Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA), 98-08-15

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

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

CONTENTS

[01] Lower sales in electric household appliances in Albania

[02] We will decide soon on concrete measures of action in Kosove" - France, Contact Group

[03] Eight dinghies with illegals on board heading for Italy brought back to Albanian shores

[04] Economic studies for business in Albania

[05] Four detainees flee from police commissariat in Kruje

[06] Boom of constructions increases use of cement in Albania

[07] Albania takes measures to launch successful military exercises

[08] LDK urges urgent intervention to stop catastrophe in Kosova

[09] Serb forces torch Suhareka villages

[10] Minister says Albania ready to face any eventuality in border

[11] Serb forces resume shelling in Lipjan, Shtimje

[12] Minister guarantees successful NATO joint exercises

[13] US senior adviser meets Kosova negotiation group

[14] Temporary suspension of U.S. embassy public operations will not affect excellent bilateral relations with Albania

[01] Lower sales in electric household appliances in Albania

According to INSTAT (Institution of Statistics) during the second quarter of 1998, only 97 TV sets were imported in Albania.

Also the market of washing machines is registering lower selling quotas. As compared to the last 3-4 years when over 10 thousand washing machines were traded averagely every month, during the first half of this year, about 12 000 of such appliances were sold.

At present, the fall of sales in these appliances is noticed in the biggest units of this trading. Many of the firms trading these products have closed their activity while some others are trying to survive in various forms, among which is letting a part of the building were they operate.

Many of the sellers are of the opinion that the main reason for the lower sales of tv sets is the heavy market created in the recent years as a result of the "boom" in the level of these sales. /xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[02] We will decide soon on concrete measures of action in Kosove" - France, Contact Group

"We, as a Contact Group member," said the French senior diplomat, support the creation of the negotiating team of Rugove and hope it has the broadest possible basis of representation."

In response to the interest of the French diplomat for the consequences of the Kosovar crisis in Albania, Meta pointed out that besides the influx of the displaced people from Kosove, incidents on the state border with Albania are becoming frequent. The latest proof ws the German reporter who was wounded on Friday in the Albanian territory by the fire from Yugoslav military forces.

Meta stressed that the Albanian Government has adopted a number of measures to halt any organized arms smuggling towards Kosove and refuted claims by Belgrade that military forces are being trained in Albania to fight in Kosove.

Huntzinger expressed the commitment of his country and of the Contact Group to powerfully help improve the situation in Kosove. "We will decide soon on the concrete measures of action in Kosove, which, we think will be a success," he said. /y.pa/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[03] Eight dinghies with illegals on board heading for Italy brought back to Albanian shores

The spokesman of the Public Order Ministry told ATA that at about 1 a.m. on Saturday, near the Bay of Vlore, four miles from the Karaburun peninsula, Italian boats of Guardia di Finanza detected and turned back eight dinghies carrying illegal people on board.

Seven of the dinghies returned immediately while the eighth tried to escape the pursue of the Italian Guardia di Finanza and in this effort it clashed with one of the Italian boats, and was damaged on its right side. According to police sources, none of the people on the dinghy, which finally reached the Bay of Vlore, were injured. /s.sh/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[04] Economic studies for business in Albania

For a four year period, these agencies have gathered sufficient information for the analysis of the indices, conditions, obstacles etc., encountered in the growth of the private business in Albania. In cooperation with the Institute of Contemporary Studies, SME is making a study for the impact of credits in the small and medium business. At the end of this joint study, a conference will be held on the problems the small business is facing on its road towards consolidation.

In the mean time, there is a growing interest of the citizens in the small business in various fields of production. This is also due to the fact that foreign donors are providing credits for the small business. Besides a 5 billion drachma credit which is being delivered, in September a German credit estimated at 5 million DM, will be provided. The PHARE Program has not yet delivered, since 1996, an amount of 2 million ECU-s. /xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[05] Four detainees flee from police commissariat in Kruje

The spokesman of the police department of the Prefecture of Durres told ATA that at 9.30 p.m. four detainees left their confinement in Kruje commissariat, but their names could not be made public because of the investigation which has started into them. /s.sh/pas/xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[06] Boom of constructions increases use of cement in Albania

The contemporary construction patterns intertwined in most of the cases with western architecture, have increased the demand for flats, thus making the sector of construction rather profitable in Albania. According to INSTAT (Institute of Statistics) during the second quarter of 1998, the use of cement has been at 222 43 thousand tons from 163 79 thousand tons in the first quarter of the current year.

The import of cement and lime over the first half of this year has been to the amount of about 2.8 billion lek. The high levels of imports in the construction materials, especially of cement, have also increased the cost of construction, and consequently the price for the new flats.

The Index of Construction Cost (IKN) in Albania reached as high as 192,02 per cent and compared to the past quarter IKN rose by 8,56 per cent. This rise also results from the fact that the local production has been blocked in some of the main factories producing building material in Albania. /xh/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[07] Albania takes measures to launch successful military exercises

"All the measures have been undertaken to help launch the biggest exercises under tight security conditions," Luan Hajdaraga, Minister of Defence, told a news conference on Saturday.

Our army being an active member in the Partnership for Peace countries takes part in the exercises with 300 troops.

In the week-long Cooperative Assembly will be launched from August 17 to 22 with the participation of United States, Germany, England, France, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Turkey, Belgium, Greece and Partnership for Peace member countries like Russia, Lithuania and others, a statement said.

The exercises will be led by Admiral Joseph Lopez, commander of the South European Allied forces.

The Ministry of Defence has created conditions to allow Albanian and international media highlight the exercises, the statement said. ypa/das/ak/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[08] LDK urges urgent intervention to stop catastrophe in Kosova

The appeal said that the consequences of this barbarous attack if not immediately interrupted could be catastrophic for the population of the area, where besides local populace there are a great number of refugees from other regions already ethnically cleansed.

The situation in Peja and Deçan areas, which are under attack is more than dramatic, the LDK presidency said. It called on the United States, European Union, NATO and the U.N. Security Council to undertake urgent action to oblige Serbia stop immediately the attacks and withdraw military and police forces from Kosova.

"It is time to exert a real pressure on Belgrade if it exists a real wish to resolve the Kosova issue," the LDK appeal said. mp/das/ak/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[09] Serb forces torch Suhareka villages

These villages which were completely destroyed and ethnically cleansed, are engulfed by flames and fire. The Serb forces have raided all the houses. mp/das/ak/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[10] Minister says Albania ready to face any eventuality in border

"To create a more secured situation in the area we have taken and continue to take measures in order to reinforce our military disposition that is the equipment of Kukes division with logistic means to cope with any situation," Hajdaraga told a news conference.

Asked about the latest incidents in the Albanian-Yugoslav border, the minister said that they were incidents provoked by Serbs and cases where traces of shell casings and cartridges have been found in the territory of Albania have not been few.

The Albanian border and military authorities have taken all the measures to make evident such violations and prepare to cope with any eventuality which cannot be excluded by Serbia. ypa/das/ak/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[11] Serb forces resume shelling in Lipjan, Shtimje

The heavy artillery has shelled last night and early in the morning the villages of Kleçke, Shale and Krojmir of Lipjan commune and village of Pjetreshtice, commune of Shtimje.

Sources on the ground said that some Albanian civilians have been wounded and there are no reports on casualties.

The local population which had returned to its houses was forced to flee again due to new attacks of Serb forces and was now in open air in the mountains. fh/das/ak/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[12] Minister guarantees successful NATO joint exercises

"Despite temporary suspension of the diplomatic activity in the U.S. Embassy after the terrorist acts in Tanzania and Kenya, the Ministry of Defence has taken all necessary measures to increase the element of security where foreign military troops have been placed," Hajdaraga told a news conference on Saturday.

"The exercises expected to be launched on Monday demonstrate NATO engagement to secure peace and stability in the region," he said. ypa/das/ak/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[13] US senior adviser meets Kosova negotiation group

The U.S. diplomat, who is expected to attend the process of negotiations between Prishtina and Belgrade, met on Friday the negotiation group named by Kosova president Ibrahim Rugova at the U.S. office in Prishtina.

Following the announcement of the Kosova negotiation group, the U.S. diplomat Christopher Hill, who mediates talks between Prishtina and Belgrade, had said "the United States will remain an active partner in finding a solution to the Kosova issue" and in the days to come the Americans "will work tete-a-tete with the negotiation teams to go ahead." shdha/ak/

Albanian Telegraphic Agency

[14] Temporary suspension of U.S. embassy public operations will not affect excellent bilateral relations with Albania

The decision the United States was forced to take on Friday, August 14, 1998 to suspend temporarily public operations at our Embassy in Tirana was unrelated to the internal situation of Albania and does not reflect any change in our warm bilateral relationship.

Rather, the temporary suspension of public operations was the result of recent declarations by Islamic extremists against the United States and the possibility that the U.S. Embassy facilities in Tirana could be among the targets of a terrorist attack, the statement said.

The United States government is committed to close cooperation with Albania in pursuit of our shared political and economic objectives. This cooperation will continue in a variety of settings despite our reduced presence in Tirana, the spokesman of the U.S. State Department said. /ypa/ak/

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

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