ATA News from Albania, 96-08-19

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

CONTENTS

[01] AMATEUR FOLKLORE ENSEMBLE "MYZEQEJA" TO TAKE PART IN THE FOLKLORE FESTIVAL OF ODESSA

[02] INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SHOULD INTERFERE IN SOLUTION OF KOSOVA ISSUE

[03] TRIAL FOR NINE EX-COMMUNIST SENIOR OFFICIALS RESUMES TODAY

[04] TURKISH COLLEGE STUDENTS IN ALBANIA TO STUDY IN FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES

[05] FAUNA OF LAKE SHKODRA THREATENED

[06] STRONG REACTIONS AFTER STATEMENT OF MONTENEGRIN SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT

[07] TIRANA MUCIPALITY TAKES CARE FOR RETURN OF IMMIGRANTS CORPSES

[08] HIMARA - OPEN SEAPORT FOR COMMERCIAL AND TOURIST ACTIVITY

[09] 20 PER CENT LESS WEDDINGS THAN LAST YEAR

[10] WORK FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW RING OF TIRANA STARTS

[11] COUNCIL OF MINISTERS CONVENES

[12] SP SECOND CONGRESS TO CONVENE AUGUST 24

[13] ARTS ACADEMY CHORUS TO GIVE PERFORMANCE IN ISRAEL

[14] ILLYRIAN-ALBANIAN SAINTS' DAY IN KOSOVA

[15] PRESIDENT RUGOVA GREETS MONSEIGNEUR MARK SOPI

[01] AMATEUR FOLKLORE ENSEMBLE "MYZEQEJA" TO TAKE PART IN THE FOLKLORE FESTIVAL OF ODESSA

It is the first time that Albania takes part in such a competition and Fieri artists are intensively preparing their repertoire, which will be specific. The ensemble will also give concerts in the community of the Albanians who have been settled in Odessa almost five centuries ago.

The program will have songs and dances from Southeast Albania.

The group, which will leave for Ukraine this Sunday, consists of 32 artists. Fier businessmen have sponsored the participation of Myzeqeja in the Odessa festival. eva/xh/k

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[02] INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SHOULD INTERFERE IN SOLUTION OF KOSOVA ISSUE

Representatives of some non government organisations during the second week of the workings of this sub-commission, expressed their concern for a continuation of the human rights violation of the Albanians in Kosova pointing out the fact that a worsening of the situation there is a serious danger for peace in Balkan.

A representative of the International League of the Human Rights and Freedom of People paying a special attention to the situation in Kosova said: "The situation in Kosova, not only continues to be tense but is continuously worsening. The Serbian government continuously violate the rights of the Albanians, who comprise 90 per cent of the population in Kosova."

"The Albanians of that area from the beginning of the Yugoslav Republic disintegration, were determined to ask in a peaceful way the solution of their question and their efforts in this direction do merit a reward" she said.

The representative of the World-wide Muslim Congress in his discussion expressed his deep concern for the violation of the human rights of the Albanian population in Kosova. aca/kei/fh/k

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[03] TRIAL FOR NINE EX-COMMUNIST SENIOR OFFICIALS RESUMES TODAY

Present in the judicial process directed by Medi Bici will be only four of the nine defendants because five of them have fled abroad.

The present defendants are Lenka Cuko, Sulejman Bushati, Agron Tafa and Idajet Beqiri. The five others namely Shkelzen Bajraktari, Llambi Gegprifti, Irakli Veraj, Veiz Haderi and Nazmi Domi are being searched by police since March 12, 1996, when the Tirana Court decided to arrest them.

The jury will continue the trial with the answer of the experts about the signatures of the four present defendants put in about 200 proposals for internments when they were in high posts during the former communist dictatorship.

In the judicial session of July 29, 1996, the prosecutors demanded to prove the guiltiness of the defendants on the basis of testimonies by about 20 former interned people from the district where the defendants have been in high posts. Today's session will continue with testimonies by former interned people.

This is the fourth group of former senior officials of the ex- communist regime who are being tried.

The last former president of the communist dictatorship Ramiz Alia is expected to appear to court at the beginning of September 1996. kei/xh/z/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[04] TURKISH COLLEGE STUDENTS IN ALBANIA TO STUDY IN FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES

Sixty-five of them will continue studies in the Turkish laic Universities, seven in the Italian ones, two in the US and one in the US University in Sofia.

Most of the students who will go to Turkey will continue their studies close to the US universities where all lectures are taught in English, while the rest has competed and won the right to study in a private university in Istanbul and other universities in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir.

In the mean time 52 other students who finished this college will continue their studies in Albanian universities.

Ibrahim Aidogan director of the College said: "The great number of our college students who won the right to be accepted to continue studies in universities of Turkey and other countries show the all-round efforts of our teaching staff, the knowledge and the intellect of the Albanian pupils who have acquired a programme of updated level in the English language and other knowledge from social and natural sciences. eva/fh/k

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[05] FAUNA OF LAKE SHKODRA THREATENED

Local authorities cannot bar the process and have asked the aid of public order forces to stop illegal fishing which has for years now ruined the under water species, the paper writes.

The constructions by the lake or in small islands will also pollute the environment and spoil the virgin ecology of the zone, the paper writes. kei/xh/k

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[06] STRONG REACTIONS AFTER STATEMENT OF MONTENEGRIN SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT

The Democratic Forum for the Defence of Human Rights, the Helsinki Committee in Montenegro, leaders of political parties and different political analysts consider the Zemrovicic's division of peoples in majority and minority as an absolutist division which aims to ignore the development of the national communities.

According the above Forum, this Montenegrin official statement does not suit to the international organisations for the defence of the human rights and peoples represented in the UN.

Idependent Montenegrin analysts think that the categorisation of minorities and their relations with other national communities should be realised in an objective way.

"If Albanians and Muslims are ethnic minorities then even the Serbs in Montenegro should be considered an ethnic minority" they said.

Even the Social Democratic Party deputy in the Montenegrin Parliament Dragisha Borzhan, in a statement in the opposition magazine "Liberal" calls Albanians and Muslims "autochthonous people."

"Neither Albanians come from Detroit nor Muslims from Bosporus they live for centuries in their land" said Borzhan.

He said that the efforts of the Montenegrin officials to impose to Albanians and Muslims the status of minority may become source of conflicts in Montenegro. sk/jz/fh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[07] TIRANA MUCIPALITY TAKES CARE FOR RETURN OF IMMIGRANTS CORPSES

"The Municipality will take care that all the expenses for the transportation and the burial ceremony for all migration victims, an act which is competence of the municipalities from three years now" said the chief of the communal services in Tirana municipality Skender Muca.

This care was felt at the case of Mimoza Luga, who lost her life accidentally on the roads of the Italian capital on May 8, this year.

"Transportation and the burial of the late were realised by us and the four members of her family were taken under the protection of the Tirana municipality" said Muca.

So the number of the people the Tirana Municipality has taken under its protection increased to 1101. jz/fh/Z/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[08] HIMARA - OPEN SEAPORT FOR COMMERCIAL AND TOURIST ACTIVITY

Reconstruction projects will be compiled to create in Himara all the structures the Durresi and Vlora seaport have today.

The opening of this port, by the end of the year, will help development of the Albanian economy in the field of transportation and tourism, concluded the paper.eva/fh/Z/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[09] 20 PER CENT LESS WEDDINGS THAN LAST YEAR

"The social conditions and the psychology of the Albanian capital inhabitants in continuous change are the main reasons for the lower number of weddings during the last five years" said for ATA, Abdyl Xhaja, Chief of the Civil State Office in Tirana Municipality.

Although the population of Tirana has reached some 600000 inhabitants, twice that of year '80, the weddings are lowering.

While on the capitals' roads and bars you can see more couples of youths who embrace and kiss each other without caring for old traditions and canons.

This is a reason why different couples sign without any problem the divorce papers, "I am able to live by myself" said a young woman, mother of two children who divorced her husband 18 years older for irreconcilability of characters.

A new phenomena causing such a thing is the living together.

A couple, who had just graduated in economics, asked why do not marry after three years together answered " We feel very well like that, both are employed in private firms and will live together without the need of legalising our relation." kei/fh/Z/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[10] WORK FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW RING OF TIRANA STARTS

The first segment of the ring will be four kilometers and it will connect the Tirana-Durres highway and the road from which all vehicles from southern district come to Tirana. The ring of Tirana will reduce the movements of vehicles in the capital by 50 per cent.

The segment of the ring, with 13 lines and 22 km wide will have special lines for heavy long vehicles, for pedestrians and the trolley- buses planned to be installed.

The Tirana Municipality has spent 13 million lek for the track of the Tirana ring.

The General Road department, in cooperation with the local government, has adopted the measures to compensate all the ex-owners of sites in the future ring, the paper writes.

According to it, specialists confirm that after the first segment, the work for the construction of the second 3.5 km segment will start.

The new Tirana ring will include in the urban bus service about 12 thousand families of Tirana which due to the recent constructions have remained outside the ring, the paper writes. kei/xh/k

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[11] COUNCIL OF MINISTERS CONVENES

The ministers also examined the draft-law on Albania's adherence to the Convention on unifying several rules on international air transport.

They agreed to the decision in principle on the agreement on a seven million worth of loan with the Islamic Bank of Development to finance the project for supplying with drinking water 87 villages in six districts of the country.

The ministers also consented to the decision to change taxes in post services and enact taxes on new services in this sector. The decision will be enforced on September 1, 1996. am/eva/lm

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[12] SP SECOND CONGRESS TO CONVENE AUGUST 24

The congress will discuss the party's renovation, according to two motions by its chairman, Fatos Nano, who is serving sentence in the prison of Bence, Tepelena, for embezzlement and falsification of official documents.

Nano's motions addressed to the SP presidency for renovation have been rejected by his party presidency, which has come up with the idea of a full renovation.

The Socialist Party is heir to the Party of Labour of Albania. In its 10th congress the Party of Labour changed its name into the Socialist Party.

The SP Second Congress, whose first stage was held on March 23-24, is expected to be an arena of war between the Nano supporters and the current presidency.

The SP current first deputy chairman, Servet Pellumbi, said in the SP conference for Tirana that he would resign from his post, following in this way the former Secretary General of this Party, Gramoz Ruci, who resigned shortly after Nano's first motion and who is currently outside Albania. lm

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[13] ARTS ACADEMY CHORUS TO GIVE PERFORMANCE IN ISRAEL

During the tour, the chorus will participate in three international chorus festivals to be held in Israel.

This is the first exchange of the artistic chorus groups after the tour of Albania of Kibbutz Chamber orchestra last November. lm

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[14] ILLYRIAN-ALBANIAN SAINTS' DAY IN KOSOVA

Attending the solemn pontifical Mass celebrated in the Albanian catholic church in Grazhdanik, which is named after St Flori and St Lauri, 117-138 After Christ, were many catholic and other believers from all over Kosova, ministers of the Kosova Bishopric parishes and Father Hil Kabashi.

St Flori and St Lauri are the first Illyrian-Albanian martyrs were were sacrificed for spreading Christianity.

On the Saint's Day, the President of the Republic of Kosova, Dr.Ibrahim Rugova, sent a message of greetings to Monseigneur Mark Sopi, bishop of the Kosova Bishopric, the Kosova center of information reports.

"We believe that we will celebrate our Saint's day in Ulpiane of Pristina, in Kosova' freedom and independence, as a people's holiday," the message says.

August 18th is the Saint's Day of Illyrian-Albanian Ulpiana and Dardania, Flori and Lauri, who have been living in the years 117-138 After Christ.

Ulpiana, center of Dardania, the ancient name of today's Kosova, was one of the 20 cities of Southern Illyria including Shkodra, Lisus, Dyrrahium, Skampa, Apolonia, Bylis, Amantia, Aulona, Butrinti and other cities, which survived also in the Byzantium period.

Ulpiana, which is being ruined by the Serbs, is preserving in its bosom the values of civilization of this important city of ancient Illyrian Dardania and shows that the Balkan history does not begin in the 14th century as pretended by the Serbs, but many centuries earlier, when they had not yet arrived in the peninsula.

The Serbs have destroyed in Kosova basilica, cult institutions, cemeteries, mosaics and many paintings and sculptures of great value.

For seven years on end (1980-1987), the Archaeological Institute of Belgrade has carried out archaeological excavations and plundered from Ulpiana hundreds of exponents of Albanian cultural-historical values.

More over, last year, the Serbs made use of bulldozers to open up channels in the archaeological center of Ulpiana.

The same Serb strategy has been used in the ancient city of Siparunt of Peja, the urban center of Pristina and the old cemeteries in Zvecan i Vogel of Mitrovica, where a settlement for the Serb refugees is being set up. a.ca/lm

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[15] PRESIDENT RUGOVA GREETS MONSEIGNEUR MARK SOPI

"We believe we will celebrate our Saint's day in Ulpiana of Pristina, in Kosova' freedom and independence, as a people's holiday," the message says.

August 18th is the Saints' Day of Illyrian-Albanian Ulpiana and Dardania, Flori and Lauri, who have been living in the years 117-138 After Christ. a.ca/lm

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

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