ATA News from Albania (96-05-31)

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

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

CONTENTS

[01] SOLANA APPRECIATES ALBANIA'S CONTRIBUTION TO PEACE IN BOSNIA

[02] OPPOSITION ELECTORAL COMMISSION MEMBERS DECLARE POLL FAIR

[03] SHIK CONFUTES BEATING A JOURNALIST

[04] SDC STATEMENT ON DEVELOPMENT OF PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION IN ALBANIA

[05] ALBANIAN COMMUNITY CONCERNED ON POISONING OF TETOVA STUDENTS

[06] PRESS REVIEW

[07] RILINDJA DEMOKRATIKE SAYS IRI PREDICTED DP VICTORY IN ELECTIONS

[08] "WE WHO DO NOT LOVE SOCIALISM ARE DUBBED EUROSOCIALISTS"-friends of a killed youth

[01] SOLANA APPRECIATES ALBANIA'S CONTRIBUTION TO PEACE IN BOSNIA

Solana has invited Defence Minister Zhulali to attend the meetings of the Defence Ministers of the North Atlantic Council of Cooperation due on June 14, the Defence Ministry spokesman reports.

According to Solana Albania will now be able to participate in the planning process in the Supreme Staff of the European Allied Powers. The allies and Albania will work to bring peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

In the context of Albania's participation with troops in IFOR, a German military delegation, headed by the high ranking officer, Naumann, arrived in Albania on Thursday.

Experts of Bundeswer will visit the Albanian peacekeeping company, familiarise themselves with the ongoing achievements and help its training to realise the peace tasks in the framework of IFOR in Bosnia. ake./jz/lm/k

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[02] OPPOSITION ELECTORAL COMMISSION MEMBERS DECLARE POLL FAIR

Commission members of the Socialist Party, the Social-Democratic Party and the Democratic Alliance Party regularly signed the voting protocols in the May 26,1996 parliamentary elections, before pulling out of the commissions, some three hours before the poll closed, by order of their parties' presidencies.

The order was given by these presidencies under allegations that the voting had been manipulated by the party in power, the DP.

Other members of these parties left the polling stations two or three hours before the voting closed.

From the statements of these members it turns out that averagely 80 percent of electors have voted and that the people who had been enrolled wrongly have not been allowed to vote.

In the first round of elections the DP candidates have won in 95 constituencies out of 115, the SP in five and the Human Rights Union Party in two constituencies, according to the results issued by the Central Electoral Commission on Wednesday evening.

In the meantime, 10 constituencies will hold second round and in three constituencies there will be a rerun of elections due to numerous irregularities encountered in the voting procedure.

In the March 22, 1992 parliamentary elections the Democratic Party captured 92 seats in the 140 seat parliament. kei/lm/g

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[03] SHIK CONFUTES BEATING A JOURNALIST

These newspapers accuse National Information Service (SHIK) for alleged physical maltreatment of Bardhok Lala a journalist of "Dita Informacion" and some other persons.

The daily "Koha Jone" in its article "Journalist Bardhok Lala massacred by SHIK" writes that four unidentified persons in plain clothes were acquainted with him as workers of SHIK and according to the paper kidnapped the journalist in a red car without a number plate and tortured him. The paper does not cite any ocular witness of the event and does not confirm the car's number plate.

SHIK forcefully denounces them and declares it will follow the legal procedure against these slanders. It finishes saying that SHIK will always stick to the law like until now. jz/fh/k

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[04] SDC STATEMENT ON DEVELOPMENT OF PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION IN ALBANIA

It said that "SDC thinks that the decision of the opposition parties to abandon the elections has negatively contributed in the elections proceedings."

At the beginning it said that it had seen lack of transparence and the society had many difficulties to approve its observers near polling stations. "In spite of Central Electoral Commission necessary authorisation, they were hindered to attend in some polling stations. In some other constituencies its observers were not allowed to be present during vote counting" the statement continues.

The SDC aim was to give independent results (as it derives from its status) on Albanian elections. It would have been based on its observers' data and would be earlier than the official results. SDC had then the support of 12 representatives of the American Democratic Institute and had planed that over 3500 observers would spread all over Albania and would realise a quick accounting (PTV) of the proportional part participation of the parties in parliament.

The statement then continues with the shortcoming it had observed in some polling stations.

"Most of polling stations had no normal working conditions for the members of the commissions. There were only one or two tables where the chairman and the secretary sat, creating real difficulties for the other members of the commission, there were not enough process-verbaux which caused problems for the electoral subjects present in the commissions."

The society has observed many invalid ballots, many electors and members of the commissions did not know the law, withdrawal of different political subjects from voting, problems of registration in some constituencies, presence of un authorised persons in the polling stations, entering the secret booth of more than two persons, small and unsuitable rooms for the big number of the members of the commission, secret booths being very close to the commission and in some cases only one of them.

SDC concludes that many other violation of the regulations had been due to the present election law which said that the elections begin at 7.00 o'clock but then adds that "the voting begins by checking the polls, sealing of ballots . . ." So all this procedure is included in the law with the name "voting" but in fact it should be better called "Preparatory process for voting."pas/fh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[05] ALBANIAN COMMUNITY CONCERNED ON POISONING OF TETOVA STUDENTS

This statement concerns the poisoning of the Albanian students from Tetova at hotel "Galen" in Struga and is broadcasted by Radio "Voice of America" adding that "other analysis should be awaited."

In Tetova Health Centre have been accepted to be cured only 53 cases but the gravest cases have been sent for treatement to Medicine Faculty in Skopje. The Albanian deputies in Macedonian Parliament asked the government to compile an information about the poisoning. By majority of votes it was refused but Minister of Health promised that this case will be clarified totally and asked "not to be politicised."

Minister of Health visited the sick and said the analyses results would be told to people.

The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia with over 40 per cent of the population composed of ethnic Albanians living mainly in the northwestern part like Tetova, Struga, Diber e Madhe, Kercova and other. sk/gen/fh/g

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[06] PRESS REVIEW

The paper says that the Human Rights Union Party, HRUP, will take part in the May 26 run-off ballot.

Rilindja Demokratike carries the article "Should the elections be considered legal only if the opposition wins ?". Under the title "The opposition's self-discredit" the paper says that if those who celebrated the DP victory were hundreds of thousands, the opposition protestors were no more than some dozens.

The paper carries the greetings that the French Senate Speaker addresses to the speaker of Albanian Parliament Arbnori on the May 26 victory. The paper also carries the protest of the friends of Eduard Kullolli, killed two days ago. The SP leaders presented the killing as a "political crime" against the SP whereas Kullolli and his friends as "eurosocialists".

Today's Zeri i Popullit carries the article "Do not be accomplice of Berisha's clan". The newspaper also carries the article: "The violent state against peaceful people of Permet" and the article "The streets red with blood, Meksi celebrates victory with champagne". The paper also carries the article "General opinion: fresh ballot".

Today's Republika carries the editorial entitled "The Democratic Party, the Right League and the HRUP resume campaign. The others stop!". The paper carries the article "Solutions rather than elections".

Poli i Qendres carries the editorial entitled: "Rerun of poll, the only way out of the crisis". The paper carries an appeal of the Poli i Qendres parties entitled: "Sham run-off ballot should be boycotted".

Lajmi i Dites front pages the article "Albania-new members of the Central European Initiative". The paper also front pages the HRUP's announcement that it will take part in the run-off ballot.

Rilindja carries the editorial "Tranquility ahead of run-off ballot" and the article "The key of Southeastern Adriatic".

Albania carries the article :"Polemics break out in the SP: Why did we pull out of elections?" and the article: "The left electorate abandons its own chiefs". The paper also carries President Berisha's pronouncement for the AFP agency: The elections were free and fair. The paper also carries the article: "The losers in elections provoke tensions".

Koha Jone carries the editorial entitled "The U.S.: We are concerned at irregularities in voting". The paper carries an interview with the DAP president, Neritan Ceka, entitled :"Annulling of elections would be the honest way for Sali Berisha". The paper writes of the Belgian leftists who, according to the paper, consider the May 26 elections manipulated.

Dita Informacion carries articles: Opposition, counter-assault" and "What is promised to the HRUP".

Tribuna entitles its editorial: "Tirana's Milosevics demand power through violence". The paper carries the article:"The Red front has signed its deserved loss".

Gazeta Shqiptare carries the article :"Europe: reconsider elections". The paper also carries the article:"International control on votes". jz/lm/g

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[07] RILINDJA DEMOKRATIKE SAYS IRI PREDICTED DP VICTORY IN ELECTIONS

The survey consisted in more than 2400 interviews with voters in 160 polling stations all over Albania.

The survey's error limits are plus-minus 3.5 per cent with a a credibility extend of 95 per cent.

The IRI assigned the firm "Albanian views", an American -Albanian firm on opinion polls, headed by David Hansen, to carry out the survey with voters on the ballot day, just after their voting.

The IRI election day survey showed that 85 per cent of all Albanian voters on the election day believed that Albania was developing on a right path, while 12 per cent that Albania was on a wrong track.

Some 71 per cent were pleased with the democratic developments, 67 with the progress of economic reforms, 62 per cent appreciated Albanian President Sali Berisha's performance, and 61 per cent appreciated last parliament's performance, the paper concludes.

According to the final results of the Central Electoral Commission on last Sunday's first round of parliamentary elections, the Democratic Party won in 95 out of 115 constituencies or 67.8 per cent.

The opposition parties withdrew their members from the electoral commissions some three hours before the voting closed, alleging that the elections were manipulated. kei/lm/Z/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[08] "WE WHO DO NOT LOVE SOCIALISM ARE DUBBED EUROSOCIALISTS"-friends of a killed youth

Leonard Zani, Besnik Zemblaku, Ilir Kuta and Artan Sejdini have told the paper that: "We, who hate socialism are dubbed eurosocialists".

Zani and Zemblaku also say that the opposition chiefs had joined the funeral of their friend (killed on May 28 for personal motives) to politically motivate the incident.

"When were were laying our wreaths, S.Gjinushi (the social-democrat leader) approached us, but we turned him out. The same we did with Namik Dokle (SP deputy chairman)", Kullolli's friends said.

On May 28, the day Kullolli was killed, former SP deputy Kastriot Islami, spokesman of this party, said that "the killing of the 24 year old youth, Eduard Kullolli (several hours after disturbances triggered off by the opposition on May 28 in the Tirana Skenderbej square, in an illegal rally), took place because the victim had been a SP member".

The opposition chiefs declared that Kullolli had taken part in "the opposition rally" on Tuesday midday.

The victim's friends tell the newspaper Rilindja Demokratike that Kullolli had not been interested in politics. One of them testifies that the late had been with them until 15.00, that is, he could not have been in the Skenderbej square, as the opposition chiefs allege.

Two days after the incident, the spokesman of the Interior Ministry said that the victim had been neither member nor sympathizer of the SP and that his killing was committed by a friend of Kulloli, Artan Hasani, for personal motives. jz/lm/Z/

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

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