Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA), 99-02-07

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

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

CONTENTS

[01] Institute of Monuments supervises Catholic churches' restoration

[02] Minister urges total reformation of police

[03] Police be more engaged in maintaining law and order

[04] Police chief asks for nationwide debate on order, law problems

[05] Unemployment - serious problem for Albanian youth

[06] WB allocates $480 000 for management of Ohrid lake

[07] There are some 14 000 private vehicles in district of Durres

[08] Deactivation of mines from our territory is very urgent

[01] Institute of Monuments supervises Catholic churches' restoration

Artan Shkreli, director of the Institute of Monuments said to ATA that "the institute has documentation which shows that restoration, reconstruction and repairs done by the Catholic Church have not been done under the supervision of specialists of the institution bringing about the loss of artistic values or disappearance of their traces."

Shkreli said that in the church of Lezha the works destorted its originality though their level had been perfect.

"Works underway in all Catholic churches are far from criteria of restoration," he said.

The only clergy in the Albanian Catholic Church who has voiced his interest in cooperating with the Institute of Monuments is Father Zef Pellumbi, who wishing to show the great heritage of Christianity in Albania have kept ongoing contacts with the institution.

Given this situation, the Institute of Monuments has assumed the task of "disciplining the independence of the Catholic Church." Therefore, the projects on the restoration of such places will be worked out by the Institute or bear its seal. /pas/ak/

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[02] Minister urges total reformation of police

"Criminality is increasing and the danger as well as its consequences results in murders at gun point and terrorist acts," Yzeiri said.

Criminal groups especially those related to drugs, trafficking of people, weapons and goods were linked and cooperated with their counterparts in neighbouring states and broader, he said.

Later Yzeiri said that the Ministry of Order had analyzed the order and law in Albania and police structures and had worked out a working program and a series of goals and tasks such as institutionalization of the activity of the ministry and police bodies in its dependent, organisation of police operations in preventing, uncovering and fighting crime in order to maintain order and law in the territory of Albania.

With the approval of the new constitution the new legal position of police urged total reformation both in form and content, the deputy minister said.

If an overall political and psychological support was secured and investments been undertaken in fulfilling goals and necessary police technic, the order and law would be maintained within acceptable quotas, he said. /dast/ak/

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[03] Police be more engaged in maintaining law and order

�upi said that the police commissariat was engaged in fighting against crime and contraband.

"Seven new vehicles and 20 radio transmitters taken recently would help raise their effectiveness," �upi said.

He added that the MAPE mission in cooperation with Albanian order forces started work on Saturday for a new operation hall "Shqiponja 19" in the city.

The municipality council also focused on crimes committed in January and urged a greater engagement of all structures of the police in fight against crime. /dast/ak/

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[04] Police chief asks for nationwide debate on order, law problems

Ahmetaj said that the criminal situation in the city of Berat had been relatively worsened and the daily life had been under continuous pressure of criminality.

Nevertheless, police chief of the prefecture said that he hoped the situation would change soon.

"Police are working and drafting its own attacking plans," Ahmetaj said.

He added: "The most spread crime is that of cultivation and trafficking of narcotic herbs and prostitution."

Asked on police objectives in fight against crime, Ahmetaj said that the main objective were to throw light on pending crimes and fight against trafficking of narcotic herbs and prostitution.

Ahmetaj said that to achieve these objectives and resolve other problems related to order and law they need close cooperation with people and reform the police. /dast/ak/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[05] Unemployment - serious problem for Albanian youth

A survey conducted by the ORT/USAID threw light on these problems by interviewing some 1 600 persons, two third of whom males, from different parts of Albania.

Asked whether they thought that the Albanian youth had problems and which of them was the most serious, 50 percent of the interviewers answered that unemployment was the major problem for the youth.

After the unemployment the most evident problems Albanian youth is facing is the lack of motive for the future, desire to leave Albania, drugs, lack of security, of possibility to attend schools and support from the state and lack of limited freedom of preferences against the will of parents, families and teachers' control.

Other problems which are considered less evident than the above mentioned ones are the immorality, criminal activity, alcohol, lack of responsibility and generation disputes. /dast/ak/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[06] WB allocates $480 000 for management of Ohrid lake

Klement Mato, one of the project coordinators, told ATA that the World Bank has allocated a fund worth 480 000 USD for this stage, and this will be realised in cooperation with the Albanian and Macedonian governments.

In 1980, UNESCO declared the lake of Ohrid an area of the world culture and inheritance. In this framework, the project for the protection of this lake becomes important because its current situation is in danger. /dast/mt/

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[07] There are some 14 000 private vehicles in district of Durres

According to the official statistics, there are some 8 300 cars in Durres. The other part of vehicles has been used in different private businesses, among which the most important one is the transport of people or goods.

In this district there are some 25 transport companies which have connected their business with the transport of goods from the sea port towards different districts of Albania.

The transport of people, despite the competition of the railway, has increased. During 1998, some 383 000 travelers have used the private buses for inter-urban travels. /dast/mt/

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[08] Deactivation of mines from our territory is very urgent

The ratification of the Treaty of Otava by the Albanian Parliament would enable the acceleration of the solution of this problem, the chairman of the Anti-mine Committee, Besnik Alibali, told ATA.

According to this Treaty, it is forbidden the production, storage, transfer and usage of anti-personnel mines.

According to Alibali, there are some 215 000 land mines, while 15 zones have different ammunition since the army depots were stormed in 1997. Some 56 persons were killed and 59 others were injured in these areas.

There are some 1 million mines of different kinds in the hands of the Albanian population, 3.5 million hand grenades, 1 million missiles, 360 tones of explosive matter and 500 000 weapons, said Alibali.

The treaty of Otava has been ratified by 60 countries and signed by 133 countries, among them even Albania on 8 September 1998.

Alibali said that the signing of this treaty is not enough. For the removal of these mines, more than 100 million USD are needed, based on calculations of the United Nations Organization. These funds will be attacked by the donor countries only after the ratification of the Treaty in Parliament. /dast/mt/

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

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