosovar children in Tropoje as possible and, to save their lives, also taking them to western countries. /pas/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[04] Serbian police maltreat Albanians in Mitrovice

A Serbian police patrol blocked a Mitrovice-Skenderaj service bus and arrested several young Albanians in Shipol yesterday, Kosova Information Center said.

Besim Geci, from the village of Llaushe, was severely beaten for two hours by the Serbian police, who later ordered him to escape running and shot against him. Also three 32-60 years old Albanians, while leaving Mitrovice, where they sheltered, for Dush of Kline, were shot by gunfire and driven back. Yesterday the police also patrolled the neighbourhoods of "Ura e gjakut" and "Tvanik" of Mitrovice.

The same source said that the previous day Serbian police sieged Mitrovice market and for almost two hours detained, identified and maltreated tens of Albanian citizens. /P.Ta/lola/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[05] National Conference on Human Rights starts

President of the Republic Rexhep Meidani, Foreign Minister Paskal Milo, the U.N. deputy Secretary and Director of the U.N. Office in Geneva, Vladimir Petrovski, the Chairman of the OSCE Presence in Tirane, Daan Everts, and the Special envoy of the CoE Secretary General in Tirane, Andreas Papacostantinou, greeted the conference.

The conference continues its proceedings. /s.s/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[06] We hope all Albanians take part in Constitutional Referendum - Petrovski.

"We hope all Albanians will take part in the Constitutional Referendum of November 22," said Petrovski who also holds the office of the Geneva U.N. Office director.

The two -day National Conference on Human Rights began its proceedings at the Palace of Congresses in Tirane. It is held under the auspices of the Foreign Ministry and UNDP office in Tirane.

Invited to the conference to speak on human rights are some of the most renowned local and world experts in this field, representatives of governmental and non-governmental institutions.

President of Albania Rexhep Meidani and Foreign Minister Paskal Milo greeted the participants in the conference as well. /pas/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[07] Gjinushi says Constitution is of democratic standards

Also present at the meeting, the first held in Sarande in the framework of the referendum on the Constitution were deputies G. Ruci, A. Llanaj, S.Çipa, A. Qilimi, Z.Lluci.

Gjinushi said that these meetings of deputies have nothing to do with electoral campaigns of political parties.

Asked what makes Berisha say that this is a constitution of dividing the country, Gjinushi said that from article 1, point 2 of the Constitution it is said that "the Republic of Albania is a unitary and undivided state" and further, article 151 point 2 sanctions that issues related to the territorial integrity of the Republic of Albania cannot be raised in any referendum."

Gjinushi says that Berisha cites half and separate articles with the aim of speculating and deceiving.

Gjinushi also rejected arguments by the Democratic Party on property, those on "Albanians' denationalisation" as well as arguments by democrats regarding religious belief. /pas/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[08] German gift for Vlore hospital

Disdorn visited the hospital's wards and closely familiarised himself with its problems. Disdorn spoked of the possibility of German aid in apparatuses and other means to improve health care in the Vlore city. /pas/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[09] Some 380 million leks income from posts

Albanian Post Enterprise (APE), created in February 1992 from the division of PTT General Department into two enterprises, Post and Telecom, exercises its post service activity in all the territory of the Republic of Albania. It has 36 affiliations, organised in 9 regional Centers and ran by the Central Department in Tirane.

Albanian Post Enterprise offers post service in 528 offices, of which 479 offices belong to AEP and 49 offices belong to Albanian Telecom Enterprise. Every office covers an area of round 52 sq kilometres and a population of 5 300 inhabitants. Some 1542 people are employed in post sector.

APE carries all the post services including post packages, telegrams and post mandate. During the transitory period the volume of the letters was reduced from 2.4 million letters in 1992 to 900 thousand letters in 1997, This decrease was also affected by the development of telephonic service during 1992-1997.

In these conditions, some institutions began creating their parallel posts, such as bank parallel post.

In order to face this situation, APE applied a strategy, which aimed the gradual improvement of existing services and introduced new financial ones. Among them we may point out reactivisation of Emergency Mail Service (EMS).

APE director General Aleksandra Collaku said that APE aims to increase the volume work of EMS by the end of 1998 in comparison with 1997. So, out of 7 200 letters and post packages distributed by this service in 1997, it is foreseen to distribute round 10 500 letters and post packages in 1998, (round 30% more).

Positive figures are also noticed for the 10-month period of 1998. "During this period the incomes from the posts have reached 380 million leks, from 280 million leks for the same period of 1997," Collaku said. Reconstruction expenditures, during this period, have been increased 272 million leks or 25% more than the same period last year.

Meanwhile the reconstruction of the post service offices in Elbasan, Sarande, Vlore, Tepelene, Korce, Shkoder, Burrel and Berat have begun. /pas/lola/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[10] Survey by TV1-Amantia before referendum -45% of the inquired for the Constitution; 30% in waiting

A survey carried out by the local private TV channel "TV1-Amantia" a week before November 22, 45% of the inquired in Vlore express themselves in favour of the constitution and less than 20 against it.

According to this opinion poll made public on Sunday by TV1-Amantia, 30% of the inquired have said they are in expectancy of further information to clear up certain articles of the draft, while a small percentage have preferred to show indifferent. /pas/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[11] Constitution, significant document sanctioning Albanians' will - Meidani

"Development of democracy is inseparable from the observation and defence of human rights and freedoms, which also implies their sanctioning in the country's fundamental law," said Meidani.

He said that even before the parliamentary approval of the constitution Albania had a very good chapter on human rights and freedoms in the constitutional provisions package, which has been further improved in the new constitution.

"A problem for our society is the defence and observation of these rights in practice, which cannot be exclusively realised by the state and its links, without having a healthy civil society," said Meidani, adding that the non-government organisations should play an important role in this context.

"While we speak of respecting and defending these rights, on our borders, in Kosova, we are witnessing the dramatic example of denying a people a fundamental right, such as that of self-rule, sanctioned in the U.N. Human Rights and Freedoms Charter, Meidani told the conference. /pas/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[12] Practical realisation of basic human rights, goal of Albanian government - Milo

Milo expressed Albanian government's belief that the best trinomial guaranteeing human rights is democracy - rule of law - civil society.

"Albanian government's goals focus on the practical realisation of this framework in Albania," Milo said.

"Albanians, just as they have shared as a nation the pain, terror, ethnic cleansing and full denial of human rights and freedoms in Kosova, should and will share their future, as well," Milo stressed in this Conference. /pas/lola/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[13] ADF to support more projects in 1999

The ADF coordinator of this district, Zeqir Matoshi, told ATA that specialists are working for drafting the projects aimed to be realized during 1999. A greater support will be given to infrastructure improvement projects in those communes where the situation is more emergent, he said.

As a result of the situation created in Tropoje after the coming of the displaced Kosovars, less projects were implemented during this year. With a fund worth 20 million leks, provided by ADF, was made possible the building of the health Center in Lekbibaj, the construction of Kepeneku aqueduct, the rehabilitation of road leading to Tropoja, and2 the building of a bridge in Bujan village. /pas/A.A/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[14] $US 1 as against 142.2 leks

Currency Rate $US 142.20

DM 85.10

LIT(1000) 85.60

GRD(100) 50.00 /A.A/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[15] Majko meets Ministry of Transport officials

Premier Pandeli Majko met with heads of the Departments of the Ministry of Public Works and Transports on Monday noon.

The meeting aimed analysing the progress of investments, covered by the Ministry of Transport.

These public investments, concentrated in road infrastructure and water supply system, have been financed by budget funds and donors.

Also attending the meeting were Deputy Prime Minister Ilir Meta and Minister of Public Affairs and Transport Ingrid Shuli. /lola/

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

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