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Albanian Times, 96-07-01
Albanian Times
July 1, 1996
CONTENTS
[01] Democrats Nominate Meksi For Another Term
[02] Berisha Holds Talks Without Socialists
[03] Fund to Collect Vouchers at Real Value
[04] Albania Plans Revived Railway Transport
[05] Austrian Group to Invest in Albania Power Station
[06] Three Arrested For Smuggle of "Strategic Substance"
[07] Greece May Help Restore Albanian Monuments
[08] Transition Painful, World Bank Says
[01] Democrats Nominate Meksi For Another Term
TIRANA, June 30 - Albanian Democratic Party has nominated Aleksander Meksi for
another term as prime minister, Radio Tirana reported Sunday. President Sali
Berisha is expected to ask the parliament to endorse Mr. Meksi when it
convenes for the first time on July 1. Democratic Party leader Tritan Shehu
was nominated as deputy prime minister. The Party's National Council, attended
by president Berisha, also nominated Pjeter Arbnori for another term as
speaker of parliament and Margarita Qirko as his deputy. Ali Spahia was
nominated majority leader in the parliament and Fatos Beja Secretary General
of the Democratic majority. The Democrats won 122 of 140 parliamentary seats
in disputed general elections on May 26 and June 2. Albania's main opposition
group, the Socialist Party, has refused to take up the parliamentary seats it
won, saying the country's third multi-party election was rigged. The Democrats
will face a slim parliamentary opposition, with only two small right wing
parties -- the Republicans and
National Front -- and the ethnic Greek Union of Human Rights taking up their
seats. (Albanian Times)
[02] Berisha Holds Talks Without Socialists
TIRANA, June 29 - Albania's opposition Socialists refused to attend Saturday's
all party consultations in an apparent attempt to stifle the country's
political life, after a general election they claim was rigged. The
consultations were called by President Sali Berisha to discuss the new
cabinet. "Boycotting is a way of denying oneself," Berisha said after the
talks, commenting on the Socialists' refusal to attend. Berisha's move follows
a call by the Council of Europe, urging all Albanian parties to resort to
dialogue in resolving their grievances. But Socialist Party leaders have
vowed to disregard the new parliament and to recognise a round table of all
parties as a legislative body. Leaders of the Republican party, Human Rights
Union Party and Balli Kombetar (National Front) Party did attend Saturday's
meeting. President Berisha called on the Socialists to take their seats in the
new parliament, promising that their views and initiatives "would be respected
and considered seriously." Despite alleged ir
regularities in the recent general elections, the new parliament has been
called legitimate by the Council of Europe, an authoritative political center
encouraging the newly emerging democracies. It is not clear if any of the 10
seats won by the opposition Socialists will be taken by their deputies on July
1, when the parliament convenes. (Albanian Times)
[03] Fund to Collect Vouchers at Real Value
TIRANA, June 29 - Anglo-Adriatic Investment Fund is encouraging foreign
investors to pump more cash into Albania's large-scale state enterprises,
awaiting privatisation, fund representatives told reporters in Tirana
Saturday. The fund is eyeing telecommunications, energy and mining as its
preferred investment domains. Anglo-Adriatic intends to collect privatisation
vouchers at their real value, guaranteeing a 100% safe investment of shares,
fund managers said. (Albanian Times)
[04] Albania Plans Revived Railway Transport
TIRANA, June 30 - Albanian government plans increased investments in its East-
West railways, to help generate more income from a crippling sector heavily
competed by motor road trasportation. The government has approved a plan
drafted in cooperation with an Irish company. The railways are finding ways to
survive the competition, Pajtim Cobani, department head at the Ministry of
Transportation told reporters in Tirana. Albanian railways employ 4,500
people down from 5,500 in 1992, Cobani said. The plan gives the railway
administration greater independence in marketing and taxes, the official said.
At present, Albanian railways generate far less than the expected $4 million
and the plan is seen as an attempt to attract foreign investors in improving a
key corridor linking Albania's major sea-port of Durres with the neighboring
Macedonia and Greece in the East. (Albanian Times)
[05] Austrian Group to Invest in Albania Power Station
TIRANA, June 30 - An Austrian energy consorcium is expected to discuss with
Albanian officials ways to finance the construction of a large hydro-power
station in central Albania. The Verbund consortium has pledged $120 million
for the Banje project, Albanian officials said. Board members of the
consortium plan to arrive in Tirana Monday for a two day visit. The consortium
has been negotiating with Greece and Croatia - two potential buyers of the
electricity to be supplied by the station. The financial move would make
Austria Albania's largest investor, Radio Tirana said. Austrian Investors are
best known in Albania for a landmark hotel in central Tirana, providing
accomodation for dozens of foreign businessmen and tourists. Austrian
personalities have also been active in the political backing for President
Berisha's government. (Albanian Times)
[06] Three Arrested For Smuggle of "Strategic Substance"
TIRANA, June 30 - Police has arrested three Albanians in connection with what
the local press called "smuggle of strategic substances that can be used to
build a nuclear bomb." Quoting the pro-government newspaper Albania, the
Albanian Telegraphic Agency said Tirana police had seized two ampules, each
containing 5 grams of radioactive matter. The smuggling was coordinated by a
non-Albanian national, the newspaper quoted by ATA said. On June 20,
Macedonian police caught three smugglers with the valuable but highly toxic
metal osmium 187, which they suspect came from Ukraine via Albania. The trio
was found with a total of 20 grams of osmium in four ampules that they planned
to sell to foreign buyers for $25,000 a gram, Reuters said. It is not clear
if the groups were linked or whether they both traded the rare metal. Osmium,
named for its penetrating odour, is the heaviest known element, and is used to
harden alloys in the chemical and machine industries. (Albanian Times)
[07] Greece May Help Restore Albanian Monuments
ATHENS, June 29 - Greek engineers and architects may help their Albanian
counterparts restore ancient monuments in their country, Athens News Agency
said. Representatives from four Albanian institutes are holding discussions in
Salonika on the restoration of dozens of Hellenistic and Byzantine era
monuments that have suffered various degree of damage. Recent economic
relocations and cash shortages in Albania have deteriorated their situation,
ANA said. (Albanian Times/ANA)
[08] Transition Painful, World Bank Says
WASHINGTON, June 27 - Central planning has been whittled away to
just 10 percent of the world economy from one-third 20 years ago but
the
transition has been painful and costly in social terms, the World Bank said on
Thursday. While the economies of Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and
East Asia have achieved spectacular leaps in economic growth, the report noted
that progress often brought problems such as corruption and organised crime.
Results have been uneven and it was not clear which road to reform --shock
versus gradual -- was the best, the bank said in its annual World Development
Report. The report, also covering Albania, was careful not to voice any
preference for either approach. "...however, the clear lesson of the past few
years' reforms is that, regardless of the starting point, decisive and
consistent reform pays off,'' the report said. The report did not rule out the
possibility of some governments reverting to stricter control of production.
(Albanian Times/Reuters)
This material was reprinted with permission of AlbAmerica Trade & Consulting
International. For more information on ATCI and the Albanian Times, please
write to AlbaTimes@aol.com
Copyright © ATCI, 1996
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