Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA), 98-02-01

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

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

"We know "the spy" and he will leave soon our ranks," the daily Gazeta Shqiptare quotes Blushi as saying. It said that this difficult government affirmation is made immediately after Bezhani's ultimatum. The same daily quotes the spokesman as saying "government's prodigal son" is being inherited by Berisha's administration. Blushi refused to reveal the name and negated the charges of close links between Bezhani and prime minister Nano.

Rejecting the opposition's charges that the results of the scrutiny commission have been manipulated by the government, the newspaper Shekulli says that Bezhani has confuted this charge saying that "he has never been in the prime minister's office." "It is not true that Bezhani visits the prime minister's office to take instructions," replied Bushi, adding that naturally, the government and the scrutiny committee have official contacts while those contacts the DP speaks of do not exist."

The daily Zeri i Popullit says that the incriminated official who failed to pass Bezhani's scrutiny test and is dependant on Council of Ministers, has been inherited by the old administration when the DP was in power, said Ben Blushi, the spokesman of the prime minister. It quotes him as saying: "Prime minister is aware of the request of the scrutiny commission to discharge the official from the Council of Ministers within 15 days and will adopt follow-up legal measures." s.sh/ak/ (more) Press review (2)

Part of today's newspaper covers the illegal financing of National Information Service (SHIK) at the time of Berisha, referring to statements of Gramoz Pashko, Economic adviser to prime minister Fatos Nano in Saturday's news conference.

"We have reports that SHIK has had colossal incomes from the state," the daily Gazeta Shqiptare quotes Gramoz Pashko saying to journalists.

Luan Hajdaraga, head of the Order and SHIK commission, said "This may happen, but we are waiting for the report of the SHIK chairman."

The same daily said that he (Hajdaraga) will summon the current SHIK head Fatos Klosi within a few days, and he will throw light on everything he has found in this body. While the judge Ngjela, who runs the parliamentary investigating commission on March events, has said that "We have examined different directions, but we can return to such an issue," Zeri i Popullit says that Pashko has said that SHIK finances are under a thorough investigation confirming that "investigation is underway." Besides legal profits through the state budget, which covers all the spending of budget institutions, SHIK has profited in other ways, which involved money laundering, the adviser to prime minister said.

The daily quotes Pashko as saying that "SHIK has profited from very strange sources. This is criminal. If it is verified that there has been another budget this represents a criminal, illegal action."

Albania's Speaker Skender Gjinushi spoke of the undeclared budget of the SHIK, the daily Shekulli reports. He said that these are illegal financing, which are estimated at $40 million, what is a real financial scandal. To this end the parliamentary commission investigating March events have assumed the responsibility to throw light on the SHIK budget, and other finances obtained through mysterious sources.

"All materials will be submitted to the Prosecutor's office, despite the parliment," the same daily quotes Gjinushi as saying.

The daily Dita Informacion reports on the same issue under the title "SHIK runs contraband," and quotes Pashko as saying "Gazidede's service has been financed by money laundering." s.sh./ak/ (more) Press Review (3)

Under the title "Weapons' traffic, 'Meiko' to pass through a sieve," the daily Koha Jone, referring to annual meeting of the Albanian army, reports that the "arms' trafficking is done contrary to the laws of the state." This is the conclusion of an auditing team in the Defence ministry on "Meiko" firm, which handled the arms' trafficking during '91-'96.

"All the documentation is not kept in regular and that arms' trafficking is done contrary to the procedures of the Defence Ministry and laws of the Albanian state," Koçi Koçibelli, Director General on Economy in the Defence ministry, told the annual meeting.

"I have nothing to add on this disputable issue of arms' trafficking, because in 1994 I have denounced what is being uncovered today," Perikli Teta, Secretary of State for Defence said to the daily.

Koha Jone quotes Koçibelli as saying that "All this doubtful procedures of arms's trafficking cast doubts on the then leaders of the Defence Ministry."

Reliable sources at the Defence Ministry confirmed that the remaining archive files from the time of Zhulali will be used in examining documentation on arms' trafficking along with a possible cooperation with foreign firms, which have signed accords with the Albanian side on Albanian-produced weapons and ammunition, the same paper reports.

Auditing experts say that confrontation of documents can help throw light on new facts about this disputable issue.

Koha Jone quoting the Defence minister Sabit Brokaj as saying that "Raid on army's property should not be allowed anymore. Army should have all the properties usurped by various irresponsible persons as soon as possible, he said adding that draft law on military police will be submitted to the government and later passed by parliament."

Army's annual analysis is covered by other dailies as Zeri i Popullit under the title "Army, towards consolidation." Minister Brokaj said that "emergency tasks were successfully passed and that 1998 will determine army's restructuring with priority to contemporary training of military personnel," and others. s.sh/ak/ (end)

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

The municipality has always dealt with this matter in the routine meeting but no solution has been found so far. Even the construction police have not managed to ban such unauthorised constructions which have damaged the town planning.

Specialists of town planning believe that to resolve this it is necessary that the situation be put under legal base and local government should be better committed to define construction sites based on studies of the city town planning. s.sh/ak/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

Police sources said to ATA on Sunday that Alfred Kaçi, 22, and Fred Pjetri, 19, inhabitants of Shelqet, are accused of killing and grabbing their national Edvin Gjeto Vocaj from Shkoder

on July 8, last year.

The same sources said that Jak Paloka and Edmond Jaku of the same village are on the run by the police because they are thought to have acted in complicity with the detainees. s.s/ak/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

"The European deputies and the Albanian delegation highlighted the visit of Troika, its demand for a reestablishment of the political dialogue and they considered, in particular, the Albanian parliament as a legitimate parliament with the right of making all the laws a state needs, including the Constitution," said to ATA the head of the Albanian Permanent delegation to the CE Parliamentary Assembly, Namik Dokle.

The Assembly appreciated the right procedure for the process of the Constitution which will pass through the Parliamentary Commission and then through a referendum.

Dokle, who has just returned from Strasbourg, said that the Assembly considered unacceptable the DP's demand for fresh elections, asking it to take part in the Parliament and in the commission for the Constitution and to play there the role of a constructive opposition.

Dokle also voiced the commitment of the Albanian Parliament to realise the demands and suggestions of the Council of Europe. "There is no resolution on the Parliament-Constitutional Court conflict, but a request for resolution and also for the law 'On organization of Judiciary,'" said Dokle referring to reports in the press that the Assembly has discussed these questions.

He added that these requests have not been discussed and included in the agenda. /s.s/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

The leader of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha himself, did not take part in the rally held under a falling rain, and which attended by nearly 200 people.

In their addresses, the representatives of the abovementioned parties considered as unjustifiable and ill-willing the stand of President Meidani to a request of the formerly politically persecuted not to decree the amendments to the law on the Scrutiny of Official Figures, approved some days ago by the People's Assembly.

Although the objective of the rally was support of these strikers, this time too the DP representatives repeated the idea for fresh elections and creation of a technocrat government. xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

"If there is any thing not conformed to the European standards, we are ready to make the respective corrections," Dokle said after returning from Strasbourg in which the first Session of the CE Parliamentary Assembly was held for this year.

Dokle mentioned as one of the steps for the creation of spaces for the opposition to take part in the Parliament the new regulation the Parliament has prepared in cooperation with CE and the U.S. Democratic Institute.

"We shall approve this regulation as soon as the opposition takes part in the Parliament, so that the parliamentary life be further democratized," said Dokle.

He also voiced the concern of the CE Parliamentary Assembly for the Law on Judiciaries.

"In this context there are misinterpretations as well as misinformation because the opposition says things which are different from the truth," said Dokle. /s.s/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

"Over 70 per cent of the deputies were in favour of the solution to the Kosova question as the legitimate representatives of Kosove demand, and as we (Albania) too, have declared that we are for a peaceful solution, for a solution through understanding and for a continuous mediation of international organizations in the Prishtine-Belgrade dialogue," the leader of the Albanian Permanent delegation in the CE Parliamentary Assembly, Namik Dokle, told ATA after he returned from Strasbourg.

Many deputies did strongly condemn the Serbian repression on the people of Kosova and killings of the Albanians of Kosova along with the fact that the Kosova children have no possibility to learn in their mother tongue, they do not have their university.

Dokle added that the resolution which has been approved on the question of Kosova has four important points, and ask also from the leaders of Kosova to solve their problems peacefully.

"The CE Parliamentary Assembly highlighted the stand of the Albanian Government, both in the dialogue established in Crete and in the evident improvement of the relations with Macedonia asking it to use its stand to the benefit of the Balkan understanding," said Dokle.

He appreciated the U.S. and the French-German initiatives for the solution of the question of Kosova through a peaceful way. /s.s/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

A column of these forces, according to witnesses, came from Prishtine (east of this region) and made for Drenica yesterday. Sources of the Council for the Defence of the Human Rights report that yesterday at noon great forces of Serbian police and armoured vehicles went to Gllogovc of Drenice and were stationed in the centre of that township.

According to the same sources, another military column with four tanks, three armoured vehicles, eight trucks and other means and heavy armament, have gone to Vushtria and are stationed on the border with the region of Drenice. During their movements, the Serbian military forces have fired rounds of bullets with different weapons.

The movements and concentrations of the Serbian forces have also been accompanied with the maltreatment of Albanians. Reports from Lipjan, a commune neighbouring Drenice, say that helicopters have made flights and observations. From Dukagjin (West of Drenice) Serbian forces are moving and concentrating towards Drenice.

A military column and ten transport vehicles and trucks have gone to village Uce of Istog, and are stationed there with their heavy weaponry directed at the homes of the Albanians. The militaries have entered and made provocations in the yards of some of the houses. Reports from Istog say that masked Serbs have maltreated during the night Albanian people on the Grabanice-Krushes road. (b.j)/LA/pas/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

"The event took place in Ura e Farkes, when Peposhi, 26, tried to rob the passengers by using his weapon," sources of Police Department of Tirane told ATA. There were two women, working in the Interior Ministry, passengers in the van, who interfered immediately and caught the robber.

Peposhi was a wanted person, police said after verifications. Although released two months ago from his position in the Republic Guard, Peposhi had not yet handed in his personal armament. /s.sh/xh/

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

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