Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA), 98-11-02

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

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

CONTENTS

[01] Italian motorboats patrols Vlore gulf

[02] Orgjost local hydro-power to resume operation

[03] Savings Bank - credit surplus by the end of eight months, 9847 million leks

[04] CEC discusses composition of district commissions

[05] Ferry terminal to be expanded

[06] Penal denunciation on irregularities in distributing passports

[07] Some 80 000 Albanians in brink of humanitarian catastrophe

[08] World Bank gives $ 150 million credit for the three coming years

[09] Some 62 emigrants smuggling, entering Albania through Greece, turned back.

[10] OSCE Verification Commission praises cooperation with LDK

[11] Serb project on Kosova to be announced today

[12] Multiplane traditions of Shkoder to be presented in a workshop

[13] Humanitarian aid for displaced Kosovars in Albania

[14] Success of Albanian chessplayer in regional tour for World Champion title

[15] Projects on public works have employed hundreds of people

[16] Intensive work of Central Election Commission for Referendum - first meeting of election commissions in districts to be held within November 4 -

[17] New linguistic section in French language

[18] Convention for Children's Rights will have an official Albanian version too

[19] Some 45 specialists to treat Kosova traumatized children

[20] Albanian education for Albanian emigrants' children in Greece expected soon

[21] Japanese Government backs political solution of Kosova issue

[22] Albanian students to play an active role in referendum for Constitution

[23] Military police towards implementation of western standards

[24] Albania takes part in 103 Session of Foreign Ministers Committee

[01] Italian motorboats patrols Vlore gulf

The Italian motorboats of Guardia di Finanza began the patrol in Vlore gulf.

The police department of Vlore Prefecture reported that according to the agreement between the respective Interior Ministers of Albania and Italy, Petro Koci and Rosa Russo Jervolino, Italian motorboats will patrol drug and men smuggling.

The Italian motorboats, which reached on Saturday, have been deployed in Sazan island, from where they are supervising the possible movements of the speedboats with illegal emigrants.

Measures against this traffic began intensifying over the last week, following the grave incident, when two speed boats came into collision and some persons died.

Meanwhile, police border forces, also supported by the police special ones, keep having seaside and access roads to Vlore city under control, in order to prevent the penetration of illegal emigrants contingents. /dast/lola/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[02] Orgjost local hydro-power to resume operation

Orgjost local hydro-power in the district of Kukes will resume operation.

Head of local Electric Department, Besnik Kerxhaliu told ATA that 2.4 million leks, provided by the state budget, will serve to carry out the necessary repairs, which enables to resume operation of this hydro-power, which supplies electricity to several villages of Dollovisht zone.

Work of this hydro-power was suspended a year earlier, as the water providing channel was destroyed from the heavy rains. The hydro-powers of Orgjost and Bicaj were built up in this district by the end of '60.

"There are plenty of water reserves to produce electricity in our district, but so far only 20% have been used. Their complete exploitation would be profitable, but this requires investments, lacking in our zone," Head of Electric Department said. /dast/lola/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[03] Savings Bank - credit surplus by the end of eight months, 9847 million leks

Currently, the World Bank (WB) is working to collect the unpaid credits and issuance of new credits has been blocked until all credits are collected.

The unpaid credits pose a problem for the state banks because most of those who have received the credits "have not seen it reasonable" to return them.

At second level banks, the unreturned credits have been a problem especially for the former Agrarian Trade Bank, which actually has 58.1% of the total of the unreturned credits, the National Commercial Bank 24.8 % of unreturned credits and the Savings Bank 17.1% of unreturned credits.

Besides the Savings Bank and the National Commercial Bank, engaged in resolving this problem, the Credit Handling Agency has also been created to gather the unreturned credits.

If the bank credit is analysed, the short-term credit is more problematic, as 97.4% of it is unpaid, than come the midterm credit, 32.7% unpaid and the long-term credit, 30.3% unpaid. /dast/lm/

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[04] CEC discusses composition of district commissions

She explains that the commissions will be composed of the chairman, who is the representative of the largest party of the government coalition, the deputy chairman, who will represent the largest political force from the opposition, as well as the secretary who is the state's representative.

"Meanwhile work is going on both in the Central Commission and in the four other sub-commissions, such as: the juridical, media, foreign observers' and the economic commissions." /s.s/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[05] Ferry terminal to be expanded

Leonidha Gjermeni, director of the port, told ATA that a fund of 11 million dollars, provided by World Bank will be used to meet the expenses for ferry terminal expansion. Works will be carried out by the Italian company COSMAR, the bid winner. COSMAR has brought and keep bringing machineries and different equipment, needed to carry out the works.

"The terminal aims to be widened with 7 thousand square metres and lengthen from 120 linear meters to 180 linear metres," the director said.

He also said that this will enable the simultaneous anchorage of three ferries instead of two anchoring at present. /dast/lola/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[06] Penal denunciation on irregularities in distributing passports

The spokesman of the Public Order Ministry told ATA on Monday that during the unrest of February-March '97 period, damages and misuse with the blank passports as well as the technique of their filling have been observed.

"This phenomenon has been more pronounced in the police commissariats of Shkoder, Tepelene, Delvine, Sarande, Permet, Pogradec, Tropoje and unit 100 in Tirane," he said.

According to the spokesman, unit 100, in which blank passports are first stored and then distributed, has declared missing 7 000 passports, pretended to be out of use.

But, it turned out from the citizens' concern that unit 100 has supplied with the passports it had declared missing the commissariat 1 in Tirane, police departments in Vlore, Shkoder, Has, Korce and Kurbin.

"In Lushnje alone 3 000 passports with an expiry date of 10 years has been distributed, forcing citizens to get new ones; invalid passports have been distributed in Tepelene while in Skrapar, Peqin and Librazhd passports have been distributed issued without the respective legal acts," the spokesman of the Public Order Ministry reports.

In October of this year the Tirane police department filed penal denunciation to the Prosecutor's Office on 50 diplomatic and service passports, missing in unit 100.

In the same month, 20 passports, whose numbers figure in the lists of the missing passports, were blocked during checks in border crossing points. /dast/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[07] Some 80 000 Albanians in brink of humanitarian catastrophe

Some 80 000 Albanian inhabitants of Malisheve commune are on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe, besides a considerable number of Albanian inhabitants from the communes of Rahovec, Kline, Gllogoc, Suharek, Lipjan and Shtime sheltered in this commune, Kosova Information Center said.

According to the chairman of humanitarian association "Mother Tereza", the gravest situation has prevailed among the inhabitants of Domanek village, who since one month have not received any humanitarian aid. While in the village of Pagarushe, because of health service nonexistence, an 18- month child recently died.

Reports say that Serbian police forces keep being present in Malisheve, deploying near Carralluk, Smolic and near Terpez, Kijev, Mlecan and Llazic, where reinforcements are reported to have also reached. /dast/lola/

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[08] World Bank gives $ 150 million credit for the three coming years

Actually the World Bank is implementing 24 projects in Albania, in the social, educational, health, infrastructural and agricultural fields.

The Word Bank is present in Albania since 1992 financing a total sum of $ 300 million to support the Albanian economy, and $ 80 million of this part were given as an additional credit during the last year.

Johanes Lin considered the International Conference of Tirana as very sussessful and was optimistic for the financial indexes achieved, and for the economic and financial reform applied in Albania. /dast/A.A/

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[09] Some 62 emigrants smuggling, entering Albania through Greece, turned back.

Fieri district order forces discovered 25 Turks, 32 Iraqi and 5 Palestinians coming to Albania through the Greece border station, during a control exercised in Ferraj village of this district on Saturday, the spokesman of the Public Order Ministry told ATA on Monday.

The clandestines were settled in this village six days ago, and were preparing to set sail for Italy by a dinghy, added the spokesman.

According to him, all the emigrants smuggling were returned back in Kakavije, after being accompanied in the policy. /dast/A.A/

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[10] OSCE Verification Commission praises cooperation with LDK

Niberg has assessed the cooperation with the Serb authorities and Albanians' representatives as very good.

"The Democratic League of Kosova (LDK) has formed a committee for coordination with the Verification Commission, while the Kosova Liberation Army (UCK) and Adem Demaci supported the mission recently," said Niberg.

He said that the OSCE observers encounter problems on the ground and added that the OSCE, during its one-year term has no powers to intervene, but only to implement the agreement, monitor the situation on the ground and organise elections in Kosova. /dast/lm/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[11] Serb project on Kosova to be announced today

NATO sources in Brussels reported that, today Nov 2, Milosevic is expected to announce the Serb project on the future self-rule of Kosova, which according to the mentioned sources is based on the proposal, the international brokerer, the U.S. American Ambassador, Christopher Hill presented to Belgrade and Albanian authorities, Kosova Information Center says.

Serb proposal for the wide-ranging self-rule in Kosova will also include 11 points, announced by Milosevic after signing the agreement with Holbrooke. According to the European sources, in general, this plan offers the basis for the future agreement, which may be improved or completed in order to bring closer the stands of both sides. Albanian-Serbian negotiations are expected to begin on Nov 4. /dast/lola/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[12] Multiplane traditions of Shkoder to be presented in a workshop

The director of the museum, Mentor Cuku, told ATA that the multiplane traditions of Shkoder will be in the center of this seminar.

The seminar will be held in 10 sections, in that of history, language, economy, geography and others.

The first seminar in this town has been organized in 1993, while the second in 1995. /s.sh/mt/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[13] Humanitarian aid for displaced Kosovars in Albania

The director of this association, Sait El Hamdi, told ATA that the aid included packages with 20 kilos of food items, 2000 blankets and 200 mattresses destined for the 1000 displaced Kosovars who sheltered in Shkodra families.

According to him, this association has donated 1.5 million lek to provide the 120 Kosova children with books and school equipment.

This is the third time that the above association distributes aid for the displaced Kosovars in Shkoder. /s.sh/mt/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[14] Success of Albanian chessplayer in regional tour for World Champion title

Some 80 chessplayers from Greece, Turkey, Yugoslavia, Armenia, Georgia, Malta and Cyprus took place in this tour. The International Master Altin �ela, got the first and the second place gathering seven points in nine matches.

Altin �ela, aged 23, of "Teuta" sportsclub, has started his career since he was seven, and has been proclaimed the country's champion for the adults when he was 17 years old. /l.h/A.A/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[15] Projects on public works have employed hundreds of people

The director of the employment office close to the town-hall, Lumturi Ngjala, told ATA that some 760 persons have been employed only in three projects, already finished.

Five other projects are presented close to respective bodies and this will influence on the further improvement of the infrastructure and increase of the persons employed.

The implementation of many projects on public works has been in the center of the town-hall and communes, said Ngjela. /a.ke/mt/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[16] Intensive work of Central Election Commission for Referendum - first meeting of election commissions in districts to be held within November 4 -

Recently, the Central Election Commission has been in full swing, sending the necessary instructions to all election commissions in the districts.

Official sources in the CEC main secretary office told ATA that by decision No.5 dated 30.10.1998, the CEC adopted the composition of the election commissions in the districts and informed them to hold their first meeting within November 4 to approve and announce the composition of the election commissions. /a.ke/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[17] New linguistic section in French language

"It is the first time that such a bilingual section is put into function, supported by the French party," Ilia Paluka, Chief of the General High Education in the Ministry of Education and Science, told ATA.

The new section, which was inaugurated in the presence of the deputy Minister of Education and Science, Andrea Marto, the French ambassador in Albania, Patrick Chrismant, as well as representatives of the "French Alliance," has for the moment 40 pupils, chosen through an accepting competition in this high school. During the 5 years, the pupils will attend regular teaching programs, being prepared by specialists of the French language, Albanian and French teachers. /lh/mt/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[18] Convention for Children's Rights will have an official Albanian version too

In order to make the Convention last as long as possible, a 10 member working group, consiting of deputies, representatives of non-governmental organizations and President Meidani personally, has been set up.

The working group will convene thrice in November to examine and discuss the Albanian version. Later, the convention translated in Albanian by Petraq Pojani, will be sent to the Foreign Ministry to legalize it.

Albania signed the Convention on the Children's Rights in 1992. So far, many translations of the convention have been made but none has been legalised yet. /a.ke/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[19] Some 45 specialists to treat Kosova traumatized children

The group of the specialists will be able to know the psycho-social consequences of the traumas caused as the result of children's departure from their parents and relatives.

The specialists who are teachers, doctors or nurses, underwent a training during the last week of Oct. in a meeting organized on this aim by UNICEF in collaboration with the Albanian Center for the Human Rights. There were discussed the problems created to the children coming from Kosova, and to Albanian children traumatized during the riots at home. A rich experience was given by two Croatian specialists that dealt for a long period of time with this kind of traumas in their countries.

Recently, as a result of the displaced Kosovars, a great number of children who have eyewitnessed the crimes committed against their parents and their relatives, are sheltered in Albania. /A.Ke/A.A/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[20] Albanian education for Albanian emigrants' children in Greece expected soon

On November 4, the Greek delegation, consisting of 11 members, is expected to have meetings and talks also with Albanian state senior officials such as Prime Minister Pandeli majko and President Rexhep Meidani.

"The agreement, to be signed by Education ministers of the two countries, respectively Et'hem Ruka and Gerasimos Arsenin, assumes a special importance for the fact that it envisages education in the mother toungue for Albanian emigrants' children in Greece, who are in a considerable numer," Albanian deputy Minister of Education and Science, Andrea Marto said. In addition, the Greek party will offer scholarships for post graduate studies and qualifications in various sectors of scientific researches, which "will carry the existing cooperation to a new stage," he added.

The Greek party, said the foreign relations director in the Albanian Ministry of Education and Science, Artan Cani, will consider the possiblity that Albanian language be also taught in the Athens University, as it is being taught in Ioannina. In Albania, he added, the Greek language is taught in the Tirane University and in Gjirokaster University, at philological levels.

The agreement of November 4 is the first of its kind, along with the agreement in the field of cooperation and good neighbourliness signed on March 21,1996 in Tirane. /lh/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[21] Japanese Government backs political solution of Kosova issue

The press and information department close to the Foreign Ministry told ATA that the Japanese Government has pointed out the contribution it has given and will give for Kosova, by taking into consideration the latest report of the monitoring mission in Kosova, as well as the expected developments.

In regard to the humanitarian assistance for the refugees and for the other persons displaced from Kosova, the Japanese government reports that it has added an assistance worth 2.3 million USD for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC.) In response to the recent appeal of the UN humanitarian organizations, the Japanese Government says that it will further increase its contribution to UNHCR, UNICEF, WHO and other organizations in Kosova, worth 7.3 million USD.

As another form of the contribution of Japan for Kosova, the Japonesse government, in its press release, considers also the cooperation with the neighbouring countries, Albania and FYROM, ends the report of the press and information office close to the Albanian Foreign Ministry. /lh/mt/

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[22] Albanian students to play an active role in referendum for Constitution

Also present in the meeting was the deputy minister of Education and Science Mimoza Hafizi. She said to ATA that the essential problem in the discussion with the deputies led by Limoz Disdari was to sensitize the Albanian opinion for the approval of the Constitution, by engaging for this purpose also the students as the coming elite of our democratic society.

Along with the various options, the rectors stressed in the meeting that the two week period prior to the referendum for the constitution must be full of activities with the active participation of the youth and intellogentsia, with talks and meetings where they must express their independent depoliticized opinions that "this so important process must be crowned with success, said Hafizi. /a.ke/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[23] Military police towards implementation of western standards

The purpose of this military drill is the promotion of the Albanian military police according to the western patterns. This activity is held in the framework of the bilateral cooperation between the Albanian and the Italian party based on the agreements signed on this purpose.

Attending the ceremony, which was held in the grounds of the Battalion of the Military Police in Sauk, was also the Director of the Military Police Department, colonel Pirro Lutaj, leaders from the General Staff of the Army, and from the Italian party attending was the representative of the karabineria close to the Italian team of experts in Tirana, lieutenant colonel Giorgio Zanassi.

Colonel Lutaj, in the opening address, appreciated the increasing cooperation of the Italian carabineria.

The organization of this training has a special importance, because it is held at a time when the Military Police has been charged with special tasks from the recent decision of the Albanian Parliament.

Lieutenant colonel Zanassi stressed that "the most qualified Italian experts have been selected, who, together with the Albanian ones will carry out a productive work." /lh/mt/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[24] Albania takes part in 103 Session of Foreign Ministers Committee

Press and information office close to the Foreign Ministry told ATA that this Session will be held in November 3 and 4. Lakrori is accompanied by the Minister of Justice, Thimio Kondi, the Chairman of the Constitutional Court, Fehmi Abdiu and the Chairman of the Appeal Court, Avni Shehu, who will also participate in the inauguration ceremony of the European Court on Human Rights.

During his stay in Strasbourg, the State Secretary for the European Integration, Maqo Lakrori, will also hold meetings with senior personalities of the Council of Europe, press and information department close to the Albanian Foreign Ministry reported. /lh/mt/

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

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