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Albanian Times, May 3, 1996
CONTENTS
[01] Albania Opens Stock Exchange
[02] Clinton Names New Ambassador to Albania
[03] Tirana Opens Conference on Tourism
[04] Nato Chief Wants Stronger Ties with Albania
[05] Fountain Oil Acquires UK-RAN Stock
[06] Poll Shows Democrats Could Beat Socialists
[07] Bildt Concerned Over Kosova
[08] USAID Has Given Kosova $20 Million in Aid Since 1993
[09] Police Disrupts Opposition Campaign, Daily Says
[01] Albania Opens Stock Exchange
TIRANA, May 2 - Albania opened the first stock echange on Thursday, Radio
Tirana said. The exchange opened by the National Bank in Tirana will help
the nation take another step toward replacing the vestiges of a centrally
planned economy with a free market. President Sali Berisha said in the
opening ceremony the exchange is ``testimony of the economic stability of
this country.'' ``The Tirana stock exchange came as a natural phenomenon
and not as an administrative measure,'' said Kristaq Luniku, governor of
the Albanian National Bank. He said stability, privatization and the
economic development of the country prepared the nation for a stock market.
The British ``Know How Fund'' has provided technical assistance to the
Albanian National Bank for this project. Initially, the stock exchange will
operate twice a week and offer treasury bills and privatization vouchers.
Ten players will be licenced to operate in the exchange, Radio Tirana said.
They are representatives of Albanian banks, the Insurance Institute and
individuals. "Investment is very secure therefore market volume will be
considerable," the exchange manager Albina Karamitro said. Economists
believe the stock exchange will speed up privatization and create more
investment opportunities. The exchange will operate twice a week starting
from 10 AM. (Albanian Times)
[02] Clinton Names New Ambassador to Albania
WASHINGTON, May 2 - President Clinton has named Marisa Lino as the new U-S
ambassador to Albania. Lino has spend the past two years as deputy
executive secretary of state and has served in Baghdad, Damascus and Rome.
She speaks Italian, French, Spanish, Serbo-Croation and Arabic. Lino
replaces ambassador Joseph Lake who offered his resignation in February
citing personal reasons. Mr. Lake was appointed to Albania in October 1994
after serving as U.S. ambassador to Mongolia. The new ambassador has yet to
be confirmed by the U-S Senate. (Albanian Times)
[03] Tirana Opens Conference on Tourism
TIRANA, May 2 - A two-day conference in Tirana is focusing on ways to
develop coastal tourism. Dashamir Shehi, Minister of Construction and
Tourism, presenting the development strategies for coastal tourism, said
public investments in infrastructure is hugely benefiting tourism in
coastal areas. He said Albania is situated in the very midst of the biggest
Mediterranean tourist market and has yet to explore this lucrative market.
Investments in the Albanian tourism for the past two years amount to $45
million. Shehi said the government aims at avoiding mass tourism to protect
Albania's historic monuments. The conference heard a report prepared by the
World Bank on a management plan for developing coastal areas with the aim
of protecting their bio-diversity and improving the relevant legal
framework. In Albania, tourism development policies are drafted by the
Ministry of Construction and Tourism. (Albanian Times)
[04] Nato Chief Wants Stronger Ties with Albania
TIRANA, May 2 - NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana said the alliance
would intensify ties with Albania and continue discussions about a possible
future NATO membership for the former communist country. ``We aim not only
to maintain it (NATO cooperation with Albania) but to make it deeper and
enlarge it,'' said Solana, who completed a two-day visit to the Balkan
country. ``Your country is a very important member of the Partnership for
Peace, a loyal ally,'' Solana said. Explaining NATO's strategy in case of a
conflict in Kosova, Solana said this strategy applies to the whole region
and is a preventive one. For now, he added, the main thing is to enable the
return of the OSCE missions to Kosova. Albanian President Sali Berisha
repeated his country's determination to become a full NATO member, saying
Albania was a small but determined and strategically important ally. "We
are very pleased about the high level of cooperation we have established
with the alliance,'' Berisha said. He said Albania is willing to offer air
and port facilities to NATO in the future. (Albanian Times, Reuters)
[05] Fountain Oil Acquires UK-RAN Stock
HOUSTON, April 30 - Fountain Oil Incorporated announced that it has
acquired 80 percent of the outstanding stock of UK-RAN Oil Corporation
("UK-RAN") and that it has entered into an agreement to purchase an
additional 10 percent of the UK-RAN stock which is expected to close within
the next 10 days. Commenting on the Agreement, Oistein Nyberg, President
and CEO, said, "The UK-RAN acquisition complements our growing portfolio of
international projects which include projects in Albania, Western Ukraine,
Russia, and now Central Ukraine." Fountain Oil Incorporated is actively
acquiring and developing a portfolio of oil and gas properties. The Company
has also owns a patented technology for electrically enhanced oil recovery
used to increase the production of paraffinic oil and heavy oil. (Albanian
Times)
[06] Poll Shows Democrats Could Beat Socialists
A new poll conducted by the Tirana based Association for Democratic Culture
shows the Democratic Party continue to hold a solid lead over the
opposition Socialists, less than a month from the general elections.
According to the survey announced Thursday in Tirana, the Democrats enjoy
38,4 percent support against 20,5 percent of the Socialist Party. The poll
was conducted in 40 regions with more than a thousand people. The survey
also shows Berisha as the most popular politician in the country followed
by the jailed Socialist leader Fatos Nano with twice as less support. The
results roughly coincide with those of previous surveys conducted by
independent polling organisations. (Albanian Times)
[07] Bildt Concerned Over Kosova
ATHENS, May 2 - The European Union's high representative for Bosnia Carl
Bildt warned on Thursday that recent violence in Kosova was threatening the
peace process in Bosnia and urged Belgrade and Tirana to show restraint.
``I am very much concerned over the recent trouble in Kosova,'' Bildt told
reporters. ``Peace in Bosnia depends on the stability of the whole region
and the political leaderships in Belgrade, Kosova and Tirana must seek a
political solution and prevent a major crisis.'' ``Serbia can't be stable,
prosperous and harmonious if it does not reconcile the issue of Kosova.
Serbia can't live as a European country with the continuous state of
repression in Kosova. It is simply not possible,'' Bildt said. (Courtesy of
Reuters)
[08] USAID Has Given Kosova $20 Million in Aid Since 1993
TIRANA, May 2 - The United States have given the people of Kosova $20
million in humanitarian aid since 1993, a USAID announcement said. The aid
has been funnelled through Mercy Corps International and Catholic Relief
Service, the USAID said. (Albanian Times)
[09] Police Disrupts Opposition Campaign, Daily Says
TIRANA, April 30 - Police in southern Albania destroyed opposition
Socialist campaign banners and pictures, according to the leftist oriented
daily Koha Jone quoted by Reuters. Police broke down the door of a
Socialist party office, removed the flag from the balcony and tore posters
of jailed Socialist leader Fatos Nano down from town walls, the newspaper
said. Two people in Cerrik, were detained temporarily for writing slogans
urging an opposition election victory, Koha Jone added. ``It is the duty of
the political forces, primarily the state and its structures, to establish
and carry out law and order and to avoid such (police) incidents during the
campaign,'' the daily said. Elections in Albania are scheduled to be held
on May 26. (Albanian Times)
The material was reprinted with permission of AlbAmerica Trade & Consulting
International. For more information on ATCI and the Albanian Times, please
Copyright (c) ATCI, 1996
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