Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA), 98-12-25

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

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

CONTENTS

[01] Order service starts in Parliament

[02] Arch Bishop Anastassios wishes Albanian people on Christmas

[03] Berat celebrates Christmas

[04] Government adopts Information Ministry functioning platform

[05] Believers of the capital celebrate Christmas

[06] 1998 - not a favorable year for business in South -Some of the most important region businessmen pronounced

[07] President Meidani wishes Catholic and Orthodox believers on Christmas

[08] PM Majko wishes Catholic believers in Church "Heart of Christ"

[09] Thousands of Albanian emigrants come from Greece to celebrate Christmas and New Year

[10] Albanian Orthodox Autocephalous Church observes a considerable number of icons

[11] Explosion damages Fierze-Tirane electric line 220 kilovolt

[12] Great number of Albanian emigrants returning home for celebrations

[01] Order service starts in Parliament

A unit of the Guard of the Republic, in special dress, with the distinctive and not armed stands without moving inside the premises where the deputies work. This service, which is administratively within the structures of the Guard of the Republic, has to maintain order and tranquility inside the hall where the Parliament proceedings are held, without infringing the immunity of deputies.

The functioning of this service was enabled due to the approval by Parliament of the law "On an amendment to the law on the Guard of the Republic," according to which these order forces will intervene to maintain order if something happens inside the Parliament hall. They will preserve the integrity of the hall and will not infringe the immunity of the deputy. /dast/mt/

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[02] Arch Bishop Anastassios wishes Albanian people on Christmas

In this message, His Holiness, Iannulatus says among others: "I wish with all my heart, full of joy and peace, prosperity and hope, inexhaustible strength of firmness and creation in the power of the holy spirit. Let these fill our spirit in any conditions in order to live, both during the holidays and the coming year."

"Many people simply believe in a conventional way that an important person of the human history was born, but not the Christ, the son of God. In this category are included all those people, who, for their own interests, impudently violate the right of the defenceless and smear peoples with blood, or those, who, for their own individual property, instigate the young men towards drugs and various passions, towards poverty and distress," says the message of the Arch Bishop Anastassious.

"The birth of Christ eases all hurricanes and throws a strong light on our life. It offers a prospective of hope to our journey, gives a meaning to the life, even to the death," said in his message the Arch Bishop of the Orthodox Church, His Holiness, Anastassios. /pas/dast/mt/

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[03] Berat celebrates Christmas

In the Church of Saint Thoma and the others in this ancient town, the traditional rites have been carried out and thousands of Orthodox believers have attended the ceremony of the birth of Christ.

In this holy day, Christmas Day has been also greeted by the Moslem Community, which is in the month of Ramadan.

The characteristic for this town is the cohabitation and the complete harmony between the two communities.

Berat is one of the cities with more religious institutions. More than 20 churches are in the ancient castle of the town, while 2 others are in the Gorice neighbourhood, which have been restored recently. /s.s/mt/

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[04] Government adopts Information Ministry functioning platform

The Ministry of Information announces that the mission of this ministry is to release information for public and media on the government activity; to adopt, coordinate and follow the implementation of the ministries and other central institutions programs for the communication with the public and media, as well as to assume lawmaking initiatives.

The Foreign Minister, Paskal Milo, informed the recent dramatic events in Kosova during the meeting.

The decision for the growth of the medicine number in the list of the the medicaments compensated by state and some draft-decisions presented by the observing commission of pyramidal-investment schemes were also adopted.

An additional fund, worth 1,5 million, was approved for the Integration Institute of Former political prisoners. This fund is to be used to cover the problems of the former political prisoners in order to integrate them in the Albanian social life. /pas/A.A/

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[05] Believers of the capital celebrate Christmas

In the Catholic Church, the Heart of Christ, and in the Orthodox Church, the traditional masses of Christmas were held.

The message of Christ comes as a message of courage, hope, and revival to find the way of life, it comes as a support for all those people who have lost the belief to be revived and to become optimistic for the life.

Albania PM Pandeli Majko addressed a message of wishes to the Catholic Church and all the Albanians. In this message, Majko voiced the desire for a greater civil engagement in order to avoid the conflicts, to unite, aiming at coping with the challenges of the present and the future. /pas/mt/

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[06] 1998 - not a favorable year for business in South -Some of the most important region businessmen pronounced

Harri Leni, distinguished in Albanian for the exclusive business of several mass-producing articles, told ATA that the unsecurity in the national road as well as the illegal business, have curbed the normal development of the commercial relations.

Sako Kalemi, a businessman who deals with different imports salami, told ATA that we can not accept the thought that we have to pay a set number of persons to escort the goods while transporting them in different parts of Albania. He said that changes should be made even in the customs house law, because the customs house fee for a kilo of salami is equal with its buying cost. There are some cases when in it even more.

Arqile Buka, a well-known businessman of alcoholic drinks, spoke about the false drinks and the unsecurity that is created by the threatening and the anonymous "fines" which do not fear the law.

Kosta Bezhani, the president of "Fresh-Company", Shamet Feruni, businessman of the mass-consume articles, Ilir Gushi, chairman of the Gjirokaster Chamber of Commerce and others were pronounced for different problems. /pas/A.A/

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[07] President Meidani wishes Catholic and Orthodox believers on Christmas

"This coincidence of Christmas with Ramadan is the best pattern of cohabitation among Albanians, a special pattern, but powerful," said President Meidani.

This cohabitation was also hailed by the Arch Bishop, Monsignor Rrok Mirdita. "The different nations envy us for the cohabitation among the three religions since centuries, a cohabitation and solidarity which were also noticed during last year's turmoil," said Monsignor Rrok Mirdita.

President Meidani wished Monsignor Rrok Mirdita for his initiative regarding the construction of the Cathedral of Saint Paul.

The three-angled architecture of the Cathedral, according to the idea of Monsignor Rrok Mirdita, symbolizes the existence and cohabitation of the three religious communities in Albania, who trust in a single God and value, but who use different ways to go towards Him.

On the occasion of Christmas, President Meidani also wished on Friday noon the Orthodox believers in the Evangelical Church of Tirana.

"It is to be hailed the work done by the religious communities for the union of all Albanians," underlined President Meidani.

Wishing on his side, the Arch Bishop of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania, His Holiness, Anastassious, said that "we know how to use the blessing God gave us for our best and of the whole Albania."

"The Albanians are making efforts to bring themselves back on their foot, although they know that courage and boldness are needed," he said.

On the occasion of Christmas, the Albanian Parliament Speaker, Skender Gjinushi, the Foreign Minister, Paskal Milo, and others, wished the Catholic and Orthodox believers. /pas/mt/

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[08] PM Majko wishes Catholic believers in Church "Heart of Christ"

Accompanied by the U.S. Ambassador in Tirana, Marisa Lino, and the Minister of Information, Musa Ulqini, Premier Majko wished all the Catholic believers for their holiday.

PM Majko showed a special interest and expressed the delight for the construction of the Cathedral of Saint Paul, as well as for the construction of a Mausoleum dedicated to the undeclared Saint, Mother Tereza, in the center of the capital. /pas/mt/

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[09] Thousands of Albanian emigrants come from Greece to celebrate Christmas and New Year

The daily ferryboats "Mimoza", "Violeta", "Kamela" and "Kaliopi" coming from Corfew island have landed in Sarande about 2000 Albanian refugees during the last two days, the port police commander, Haki Koshi told ATA today.

According to the captain of "Mimoza" ferryboat, Pilo Andoni, who works in the daily line Korfew-Sarande, a considerable number of Albanian emigrants working in Greece prefer to return home for Christmas. /pas/A.A/

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[10] Albanian Orthodox Autocephalous Church observes a considerable number of icons

This church has set up a sector which takes care of the icons maintenance which are placed in the orthodox churches in the Albanian territory.

As far as it has to do with the exact number of the icons situated in these churches, sources from the above mentioned church told ATA that "no full registration neither from the state nor from the church is made public so far " According to them "there exist a statistic center which is continuously working to make out their exact number."

The Orthodox church observes icons of saveral distinguished Albanian iconographers such as Great Onufri, his son Nikolla, Onufer Qiprioti, David Selenica, Zeografi brothers, Çekiri and others.

A considerable number of icons are also situated in the Institution of Monuments. Many specialists of the Monuments Institution take care for their restoration. /pas/A.A/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[11] Explosion damages Fierze-Tirane electric line 220 kilovolt

The general department of the Electric Distribution Corporation said in a report to ATA that at about 21.35 p.m. last Thursday some unidentified people had placed explosive in pillar No 240, whose blast damaged the electric line near village Borizane, Kruja district.

This act has made that the other part of the 220 kilovolt system work with 20 % greater capacity, especially the the Koman-Vau i Dejes line, thus worsening the situation in the electric network. The blast has also brought about a considerable reduction of the electric tension, especially in Central and Southern Albania. /dast/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[12] Great number of Albanian emigrants returning home for celebrations

Over 100 buses of various bus lines from Greece and hundreds of other vehicles have brought to Kakavije on Dec.24,25, thousands of Albanian emigrants, officials of Kakavije police told ATA.

According to registers of border police, the number of Albanian emigrants coming home at the end of the year marks a record as compared with the past few years. The same sources said that the emigrants have gone to different districts where they have their families, but police noted the majority of emigrants are directed to southern districts.

Police of Gjirokaster has adopted all measures to accompany the vehicles which are carrying the emigrants up to the outskirts of the district of Tepelene, with other respective district police taking care of them. The patrolling police armoured vehicles have been present all the time particularly on the Kakavije-Gjirokaster road, where groups of thieves have been active in the past days. /dast/xh/

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

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