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