ALBANIAN PRESS REVIEW - Thursday, 18 May 2006

POLITICAL AFFAIRS

Rama calls for signing of SAA in Strasbourg (Shekulli p. 7, Gazeta Shqiptare p. 9)

Chair of the Socialist Party (SP) Edi Rama was praised by the left-wing European parliamentarians yesterday for his policies at the head of the opposition and the Municipality of Tirana. Rama told the European Parliament (EP) in Strasbourg, France, that the Albanian opposition supports the signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU. The head of the SP parliamentary group in the EP commended Rama’s position and said that he is the man that Albania needs. “Rama is the spirit of co-operation with the EU, which is expressed in his appeal for the SAA to be signed, although my rival is governing now,” the leader of the SP group in the EP said.

Shaban Memia appointed head of Legalization Agency (Korrieri p. 3, Standard p. 6, Shekulli p. 5)

The Government approved yesterday establishment of the National Agency of Legalization, Urbanization and Integration of Informal Areas/Constructions (ALUIIAC), which will be responsible for legalization of all the informal areas in the country. Shaban Memia, who is former Member of Parliament (MP) of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), was appointed the head of the agency. The agency’s objective is to complete the process of legalization of informal areas within two years as earlier promised.

SP propose Ruçi, Blushi and Islami for electoral reform committee (Korrieri p. 9)

The Socialist Party (SP) nominated yesterday three candidates for members of the ad hoc Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reform and appealed to the governing majority to nominate theirs. The SP Secretary General Pandeli Majko said that the SP’s nominations definitely mean that the party is not the one that has blocked the electoral reform so far. Majko said that the SP candidates are Gramoz Ruçi, Ben Blushi and Kastriot Islami. “We have agreed to reduce the number of our representatives on the Committee from six to three,” Majko pointed out. Talking about the candidates for the vacancies on the Central Election Commission (CEC), Majko said that the SP has not deposited yet a candidate to the High Council of Justice (HJC).

Electoral reform committee to be established today (Korrieri, 9, Tema p. 3)

Sources from the Assembly said that the Speaker Jozefina Topalli will convene today the Conference of Chairpersons of Parliamentary Groups to take a decision on establishment of the ad hoc Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reform. The Speaker’s decision comes after the Socialist Party (SP) nominated three candidates for members of the Committee. The governing majority has reportedly supported the proposal by the SP for the Committee to comprise of 18 members.

Sollaku: These are my assets (Korrieri p. 7, Ballkan p. 4)

In his declaration of assets for 2005, the General Prosecutor Theodhori Sollaku has said that he is the owner of ALL 3 million and two apartments in Tirana. The declaration shows his wife’ and his current accounts with the Reiffeisen Bank, together totalling approximately ALL 3 million. Sollaku also said in the declaration that he managed last year to buy an apartment of a surface 135 meters square worth ALL 5.5 million. Sollaku is the owner of another apartment in Tirana as well. The second apartment of a surface of 60 meters square and worth some ALL 2.7 million is used by his parents.

Gazidede: I warned of danger of pyramid schemes (Standard p. 9, Shekulli p. 5)

In his first public appearance after many years, the newly-appointed deputy head of the Property Mortgage Office Bashkim Gazidede said that the pyramid schemes of ‘90s in Albania was the reason why he was persecuted and dismissed from the chairmanship of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) in 1997. Gazidede said that he had notified at the time all the state institutions on the dangerous consequences of the pyramid schemes. “Unlike what is being rumoured, I was the only one to warn the state institutions of the danger of the pyramid schemes,” Gazidede said. He added that he would now dedicate himself to the work in the state administration, “which he has always been very fond of”. Gazidede said that he would appear at a press conference soon to give details about his position in 1997, when he kept the SIS post. Gazidede was a very controversial figure during the 1997 riots, when he was widely seen as the cause of the pyramid schemes.

When Berisha allows himself “the sin” (Standard p. 24)

Editor-in-chief of Standard Patrik Sadikaj comments that Bashkim Gazidede, one of the most mysterious people in Albania, appeared yesterday before the media for the first time after eight years. Gazidede, who was the head of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) during 1992-1997, was seen at the time as the most loyal person to the then President of the Republic, now Prime Minister, Sali Berisha. This is a double return as his image is shown on television after many years and that he returns to work in the state administration.

For many people, especially the opposition, Gazidede’s return is seen as a bad sign. As a matter of fact, there is nothing fearful as he is a former official who returns to take up a post in the state administration. However, Gazidede’s return to such a post, apart from the political polemics that might cause, is a clear message for the militants of the ruling Democratic Party (DP). The former SIS head was one of the closest people to Berisha and supported him in his most difficult times. Now, he is rewarded for this loyalty. The Gazidede case is a good sign for the most potential militants of the DP, who might have been felt neglected after 3 July 2005. These militants should now be confident that their investment to the current political leaders will be soon rewarded.

Bush: Government and opposition should find a consensus (Standard p. 5, Shekulli p. 4)

On the occasion of appointment of Albanian Ambassador to the United States Aleksander Sallabanda, the US President George W. Bush said in a message that crime and corruption are the two biggest challenges on the country’s path to European integration. Bush’s message, which was read out to the Albanian media by Prime Minister Sali Berisha, called on the country’s political forces to co-operate for the next local government elections. In his meeting with Sallabanda, Bush said that Albania managed to cut off the chains of the communist tyranny and join the community of democratic nations.

MEDIA AFFAIRS

Brussels supports Albanian government for media reforms (Korrieri p. 8, Standard p. 4, Shekulli p. 8)

A bilateral session with the Albanian Delegation was held yesterday in Brussels, Belgium, as part of the seminar Future of European Audio-visual Policy and Regional Co-operation in the Western Balkans. The seminar was organized by the European Commission (EC) and the Council of Europe (CoE). Maria Luisa Fernandez Esteban of the EC General Directorate on Media and Ivan Nicolcev of the CoE General Directorate on Media expressed their support for the Albanian authorities in their efforts to reform the media institutions. They called for strengthening of capacities of the National Council of Radio and Television (NCRT) and positively assessed participation of civil society in this Council. The EC and CoE officials also called for extension of the reforms in the future.

Gjinishi asks Moisiu not to decree NCRT bill (Panorama p. 5, Albania p. 5)

In a response to the appeal by the President of the Republic Alfred Moisiu for launching of the electoral reform, the chair of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Skender Gjinushi said that the SDP will not participate in the electoral reform roundtable if the head of the state decrees the government-proposed amendments to the electronic media law. The amendments on the composition of the National Council of Radio and Television (NCRT) and the Steering Council of Albanian Public Radio and Television (SCAPRT) were passed by the Assembly with the votes of the governing majority earlier this month.

SECURITY ISSUES

Diplomats involved in paedophile scandal (Korrieri p. 13, Standard p. 8, Shekulli p. 2, Panorama p. 11)

Citizens from Ireland, Great Britain, Italy and Scotland are suspected to have sexually abused minors who were under the care of the My Children Foundation in Albania. Apart from Johan Brannon, a British citizen, who works at this Foundation and has been already arrested, the Albanian authorities have also got information on other foreigners including diplomats who are suspected of having had paid sexual and homosexual intercourse with minors. Two more British citizens and one Italian are still wanted by the police.

Compiled and written by Suela Shala

ALBANIAN PRESS REVIEW - Wednesday, 17 May 2006

POLITICAL AFFAIRS

Berisha says Albania will wait for NATO’s membership until 2008 (Panorama p. 4)

Prime Minister Sali Berisha said yesterday that Albania will get an invitation for membership into NATO in 2008, during a summit of the Alliance in Washington. This is the first time that Albanian high officials mention a possible membership date that is different from that of the Summit of Riga due in November 2007. Despite the US support, many European countries have been very sceptical about the reforms carried out by the Adriatic Charter member countries.

HCJ: DP and SP should find consensus on CEC (Gazeta Shqiptare, p. 6, Panorama p. 6)

The High Council of Justice (HCJ) called on the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the opposition Socialist Party (SP) yesterday to proceed quickly with nomination of the three vacant positions in the Central Election Commission (CEC). In a press statement, the deputy head of the HCJ Ilir Panda called on the largest parliamentary groups to nominate four candidates each who should be lawyers by profession. “Each of the parliamentary groups should select two out of from candidates of the other group,” Panda explained. The media also report about the SP Member of Parliament Petro Koçi saying that it is the SP’s exclusive right to nominate the HCJ representative in the CEC, unlike the DP that says that it is its right to do so. Koçi also called for the OSCE Presence’s intervention in solving this conflict.

Rama convenes allies for co-operation (Korrieri p. 3)

Head of the Socialist Party (SP) Edi Rama convened leaders of three left-wing parties yesterday and signed with them a joint co-operation agreement. SP sources said that together with Skender Gjinushi (Social Democratic Party - SDP), Neritan Ceka (Democratic Alliance – DA) and Paskal Milo (Social Democracy Party – SDY), Rama agreed to draft a unified platform of these forces the aim of which is to protect their interests during the work of the ad hoc Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reform.

Veliaj and Kodheli candidates for Mayor of Tirana (Sot p. 3)

Sot reports that the current Mayor of Tirana Edi Rama has not confirmed yet whether or not he will run again for his post in the upcoming local government elections. It adds that Erjon Veliaj (the Mjaft! leader) and Mimi Kodheli (a SP member) are the two SP candidates that are recently rumoured to run for this post. The newspaper speculates that Veliaj has more chances than Kodheli to win in the next elections. Although not declaring any political affiliation openly, according to the daily, Veliaj is one of the people close to Mayor Rama.

ELECTORAL ISSUES

Moisiu calls on political parties to launch electoral reform (Gazeta Shqiptare p. 7, Korrieri p. 3, Shekulli p. 2)

President Alfred Moisiu called on political parties yesterday to start their concrete work for the electoral reform. In a letter addressed to the political parties who participated in the 7 December 2005 roundtable, President Moisiu stressed the need and the importance for the immediate launch of the electoral reform ahead of the upcoming local elections. “Apart from the positive achievements, the last parliamentary elections showed also deficiencies, which have been detailed in the final report of the OSCE/ODIHR mission,” Moisiu said in the letter. According to him, their correction and the duly preparations of a transparent, comprehensive and active election process is a need and a necessity for Albania’s efforts to achieve the standards required for the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration,” Moisiu said.

Berisha: I guarantee free elections (Standard p. 5, Korrieri p. 2, Tema p. 3)

Prime Minister Sali Berisha declared at a NATO event yesterday that the next local government elections will be fair and free. He also assured that the next election process will be in line with the international standards. Berisha said that the government sees the conduct of the elections in line with democratic standards as a necessity for the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration.

Zguri: Delays in electoral reform harms elections (Korrieri p. 2)

Interim chair of the Central Election Commission (CEC) Klement Zguri said yesterday that delays in the launching of the electoral reform could directly affect the normal conduct of the next local government elections. Zguri said that the political actors should get seriously committed to carrying out the electoral reform. “If this does not happen, the elections risk failing to be conducted in line with normal democratic standards,” Zguri said.

Right-wing party roundtable on elections fails (Gazeta Shqiptare p. 6, Standard p. 5, Shekulli p. 7)

Leaders of the right-wing parties failed to hold yesterday a roundtable on electoral reform, which was summoned by the head of the Republican Party (RP) parliamentary group Arjan Madhi. The reason for the failure was the absence of the representative of the Human Rights Union Party (HRUP).

PROPERTY RESTITUTION

Property Committee promises solutions to religious communities (Panorama p. 5, Standard p. 6, Korrieri p. 8, Korrieri p. 7)

Head of the State Committee of Restitution and Compensation of Properties (SCRCP) Sokrat Sinaj pledged yesterday to offer solutions to the property claims by various religious communities in Albania. Sinaj and the Committee members met with representatives of the Muslim, Orthodox, Catholic and Bektashi communities in the country to discuss issues of property restitution to these groups. The meeting was held under the auspice of the President of the Republic Alfred Moisiu and the Prime Minister Sali Berisha. They discussed ways of finding the technical modalities to solve the issue as the religious communities do not have the same documentation and property titles as the rest of owners in the registry offices. The properties of the religious communities are registered in a special book called the Register of Religious Properties.

MEDIA AFFAIRS

Panorama journalist declared not guilty for libel charges (Panorama p. 14, Standard p. 10)

The Tirana District Court found Florenc Bakillari, a journalist of the Panorama newspaper, not guilty for libel charges by a teacher of the Faculty of History and Philology, Agron Gani. The hearing was attended by many journalists and students of the Faculty, who had sued their teacher six months ago for bribe-taking and exerting psychological pressure on them. Bakillari was sued for having made false statements in a press article about Gani taking bribes. The Prosecutor of the case Robert Kote had asked for conviction of the journalist under the Criminal Code with a fine or imprisonment up to 1 year. In his final conclusions, the judge Sokol Tona gave argumentations that Gani could not prove to the court that the journalist had lied in his article. The court found Gani did not prove the charge of insulting either.

ECONOMY/ENVIRONMENT

SP and SMI get together over energy price (Gazeta Shqiptare p. 8, Standard p. 6, Korrieri p. 3)

The Socialist Party (SP) and the Socialist Movement for Integration (SMI) criticised yesterday the government’s latest decision on the increase of the electricity price for consumers. The SP Secretary for Human Resources Blendi Klos expressed his party’s concern over a statement by the Prime Minister Sali Berisha to have the energy price increased, in contrast with the Democratic Party (DP)’s earlier promise about removal of the valued taxes added (VAT) from this price. “The increase directly affects over 300,000 households. The government should make the compensation scheme transparent to the public,” Klosi said. At a press conference, the deputy head of the SMI Filloreta Kodra said that the latest moves by the Berisha-led government were among the most anti-social ones in the last 15 years. She called on the government to annul the proposal and to urgently open a public dialogue on the energy price.

REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Foreign Committee to hear Chinese Ambassador today (Korrieri p. 5, Shqip p. 6)

The Socialist Party (SP) member of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Policy Kastriot Islami said yesterday that the Minister of Foreign Affairs Besnik Mustafaj should render account on the issue of the five Chinese who are sheltered in Albania after being released from a prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. “We notice total indifference and lack of commitment on the part of our Ministry of Foreign Affairs to tackling this sensitive issue,” Islami said. He warned that if the request for information from the Ministry was ignored until next Tuesday, the SP would ask for a parliamentary questions & answers session with Minister Mustafaj. The head of the Committee Preç Zogaj will meet today the Chinese Ambassador in Tirana to get more information on the issue.

Compiled and written by Suela Shala

ALBANIAN PRESS REVIEW - Tuesday, 16 May 2006

POLITICAL AFFAIRS

Majko: Meta’s scheme causes division (Gazeta Shqiptare p. 8, Korrieri p. 9, Tema p. 4, Standard p. 6)

Socialist Party (SP) Secretary General Pandeli Majko said yesterday that the proposal by the Socialist Movement for Integration (SMI) for co-operation with the SP grassroots in a number of electoral zones in the upcoming local elections aims at dividing the left-wing camp. Majko called on the SMI leaders to prepare their proposals and discuss them at a joint roundtable. “The SP has never neglected the SMI’s proposals for co-operation among the left-wing parties,” Majko said.

Rama awards Salzmann Key of Tirana (Gazeta Shqiptare p. 15, Shqip p. 6, Korrieri p. 9)

Yesterday, Mayor of Tirana Edi Rama handed the Key of Tirana to the outgoing Head of the European Commission Delegation in Albania, Ambassador Lutz Salzmann, in a sign of gratitude for his mission in the country. “With this key, you do not have to knock on the door of Tirana when you come back,” Rama said to Salzmann, who leaves Albania in June.

Berisha “crucifies” Basha (Korrieri p. 5, Tema p. 3, Shekulli p. 5)

Prime Minister Sali Berisha strongly criticised at yesterday’s meeting of the Democratic Party (DP) parliamentary group the Minister of Transport, Public Works and Telecommunication Lulezim Basha for sluggishness in carrying out his duties. Sources from the DP group said that Berisha’s only target throughout the meeting was Basha, widely seen as his Benjamin. Korrieri comments that Berisha’s criticism of Basha showed that he will be merciless on the other members of the government in case of possible apathy on their part. According to Tema, Berisha criticised Basha for poor communication with the structures of his Ministry.

Mjaft: This is how we can control lawmakers (Gazeta Shqiptare p. 7, Korrieri p. 7)

www.unevotoj.com is a website initiated by the Mjaft! campaign that aims at making parliamentary activities more transparent to the public. The visitors of the website will now have a chance to know about the activities of the 140 Members of Parliament (MPs), their speeches in the plenary, the promises they have made and how much they have kept them. Transcription of the parliamentary sessions will be also put up on the website. The movement’s primary goal is to narrow the gap between the current political transition and the real democracy in the Albanian society by educating and raising awareness of citizens about the way the Assembly functions. The Mjaft! leader Erjon Veliaj and the Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, Ambassador Pavel Vacek, announced the initiative at a joint press conference yesterday.

ELECTORAL ISSUES

RP convenes a roundtable on electoral reform today (Shqip p. 6, Korrieri p. 5, Standard p. 6)

Head of the Republican Party (RP) parliamentary group Arjan Madhi extended an invitation yesterday to all the right-wing parties to participate in a roundtable on electoral reform due at 12 hours today. The invitation said that the RP parliamentary group is very much interested in preparations of the electoral reform in due time. The RP also said that that ad hoc Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reform should be set up as soon as possible. Madhi said that, following the left-wing parties’ proposal to change the Assembly’s decision on the composition of the ad hoc Committee, the right-wing leaders should meet immediately to discuss this proposal.

Majko concerned over electoral reform committee (Shekulli p. 7)

Head of the Socialist Party (SP) parliamentary group Pandeli Majko asked the Speaker of the Assembly Jozefina Topalli at yesterday’s plenary session to execute the parliament-taken decision of several months ago on establishment of the ad hoc Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reform. “I want to know why the Assembly’s decision is not being executed. The SP expresses its will to reduce the number of its representatives in the Committee in order to fulfil the demands of the smaller parties,” Majko said. Topalli said that the parliamentary groups leaders should discuss the issue of the composition before the Committee is set up.

MEDIA AFFAIRS

Steering Council of public broadcaster dissolved (Gazeta Shqiptare p. 6, Korrieri p. 8, Standard p. 7, Shekulli p. 6)

A resolution on the Steering Council of Albanian Public Radio and Television (SCAPRT), drafted by the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Media based on the Council’s annual report for 2005, was passed yesterday by the Assembly with 65 votes in favour, 40 against and 1 abstention. The resolution called for reformation of the Council in line with the latest government amendments to the electronic media law, which were earlier passed by the Assembly. “The Assembly believes that the Steering Council has failed to become a public institution that fully serves the public. This Council needs a thorough reformation. During 2005, it also failed to stay away from political pressure despite the strong criticism on this”, the resolution said.

Lesi calls for transparency of 2K company’s tenders (Gazeta Shqiptare p. 6)

Demo-Christian Party (DCP) Member of Parliament (MP) Nikolle Lesi filed a request with the Assembly yesterday asking Prime Minister Sali Berisha and his government cabinet to provide him with written information on tenders, procurements and privatizations of publisher Koço Kokëdhima, also President of the 2 K company. Lesi said that the government has the obligation to reply within three weeks from the date of the request. More specifically, Lesi’s request asks the government to make transparent the relations that the State has had with Kokëdhima between 1997 and 2006.

Post Office distributes newspapers to remote areas by noon (Standard p. 11)

In an interview with Standard, the Director of Albanian Post Office Arqile Gorea said that his institution has now taken up distribution of the press to the country including its remote areas, in line with a government policy on this issue. Gorea said that the press has been absent so far in 50 per cent of Albania’s territory. “Since the Albanian Post Office is the public operator with the largest infrastructure in Albania, we decided to take advantage of this and use it to the benefit of both citizens and media outlets,” Gorea said. He recalled that the Post Office has not been offering this service since 1992 and that its aim is not to undermine the interests of those who have contributed to the distribution of the press until now. “We will be present on most of Albania’s territory. The daily press should reach the destination by 12 hours. As for the non-daily press, we guarantee to cover the entire territory of the country,” he said. Gorea indicated that 21 dailies have responded positively so far to the invitation to be distributed through the Post Office.

ECONOMY/ENVIRONMENT

Czech Deloitte to inquire into selling of Albtelecom (Gazeta Shqiptare p. 5, Shqip p. 4, Korrieri p. 3, Tema p. 3)

The Albanian Ministry of Economy, Trade and Energy chose yesterday the company Deloitte Czech Republic to inquire into the procedures of purchase of Albtelecom by Calik Enerji, a Turkish company. The former opposition, now the current governing majority, had expressed concern over the selling of Albtelecom to the Turkish company, considering the procedures to be irregular. Following the former opposition’s criticism, Prime Minister Sali Berisha decided to hire a company to make the selling procedures transparent.

SECURITY ISSUES

Ankara decides in favour of Aldo Bare’s extradition (Gazeta Shqiptare p. 2, Shqip p. 10, Korrieri p. 11)

A Turkish court decided yesterday in favour of extradition of Aldo Bare, who was arrested in Ankara on 25 March this year on charges of murders, drugs trafficking and leading of a criminal gang. The lawyers for Bare said that they will appeal the court decision and that the process will take from three to six months. On the other hand, the Albanian judiciary will have to face another challenge after Italian authorities officially requested yesterday Bare’s extradition to Italy as the latter has been under the country’s investigation for three years on drugs trafficking. Bare is considered to be one of the Balkans’ biggest suppliers of drugs for Italy. The Albanian Ministry of Justice officially requested his extradition to Albania by the end of March.

Klosi: Unidentified pre-paid mobile phone cards help terrorism (Gazeta Shqiptare p. 4)

Former head of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) Fatos Klosi told News 24 television yesterday that he was in favour of registration of pre-paid mobile phone cards in order to help Albania fight terrorism. “Albania is the only country where these cards are sold in the street and, as I far as I know, most of the subscribers of both AMC and Vodafone have pre-paid cards. This makes very difficult identification of those subscribers who might be suspected of being involved in crimes or terrorism activities,” Klosi said.

Compiled and written by Suela Shala

ALBANIAN PRESS REVIEW - Friday, 12 May 2006

POLITICAL AFFAIRS

Meta: I do not trust Rama (Korrieri p. 2)

In an interview with the Klan television yesterday, the former Prime Minister and the leader of the Socialist Movement for Integration (SMI) Ilir Meta said that he does not trust the Socialist Party (SP) leader Edi Rama as a politician. Meta said, however, that his opinion on Rama does not prevent him from facing him in a TV debate to clear their political positions. “I do not think that Rama has a clear political profile. Despite his ups and downs, I do not think it would be a problem for me to meet him and Mr. Blushi (the SP Political Secretary),” Meta said.

Berisha’s wealth ALL 4 million (Gazeta Shqiptare p. 8)

Gazeta Shqiptare reports that Prime Minister Sali Berisha has declared an amount of ALL 400,000 in cash for 2005 in his declaration of assets. In 2004, the Prime Minister had declared ALL 500,000 in cash. In his declaration for 2005, the Prime Minister has stated that the amount of 400,000 is a collection of his pays as Member of Parliament for the first eight months and as Prime Minister for the last four months.

MEDIA AFFAIRS

Assembly passes amendments to electronic media law (Korrieri p. 2, Gazeta Shqiptare p. 6)

The Assembly voted yesterday in favour of the government-proposed amendments to the Law on Public and Private Radio and Television. The amendments, which basically change the composition formulas of the National Council of Radio and Television (NCRT) and the Steering Council of Albanian Public Radio and Television (SCAPRT), were passed only with the 71 votes of the governing majority. The opposition Members of Parliament (MP) boycotted the vote in a sign of protest against the amendments. They argued that the amendments unjustly interrupt the mandates of the current members of the two Councils. According to the opposition, the two Councils, which according to them were politically balanced until now, will be transformed into tools in the Prime Minister’s hands. The amendments also included a proposal by the Demo-Christian Party (DCP) MP Nikolle Lesi whereby electronic media owners are not allowed to participate in state-funded tenders.

A pirate television licensed (Gazeta Shqiptare p. 7)

Gazeta Shqiptare reports that, on their last working day, the National Council of Radio and Television (NCRT) renewed the licence of the A1 television, which has installed antennas beyond its authorised broadcasting area. The decision was taken in the presence of five out of seven members of the NCRT while the Assembly was voting on the government-proposed amendments that change the composition formulas of the NCRT and the Steering Council of Albanian Public Radio and Television (SCAPRT). The newspaper reports that out of the five present NCRT members, only the NCRT chair Halil Lalaj did not sign the decision. In a preliminary decision taken a month ago, the four members had signed against renewal of the television’s licence. According to the newspaper, A1 has installed illegal antennas in Korçe, Vlore, Elbasan and Shkoder.

ECONOMY/ENVIRONMENT

IMF unhappy with government’s efforts against money laundering (Korrieri p. 6, Tema p. 5)

Head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission Istvan Szekely said yesterday that the capacities of the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing in Albania are weak. “Despite a number of important achievements, the economy remains fragile in some aspects due to a culture of fiscal evasion, high and short-term domestic debts, weakly-supervised financial non-banking institutions and weak capacities for money laundering prevention,” said Szekely in a summary of Albania’s macroeconomic indices.

RULE OF LAW/HUMAN RIGHTS

London, Tirana and Ankara agree to fight criminal gangs (Korrieri p. 9, Panorama p. 5)

British Foreign Affairs Minister Kim M. Howell, who arrived in Tirana yesterday, called on the Albanian authorities to co-operate with the Turkish and British law enforcement agencies to fight against crime. Howell met Prime Minister Sali Berisha, Minister of Foreign Affairs Besnik Mustafaj, Minister of Interior Sokol Olldashi and Minister of Justice Aldo Bumci. At these meetings, he suggested that they strengthen their co-operation with Turkey as the ties of the Turkish and Albanian criminal gangs operating on the territory of the Great Britain are increasingly getting stronger. Offering his country’s assistance in this respect, Howell said that the new governments always need help.

REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Mustafaj dismisses reports about freezing of relations with China (Korrieri p. 5, Gazeta Shqiptare p. 8, Panorama p. 3)

Foreign Minister Besnik Mustafaj declared yesterday that the conflict between Albania and China over the five Chinese asylum-seekers does not affect the diplomatic relations between the two countries. Mustafaj dismissed the media reports that Albanian authorities have cancelled their visits to China and made it clear that the relations between the two countries continue to be very good. “I have not cancelled any visit. I will visit China in autumn at an appropriate time for both my colleague and myself,” the Minister said.

Government to decide on Greek soldiers’ graves soon (Shqip p. 3, Shekulli p. 5)

The Government is expected to take a special decision soon on an agreement on construction of two cemeteries for the Greek soldiers who were killed during the Second World War in Albania. Minister of Defence Fatmir Mediu stated following cancellation of his Greek counterpart’s visit to Albania over construction of the cemeteries that the two countries are in the phase of discussing the technical details of the agreement. Mediu said that his Greek counterpart’s visit was postponed for the second time because the agreement has not been completed yet. Foreign Minister Besnik Mustafaj said that one of the two cemeteries will be constructed in Bularat and the other one in Kelcyra, both villages in Permet.

Compiled and written by Suela Shala

ALBANIAN PRESS REVIEW - Thursday, 11 May 2006

POLITICAL AFFAIRS

Blushi: Edi Rama’s mistakes (Korrieri pp. 2, 3)

The Socialist Party (SP) Political Secretary Ben Blushi said in an interview with Korrieri yesterday that Edi Rama is denaturalising the post of the SP leader. “There is a growing defeating spirit within the SP and this is also encouraged by the SP leader. We are having a relative opposition, from which the reactions come only following the governing majority’s actions,” Blushi said. He added that Rama’s move run counter to the spirit that made him the party’s leader. Blushi said that Rama is against internal debates in the party. Commenting on the platform for co-operation of left-wing parties, Blushi said that the timing of the move was not right and that the initiative did not produce the desirable results. He called on the former SP leader Fatos Nano to clarify his position in the face of the new developments both inside and outside the party. “Nano should still take his responsibilities for what is happening in the SP after the 3 July 2005 parliamentary elections,” the SP Secretary said.

Rama to hold meetings in Brussels and Strasbourg next week (Shekulli p. 4, Panorama p. 5)

Chairman of the Socialist Party (SP) Edi Rama is expected to hold a number of meetings in the European institutions in Strasbourg and Brussels next week to express the opposition’s viewpoints on the latest political developments in the country. Sources from the SP said that, during his visit due to start on 17 May, Ramas will express the opposition’s readiness to co-operate with the government in carrying out the reforms that are necessary for the European Union (EU) integration process.

ELECTORAL ISSUES

Beja: We are not against two-round elections (Korrieri p. 4)

The Democratic Party (DP) did not rule out yesterday the possibility of holding two-round elections following a proposal by the chair of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Skender Gjinushi. The Head of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs, Public Administration and Human Rights Fatos Beja told the Korrieri newspaper that consensus is very much needed to amend the Electoral Code. “The Code is subject to discussion among the political sides and it is approved by the Assembly by a majority of votes. It should have the widest consensus possible,” Beja stressed. The newspaper comments that acceptance of such a proposal by the DP has brought closer viewpoints on the electoral reform by the two main political forces.

SP to support SDP candidate for CEC member (Panorama p. 6)

The Socialist Party (SP) will support the proposal of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for one of the three members of the Central Election Commission (CEC) whose mandates expired earlier this year. Sources from the SP said that the SDP candidate, Pandeli Varfi, whose mandate just expired, is the candidacy that the main opposition party is going to support.

MEDIA ISSUES

Opposition offers consensus to governing majority for NCRT composition (Korrieri p. 5, Shqip p. 5, Gazeta Shqiptare p. 10, Standard p. 5)

Four opposition parties offered yesterday consensus to the governing majority for the composition formula of the National Council of Radio and Television (NCRT). According to the Socialist Party (SP), the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Social Democracy Party (SDY), two members of the NCRT should be nominated by the governing majority, two by the opposition and one by the President of the Republic. The opposition parties also proposed that the reshuffling of the NCRT proceed as soon as the mandates of the current members expire. Shqip reports that the four parties’ proposal came following the Prime Minister Sali Berisha’s earlier appeal to the opposition for co-operation in reforming the state institutions.

RULE OF LAW/HUMAN RIGHTS

Moisiu: Judiciary needs reforms (Korrieri p. 10, Shqip p. 6, Shekulli p. 3)

On the occasion of the International Day of Justice, President Alfred Moisiu acknowledged the achievements of the judiciary, but added that the negative phenomena like corruption and lack of professionalism still prevail. “As a President of the Republic, I have fought against these phenomena. With the authority that the Constitution gives me, I have been very careful in decreeing appointments of those judges who have the necessary qualities for these positions,” Moisiu said at a ceremony organized at the President’s Office. He stressed that the Albanian judiciary needs reforms so that it can meet the parameters required by the integration process. “I have always believed that there is no corrupt and incapable judiciary; there are only certain individuals who harm the image of this judiciary,” President Moisiu said.

Inquiry Committee: General Prosecution Office spent some 4,000 euros in 2005 (Shqip p. 7)

The General Prosecution Office told Shqip yesterday that the head of this institution Theodhori Sollaku spent only some 4,000 euros during 2005. This figure contradicts the allegations recently made by the governing majority that Sollaku has spent enormous amounts of money on business trips outside the country.

Spahiu: 15 Mafia families still at large (Gazeta Shqiptare p. 8, Tema p. 7, Panorama p. 15)

Director of the Citizen Advocacy Office (CAO) Kreshnik Spahiu said in an interview with News 24 television yesterday that 15 Albanian Mafia-tied families are still at large. Spahiu further said that two of the 15 families have been partially cracked down, but none of them have been given the final blow. He said that the criminal gangs of Aldo Bare and Lul Berisha are still functioning. According to him, the two notorious gangs have been cracked down by Interpol, but have not been brought before court yet. According to Panorama, the Minister of Justice Aldo Bumçi said during the ceremony on the occasion of the International Day of Justice that Aldo Bare and Lul Berisha will be extradited soon to the country.

Two deputy Ministers and a diplomat fined over declaration of assets (Gazeta Shqiptare p. 9, Shekulli p. 7, Tema p. 5)

Two deputy Ministers and a diplomat were fined yesterday by the Inspectorate of Verification and Disclosure of Assets for failure to submit their declaration of assets in time. Nduke Preka, deputy Minister of Agriculture, Food and Consumers’ Protection, Stavri Ristani, deputy Minister of Transport, Telecommunication and Public Works, and Vladimir Prela, Albanian Ambassador to Skopje, were three of the 74 high officials fined by the Inspectorate. They were fined ALL 30, 000 each. They had to submit their declarations of assets to the Inspectorate by 31 March 2006.

Government passes draft law on production of narcotics (Gazeta Shqiptare p. 10, Shekulli p. 2)

The government proposed yesterday a draft law whereby mayors can face up to seven years’ imprisonment if they do not take adequate measures to prevent in time production of narcotic plants in their respective areas of responsibility. The government’s draft law is as amendment to the law on narcotic medicines and psychotropic substances. The newspaper comments that the amendment is expected to spark political controversies as the draft law gives the locally-elected people a policing role.

REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

China cuts off diplomatic ties with Albania (Korrieri p. 4, Shqip p. 4, Gazeta Shqiptare p. 6, Shekulli p. 5)

Non-extradition of five Chinese citizens who are now given shelter in Albania caused the first embargo in the two countries’ diplomatic ties, Korrieri comments. Some sources said that the Chinese authorities cancelled yesterday all the official visits to Albania. The same sources said that a Chinese deputy Minister, who was supposed to meet today with high-level authorities in Tirana, was ordered to cancel the visit following Albania’s decision to take in the five Muslim Chinese. The latter were lately released from the prison in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Also, Beijing has advised the Chinese authorities against meeting any of the Albanian officials in the Asian country.

Greek Minister cancels his visit to Albania (Shqip p. 5, Gazeta Shqiptare p. 7)

Greek Minister of Defence Evangelos Meimarakis cancelled his visit to Albania that was scheduled for today. The cancellation came after the negative reply of the Albanian authorities about signing a bilateral agreement on identification of the graves of the Greek soldiers who were killed during the Second World War.

Compiled and written by Suela Shala
OSCE Presence in Albania

Public Affairs and Media Office
Zyra e Marrëdhënieve me Publikun dhe e Medias

Disclaimer note: The OSCE Presence in Albania Press Review reflects the selection of topics of informative value to the Presence, as reported by the Albanian press. The Presence is not responsible for the content and for any inaccuracies, misinterpretations or fabrications possibly contained in the press articles.

ALBANIAN PRESS REVIEW - Wednesday, 10 May 2006

POLITICAL AFFAIRS

Moisiu calls for respecting of legislation for reformation of institutions (Panorama p. 6, Gazeta Shqiptare p. 12, Shqip p. 2, Shekulli pp. 2, 3)

At an event organized by the European Commission (EC) Delegation in Albania on the occasion of the European Day on 9 May, the President of the Republic Alfred Moisiu said that reformation of the state institutions should be carried out in accordance with the Constitution and the relevant legislation. Moisiu said that after 15 years of political transition and democratic transformation, one can say that Albania has established its political, economical and legal institutions. He added that the independence and the separation of different powers should be strengthened. The Head of the EC Delegation, Ambassador Lutz Salzmann, who celebrates the event for the last time as a diplomat in Albania, said that the country will have to cope with many challenges after the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union (EU) will be signed. The media report that the SAA of Albania with the EU will be signed on 12 June 2006.

Centre of European Information set up (Tirana Observer p. 7)

The Centre of European Information was inaugurated yesterday at the premises of the Ministry of Integration. It will serve to distribute and encourage research on European integration issues. The Centre will also offer information on the European Union (EU) and its most prominent policies. The Minister of Integration Arenca Trashani said that the right to information on the EU is one of the democratic rights.

Rama: Consensus for constitutional reforms (Korrieri p. 3, Tema p. 3)

The Socialist Party (SP) parliamentary group declared yesterday that they support any initiative by the governing majority that aims to carry out reforms in accordance with the Constitution of Albania. “Since my first day as chairman of the SP, I have always been ready to co-operate with the opposition for all the major reforms that the country needs. But we cannot offer co-operation when we do not see the other side’s efforts for reformation, when we do not see will for modernisation, but see brutality, instead,” the SP leader Edi Rama said. His statement came after the Prime Minister Sali Berisha’s appeals for co-operation with the opposition parties to carry out reformation of the state institutions in the country.

Berisha: We are late with decentralization (Shekulli p. 2)

Prime Minister Sali Berisha declared yesterday that the decentralization process is very late. In his opening speech to the Conference for Co-ordination of Activities of Donors in Decentralization and Local Government, the Prime Minister said that the former Socialist countries have in some aspects a higher level of decentralization that the one applied now. “It is unacceptable that those who govern and who represent the direct governance for the citizens are unable to manage the water supply, the properties and the territory planning,” Berisha said.

Ceka says Meta candidate for Mayor of Tirana (Gazeta Shqiptare p. 12)

President of the Democratic Alliance (DA) Neritan Ceka declared yesterday that Ilir Meta, the head of the Socialist Movement for Integration (SMI), is an excellent candidate for Mayor of Tirana in the upcoming local elections. Talking about electoral reform, Ceka said that the opposition parties have had no roundtable on this issue yet. “However, in principle, we have agreed to have a joint veto which will protect the presence of our parties in the electoral commissions. We have also agreed to avoid a new Dushk. In this respect, we have no new developments yet,” Ceka explained. He said that the DA has nominated its candidate for a member of the Central Election Commission (CEC). The DA candidate is Sokol Lamaj, former director of the Legal Directorate in the CEC.

ELECTORAL ISSUES

Majko writes to Moisiu and Topalli about electoral reform (Panorama p. 6, Korrieri p. 3, Tema p. 4)

Head of the Socialist Party (SP) Parliamentary Group Pandeli Majko sent a letter yesterday to the President of the Republic Aldfred Moisiu and the Speaker of the Assembly Jozefina Topalli proposing a new formula for composition of the ad hoc Committee on Electoral Reform. According to Majko, the SP wants the Committee to be comprised of 18 members including 6 members from each of the two largest parties (3+3), 2 members for each Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Socialist Movement for Integration (SMI) and 1 member for each of the remaining parliamentary parties. Majko said in the letter that the change of the formula aimed at giving more space for the smaller parliamentary parties. On behalf of the SP parliamentary group, he also asked Topalli for a change in the decision making within the Committee. “We propose that the decisions be taken with a majority of votes (10), when representatives of the two largest parties have voted in favour of these decisions,” Majko said.

Opposition seeks two-round elections (Korrieri p. 3)

Head of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Skender Gjinushi told the Korrieri newspaper yesterday that the only way to avoid repetition of the Dushk scheme in the upcoming local elections is introduction of a pure proportional system or holding the elections in two rounds. Gjinushi said that his proposal is also supported by their traditional ally, the Socialist Party (SP).

ECONOMY/ENVIRONMENT

USAID grants USD 320,000 for bird flu (Tema p. 8)

USAID signed a grant of USD 320,000 for the Albanian Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumers’ Protection to cope with a possible spread of bird flu in the country. This was a grant of the World Health Organization for Albania following identification of two cases of bird flu in the villages of Çukë and Pezë-helmës, respectively in Saranda and Tirana.

REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

Albanian MPs: Careful with Albania’s relations with China (Shqip p. 3, Shekulli p. 5)

Members of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Policy reacted yesterday to the five Chinese citizens seeking political asylum after having been released from the prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The head of the Committee Preç Zogaj said that the issue will be treated in accordance with the international conventions that Albania has adhered to. Zogaj said that jeopardizing of the relations between Albania and China because of this issue is out of question. “Albania have no intention to give shelter to any evil-doer of China or whatever country. They will be treated in accordance with the relevant conventions,” Zogaj added. Former Foreign Minister Kastriot Islami, who is a Socialist Party (SP) member in the Committee, refused to comment saying that he had got not sufficient information on this issue from the government. The United States said yesterday that the accession of the five Chinese citizens by Albania is a human act. “Albania decided to take in the five Chinese for humanitarian reasons, which is a gesture that shows the close relations between the two countries,” said Sam Witten, Deputy Legal Adviser in the US Department of State. Witten explained that following the release of the five Chinese, the United States requested a number of countries to take them in, adding that the Chinese themselves had asked to be settled in a European country. “The five Chinese were taken in by Albania upon a request by the US government,” Witten said. The Chinese authorities called yesterday for the return of the five asylum seekers. A Spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that Albania and the US violated all the United Nations regulations and the international laws pertaining to this issue. The Chinese media commented on Albania’s move as an effort to assure the SP support for the country’s accession into NATO.

Compiled and written by Suela Shala

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Presence in Albania

Public Affairs and Media Office
Zyra e Marrëdhënieve me Publikun dhe e Medias