Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA), 99-04-05

Albanian Telegraphic Agency Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

CONTENTS

[01] First NATO troops arrive in Albania

[02] Majko says Albania surrounded by friends at these delicate moments

[03] "You will not be alone in your efforts" - Short

[04] Sgarbi says all political forces in Italy support aid for Kosova

[05] Majko meets with Italian parliamentarians

[06] Nineteen planes with humanitarian aid on Sunday

[07] Local government, families help accommodate Kosovars

[08] Youths provide clothing, information, service for Kosovars

[09] Ancona, Bari to provide aid for Kosova people in Durres

[10] Saudi Arabia airlifts aid for Kosova people

[11] Charity association provides aid for four thousand Kosovars

[12] Musical albums mostly sold in past week

[13] Kosova children to continue classes in Albania

[14] Greek minority ready to help Kosovars

[15] We are coordinating work with bodies sending aid for Kosovars, official

[16] Nearly 2750 Kosovars have entered Han i Hotit

[17] Albania, UNHCR sign accord to cover expenses for Kosovars

[18] Increasing number of Kosovars in Tirane and Elbasan prefectures

[19] Requiem of Mozart to assist Kosovars in Albania

[20] Puppets show for Kosova children

[21] Albania is the only Balkan country which cannot close borders for Kosovars - Minister

[22] Albanian Minister of Public Order asks for registration of vehicles come from Kosova

[23] Slight fall of foreign currencies

[24] Albania's Government committed to accommodation of Kosovars with each passing day

[25] Kosovars waiting on Macedonian border to be evacuated to Albania

[26] 750 other Kosovars enter Albania through Hani i Hotit crossing point

[01] First NATO troops arrive in Albania

The NATO council on Saturday approved the dispatch of an armed force to Albania to guarantee supply of the Kosova refugees with humanitarian aid. The operation plan of this force is expected to be prepared within two days.

The mission of the force, which will act under the NATO command, will be logistic support for the humanitarian aid.

NATO, through this operation, will contribute with transport planes C 135, helicopters and navigation means to transport aid for the Kosova refugees in Albania and Macedonia.

This operation also includes cooperation with experts in air flights and opening of a coordination office on civil emergency problems such as that of the Kosovar refugees. /dast/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[02] Majko says Albania surrounded by friends at these delicate moments

Majko made a presentation of the worsening situation due to the arrival of large number of Kosovar people in need of help and the measures the Albanian Government is adopting to stabilise the situation as soon as possible.

Wolf expressed his personal readiness to make everything possible to help the Albanian Government cope with this difficult situation.

Meanwhile, Majko stressed that at these delicate moments Albania finds itself surrounded by friends, who are ready to help it overcome this unusual situation. /dast/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[03] "You will not be alone in your efforts" - Short

Majko briefed Short on the Albanian government's efforts to cope with the difficult situation created after the arrival of the war refugees from Kosova.

Majko expressed his profound gratitude for the British Government and Prime Minister Tony Blair for all their efforts to find a final solution to the Kosova crisis.

"Blair, with his action is turned into a symbol of friendship between our two countries," said Majko, expressing his desire to welcome the British Prime Minister to Tirane.

Majko asked that reception centres be set up as soon as possible. The British government might undertake to build one of these centres.

Short evaluated all efficient acts undertaken by the Albanian government to cope with the emergency of reception and accommodation of Kosova war refugees.

"You will not be alone in your efforts," said Short. /dast/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[04] Sgarbi says all political forces in Italy support aid for Kosova

Expressing Albanian Parliament's gratitude and support for the North Atlantic Alliance and the whole International Community, Gjinushi stressed that the sole solution is continuation of the NATO operations.

"The Government and all Albanian institutions are totally engaged in coping with the difficult situation created at home," stressed Gjinushi.

Meanwhile, deputy Sgarbi said that the Italian delegation is in Albania in token of solidarity and to bring aid offered by the Italian people.

"In Italy the political forces, left and right, support aid for Kosova," said Zgarbi.

The Italian deputies declared themselves in favour of the NATO operations, considering them indispensable. They stressed that many people are mobilised in Italy to gather aid for the Kosova refugees in Albania. /dast/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[05] Majko meets with Italian parliamentarians

"I was looking forward to meeting you. I consider this meeting as another sign of Italy's commitment to help my country in these difficult days," said Majko.

He made known to the Italian parliamentarians the Albanian government's views on the situation in the region, which he considered very grave.

"We are doing our utmost to cope with this situation; the Albanian government, all our institutions are making maximum efforts," said Majko, stressing that its is evident that Albanians are reacting towards the crisis as a nation.

"We arrived here to give a message of friendship and solidarity with you, in these difficult days," said the Italian parliamentarians.

They informed Majko of their efforts to gather and send to Albania humanitarian aid, especially medicines, food and clothing.

"Albania should count on our aid," said the Italian parliamentarians. /dast/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[06] Nineteen planes with humanitarian aid on Sunday

Meanwhile, as regards the number of the refugees from Kosova, the Ministry of Information reports that a total of 43 000 Albanians forced out of Kosova arrived in the Kukes Prefecture on Sunday from 00 to 22.00. A large number of Kosovars continue to enter through Qafa e Prushit.

One thousand Albanians driven from Kosova arrived in the town of Bajram Curri today early in the morning and another 20 000 are expected to enter from Decan and Gjakova.

The total number of the Kosova Albanians who have entered Albania, also including the Kosovars entering the Shkoder prefecture from Hani i Hotit, was estimated to be 213 000 today until 22.00.

Around 16.500 Kosovars have been evacuated from Kukes Prefecture from 00 to 22.00. Over 90 000 have been accommodated in various districts of the country. /dast/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[07] Local government, families help accommodate Kosovars

Secretary of the district council Alqi Kadenasi said to ATA that the number of the collection centers set up by the local government was doubled.

Besides the technological school and former workers camp where over 650 Kosova new-comers have been settled, owners of eight private hotels have sheltered over 500 people.

About 400 Kosova people have been accommodated in five houses in Shkallnuer village; other 250 in two collection centers in Shijak while some others in a school in the commune of Maminas.

Two days ago the "Fabiona" firm based in Xhafzotaj, 7 km from the Durres city, accommodated 200 people from Kosova putting at their disposal an extra 600 lodgings.

Kadenasi said that a tent's camp being set up by the voluntaries of the Italian civil defence in a 2.6 hectares site in Rrashbull hill would finish within days.

The GTZ German Foundation has prepared the massive collection center in a former agricultural enterprise in Spitalle, north of Durres.

Durres families have showed their solidarity with the Kosova people. The district council official Kadenasi said that half of the Kosova people had been settled in with families in Durres and Shijak and other hundred people with families of the Jube-Sukth commune.

The local government is trying to coordinate with the bodies of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to provide lodgings and collection centers and with CRS to distribute foodstuffs proportionally even to rural areas. /s.s/ak/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[08] Youths provide clothing, information, service for Kosovars

Students of a secondary school collected an amount of money to buy aid in clothing and foodstuffs for the Kosova new arrivals.

The Youth center has organised a system of information to help people find their relatives scattered in other areas.

The youths of the religious and charity organizations are giving their direct assistance to the Kosova people. Some 30 voluntaries of the Evangelist church are assisting mainly children and elderly people in a collection center in Shijak. They cook in an improvised canteen for 170 people. /dast/ak/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[09] Ancona, Bari to provide aid for Kosova people in Durres

The Ancona mayor Renato Galeazzi issued an appeal in the newspaper "Il resto del Carlino" calling on his co-citizens to help the Kosova people in the city of Durres.

The city of Bari has provided aid for the Kosovars in the Durres district, too. /dast/ak/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[10] Saudi Arabia airlifts aid for Kosova people

The aid included 120 tons foodstuffs such as rice, sugar, flour, powder milk as well as 2.000 blankets and 1.000 mattresses and tents for the Kosova displaced. /dast/ak/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[11] Charity association provides aid for four thousand Kosovars

In a meeting with the city mayor Arqile Gorreja the association's officials asked for collection centers they would supply. They are going to provide foods for four thousand Kosovars until they returned to their lands.

The association will deliver foodstuffs mainly cooking oil, rice, flour, sugar, pasta and the like starting from Tuesday. s.sh/ak/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[12] Musical albums mostly sold in past week

Classification of the ten mostly sold musical albums:

10- Britney Spears Baby one more time 9- Five Five 8- 'N Sync The winter album 7- Cher Believe 6- Venga Boys Open down the party album 5- Emilia Big big world 4- Prodigy Singles Collection 3- Metallica Garage Inc 2- Offspring Americana 1- Best Alternative (Mix)

/dast/mt/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[13] Kosova children to continue classes in Albania

The main goal of the ministry is to find out the exact number of pupils and students and the education sections are considering possibilities for them to be integrated in schools in areas they are settled.

Minister Ruka rejected categorically an idea on a suspension of classes saying that "if this happens it will leave seven to eight hundred teachers unemployed and prevent some 30 to 40 thousand students graduate the university. /dast/ak/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[14] Greek minority ready to help Kosovars

The secretary of the journalists' association, Shpresa Dine told ATA that "work will be also coordinated with the communes to collect aid. Then, they will distributed by the respective commission in charge of the accommodation of Kosovars."

While the chairman of the association "Activities for Human Rights," Genci Nikolla, said that "work will be coordinated to supply all the displaced Kosovars with identity cards."

Sources from these associations also reported that a performance will be soon organized for the Kosovars in this district. The performance will be held in cooperation with the Cultural Center of Children of this district.

Some 282 Kosovars have been already sheltered in four centers of this town. Most of them are women and children. /s.sh/mt/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[15] We are coordinating work with bodies sending aid for Kosovars, official

The Albanian group for the management of the aid, according to its chairman, Kastriot Islami, aims at "coordinating the activity for the distribution and management of the humanitarian aid which is intensively coming in Albania from many international countries."

All lists of humanitarian aid have been drafted so far, accompanied with the matrixes of needs, presented by host districts of Kosova families, by making a better coordination among them.

According to the chairman of the group for the management of aid, Kastriot Islami, the main demands, but also the biggest difficulties, are noticed in the transport, where most of the vehicles are concentrated. A special regulation is being drafted to take and distribute the humanitarian aid, offered by local or foreign donors, by avoiding the possible abuses. /dast/mt/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[16] Nearly 2750 Kosovars have entered Han i Hotit

Some 250 Kosovars from Peja crossed the border through Han i Hotit, 15 km far from Shkoder.

Bardhyl Shaqiri, secretary of the Shkoder town hall, told ATA that the newcomers were accommodated in the collection center in the sports hall of the town. Some 500 persons were first sheltered in this center, but their number is reduced, because many of them wanted to go to other districts of the country, he added.

Nearly 2300 Kosovars have been accommodated in this town, most of them in the three collection centers and the other part in the host families of Shkoder. /dast/mt/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[17] Albania, UNHCR sign accord to cover expenses for Kosovars

The agreement foresees covering of expenses up to 1.5 million USD per month.

This agreement, which was signed by the Albanian Minister of Local Government, Arben Demeti, and the UNHCR representative in Tirana, Tamrongsak Meechubot, defines as the main objective of the fund buying of the necessary food items for the displaced Kosovars.

Also, the agreement covers the distribution of food items and sleeping materials from the distribution centers to the different centers where the refugees are sheltered, medical treatment for the refugees, repair and sanitary maintenance of collective camps.

During the meeting, the UNHCR representatives expressed their interest to build new camps.

"Building of new camps is a priority of the Albanian government in this moment," stressed Demeti, adding that the Ministry is working to find free sites for camps, also in cooperation with local bodies. /dast/mt/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[18] Increasing number of Kosovars in Tirane and Elbasan prefectures

According to her, the Kosovars are accommodated in families of the capital, some others in the temporary reception centre in the Asllan Rusi Palace of Sports and in the refugee camp in the Dinamo sport club compound.

According to the secretary of the prefecture of Elbasan, Arqile Basha, the number of the people evicted from Kosove reached 9619 people until Monday noon.

According to him, the Kosovars are accommodated in families of Elbasan, in the communes of Shushice, Labinot-Fushe, Shirgjan, Gostine, Gracen, Bradashesh, in the town of Cerrik, in former building of the army in Peqin, in the camp of Tokez, in Librazhd, etc. /lh/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[19] Requiem of Mozart to assist Kosovars in Albania

Bujar Llapaj, artistic leader of this institution, said that "all the money to be raised by the concert on April 9 will be used to help the Kosovars who have been forcibly evicted from Kosove."

Along with the Albanian artists will also be the German soloist Markus Bluch who has voiced his will to do something for the people of Kosove.

The work "Requiem" has been interpreted several times by the Opera and Ballet Theater. /lh/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[20] Puppets show for Kosova children

"The children, who came in Albania from the war and its terrors, need to be amused. And we can do it", told ATA the Director of Puppets Theater Tonin Ujka, who together with the staff organized the show by presenting different theatrical parts, such as "The beauty and the beast", "Happiness town", "Snow house", etc.

It is decided that the actors of the Puppets Theater to move in the camps of the kosovars and give shows for the children, who need to forget the war.

Puppets Theater is the only institution of this kind in Albania with such wide artistic activity in Albania and abroad./lh/linda/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[21] Albania is the only Balkan country which cannot close borders for Kosovars - Minister

Although the influx of Kosovars keeps increasing, Mr Ulqini said that "Albania is the only Balkan country which cannot close its borders for the Kosovars." He stated that the Albanian Government is against the transportation of the Kosovars to other countries because this means to side with the policy of the ethnic cleansing of Milosevic.

Mr Ulqini ruled out the possibility for abuses with the assistance for the Kosovars, adding that 90 per cent of the aid is administered by foreign and local organizations along with the central and local governments.

The Prime Minister of Albania, Pandeli Majko, has urged the State Control Service to monitor the administration of the aid, Ulqini explained.

Asked about the danger existing by the presence of NATO troops in Albania, turning it into a possible military target for Milosevic, Ulqini said that "Albania is threatened to the same extent as other NATO member countries." /lh/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[22] Albanian Minister of Public Order asks for registration of vehicles come from Kosova

For this purpose all the vehicles will be equipped with special circulation permission, which will permit them to move to the places of their accommodation.

"This measure is taken to avoid every kind of speculation to be done by the criminal elements, who move without plates to do different terrorists acts," it is informed from the Circulation Sector of the Ministry of Public Order.

Every transport mean without plate of the Kosovars to move from the accommodation places after this announcement will be blocked by Road Police./lh/linda/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[23] Slight fall of foreign currencies

The following are the exchange rates of the foreign currencies against the Albanian one:

Currency Sold Bought

USD 146 146.6

DM 81 81.5

LIT(1000) 81.2 81.7

GRD(100) 48 48.4 /lh/linda/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[24] Albania's Government committed to accommodation of Kosovars with each passing day

At present the prefecture of Kukes has 122 900 Kosovars while the total number of the Kosovars who have been transported to other districts is 98 500 people.

The Albanian Government is insisting that various states or international organizations help set up some refugee camps with all necessary facilities. An intensive work is going on to establish a refugee camp with a capacity of 12 000 people in the suburb of Kukes city, on the road Morina-Kukes, which will help provide first aid for the arriving Kosovars.

The Ministry of Health is working to protect the Kosovars from infectious diseases and to guarantee normal medical service, medicaments and sanitary conditions in all the places where the Kosovars are accommodated.

The food supply is continuing normally and is under control. Fifteen U.S., German and Italian helicopters flied food stuff for the prefecture of Kukes on Sunday. On Monday 12 helicopters, 8 French, 2 Italian and 2 Albanian, airlifted food articles and medicaments in that prefecture.

The Government Commission and the Emergency Committee are cooperating closely with foreign donors, making possible an increase of foreign humanitarian aid and its immediate delivery. On Sunday alone, 20 planes landed in Rinas airport carrying humanitarian aid, and three Italian ferries anchored in the Port of Durres. The government has its envoys in every customs point whose duty is to avoid red-tape and to help cope with a quick delivery of the humanitarian aid which are arriving intensively through the customs points in Albania.

UNHCR will hold an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday in Geneve on the crisis of Kosova refugees. The Albanians government will be represented in this meeting by Ilir Meta, Deputy Premier and Minister of Government Coordination. UNHCR is expected to adopt the program of aid demanded by the Albanian Government. An agreement was signed on Monday between the Local Government Ministry of Albania and UNHCR according to which UNHCR will pay 1.5 million dollars per month for the Kosove refugees. /lh/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[25] Kosovars waiting on Macedonian border to be evacuated to Albania

According to official reports and information on foreign radio and tv stations, the Kosova refugees of all age-groups are dying of hunger on the border with Macedonia during midday and afternoon on Monday.

Proceeding from these conditions, the Council of Ministers agreed on principle to allow the evacuation of the Kosova refugees waiting on the Kosova-Maceodnian border into the territory of Albania, in consultation with and aided by NATO and the international community. /lh/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[26] 750 other Kosovars enter Albania through Hani i Hotit crossing point

They were accommodated in the reception centre in Shkoder, in which there are about 1000 people at present. At about 5 p.m. on Monday, a train carrying nearly 1 200 Kosovars left from Mjeda station towards Vlore.

Over the past six days, 3 100 Kosovars have entered Albania through Hani i Hotit border post, and most of them have been transported to other cities of Albania. /lh/xh/

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

Albanian Telegraphic Agency Directory - Previous Article - Next Article