Press:"Zeri i popullit" 20.06.1998
Thoma Gellci
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Polls to be repeated in a polling station
Polls will be repeated in the polling station 50 in the city of
Vlora, southwestern Albania, due to irregularities.
The municipality commission with the participation of Daan Everts
the ambassador of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation
(OSCE) in Tirana discussed whether to extend the hour of closure
or to suspend the by-elections. At last they decided through a
4 to 3 voting that polls be held again when the Central Election
Commission see it appropriate.
The suspension of elections occurred at 12.00.a.m when the
municipality commission and that of the polling station at the
presence of the OSCE ambassador Everts noticed a series of
irregularities as the absence of the Unity for Democracy and
United Right-wing representatives, irregularities in the voters'
lists and three cases when voters had two ballot papers.
Xhelili said that the polls are going on well in other polling
stations.
Polls progress normally
The polls for local by-elections are going on normally in all
voting centers, head of the Central Election Commission (CEC)
said on Sunday.
He said that the by-elections are being monitored by the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),
Council of Europe, the Human Right Union group, Helsinki
Committee and the Association for Democratic Culture in areas
considered hot spots by monitors.
Local by-elections are being held in seven municipalities and 9
communes of the constituencies where the local officials
abandoned or quited the post during the unrest last year.
The by-elections are under way in communes of Lazarat
(Gjirokaster), Proger (Devoll), Lure (Diber), Dhiver (Sarande),
Zavaline (Elbasan), Gjergjan (Elbasan), Sineballaj (Kavaje),
Bushtrice (Kukes),Greshice (Mallakaster) and in municipalities
Vlora, Roskovec, Vore, Patos, Ura Vajgurore, Shijak and
Kavaja.
Court sentences former interior minister in absentia
The Tirana court ruled on Saturday that the Albanian former
deputy interior minister Agim Shehu be sentenced in absentia.
Shehu has been accused of "rebellion", army desertion under the
state of emergency and abuse of armaments.
The investigations carried out by the Tirana prosecutor's office
were over and the military prosecutors charged with Shehu's case,
presented on Saturday incriminating proofs against him in the
Tirana Court.
Prosecutors said that the former deputy Interior Minister taking
advantage of his post, organised a special paramilitary unit
arming it without any criterion. These troops had been recruited
out of any physical or moral norm and used during the first
months of 1997 to quell the popular revolts in south Albania.
Agim Shehu who fled Albania after the early elections of June 29,
'97 shirking obligations under the law (return of armaments) was
considered as the right wing of former president Sali Berisha and
leader of the military operation to quell revolts in the south.
Then the Albanian parliament with the Democratic party of former
president Sali Berisha having two third of the seats, imposed
state of emergency.
Shehu comes from a Dibra family, north of Albania, with patriotic
and communist traditions. He has been one of the bodyguards of
ex prime minister Mehmet Shehu at the time of communist regime
of Enver Hoxha and quited the post after the enigmatic killing
of Shehu (Mehmet).
Agim Shehu was accused of ordering killings in the border in 1991
when he was the Border Director General.
At the time when the Democratic party was in power, Shehu was
nominated police director in Tirana and later deputy Interior
Minister. During this period, he ordered maltreatment of
opposition politicians and independent journalists.
Albania - European Union to promote relations
Albanian Secretary of State for European Integration Ilir Meta
held talks on Friday with the European Commission in Brussels
focusing on promotion of relations between Albania and the
European Union (E.U.), press and information office at the
Foreign Ministry said.
Meta met with the European Union Foreign commissioner Hans van
den Broek and decided to create favourable conditions for
Albanian exports.
A mission of the European Commission will come soon to Albania
for this issue.
Van den Broek expressed the firm attitude of the commission
regarding the immediate stop of Serb violence in Kosova (of 90
percent Albanians) and create the conditions for dialogue.
Bonnino briefed Meta on the Commission's commitment to offer
Albania some Ecu10 million to cope with the refugees from Kosova
and help directly the humanitarian issue in Kosova.
11 billion liras for electric network of Tirane
Italian ENEL ready to realise the project
Italian ENEL is ready to use as soon as possible the credit of
the Italian Government for the third stage of the rehabilitation
of the electric system of Tirane, the director of Investments in
the Albanian Electric Corporation, KESH, Robert Lalo said. The
Italian company of electricity has completed the first two stages
of the reconstruction of the Tirane electric network on the basis
of a 25 billion lira grant by the Italian Government. "The fund
for the third stage estimated at 11 billion lira, is ready for
delivery by the Italian Government but possibilities exist that
it be higher," said Lalo.
KESH has prepared all respective projects for the 3d stage and
its investment, thus work will soon start for the rehabilitation
of the Tirane electric network before winter comes.
Tank car with 15 000lt of smuggled gasoline blocked in Malesi e
Madhe
The Malesi e Madhe Commissariat Forces on Friday intercepted a
tanker of 15 000 lt of contraband gasoline, the spokesman of the
Public Order Ministry said.
The rapid interference unit also arrested the driver, Enver Daut
Selimi, 45, inhabitant in the Berdice village of the Shkoder
district.
According to the spokesman, the initial investigation show that
the tank car had been loaded at the place called Buza e Ujit on
the Shkoder lake side and was driving towards the Shkoder city.
Trial against claimant to throne Leka Zogu
Trial against claimant to the Albanian throne Leka Zogu and his
court minister, Abedin Mulosmani, charged with "organising armed
uprising to topple constitutional order", started on Friday.
On June '97, Leka Zogu, dressed in battle fatigues, with a group
of royal backers, gathered before the Central Electoral
Commission (CEC) at the Palace of Congresses, after an illegal
rally at the "Skenderbej" square, claiming they had won the
referendum on the June 29 early elections. The participants
started firing which left one dead.
The former police chief of Tirana, Colonel Pashk Tusha, the
former chief of commissariat 1, Albert Dervishi, and the
commander of the mobile unit, declared in this sitting that the
July 3 rally was illegal.
According to the testimony provided by the public order chiefs
and 10 other policemen called to testify said that even after the
crowd started shooting from various directions, the police did
in no case counteract, but showed self-restraint to evade any
incident.
The charge brought by the prosecutor's office against Zogu and
his supporter Mulosmani envisages that they face life in prison.
Albanian air force ready to defend air space
Six Albanian warplanes, including two MIG 15, one MIG 17 and
three MIG 19, held early on Friday air exercises at the Rinas
regiment.
"Air force are totally ready to carry out tasks in defending
Albanian air space," the commander of the Air Defence forces,
Major General Perlat Sula, said at the end of the air exercises.
Prime minister Fatos Nano, Defence Minister Luan Hajdaraga, Chief
of General Staff Brigadier General Aleks Andoni and military
attaches accredited to Albania were present at the exercises of
the Albanian air forces.
"This is a good message that the Albanian citizens and our Kosova
brothers can gain, a message of patriotic responsibility,
compatibility and cooperation with collective security structures
in Europe and broader, which do not want the war causes other
casualties but will try to safeguard peace in the Balkan region
and secure establishing peace in hot spots," prime minister Nano
said.
He highly regarded the air exercises of the Rinas regiment
stressing that the Albanian defence forces are being
restructured. He assured the forces of the Albanian aviation for
a full government support, pointing out future exercises in
cooperation with the Atlantic Alliance.
Later, Nano hailed the NATO air exercises and determination of
the Albanian government to offer all kinds of air and port
facilities to NATO in the future.
Friday's exercises were organised to demonstrate that the
Albanian regiments and air bases are ready to participate in NATO
joint exercises.
Rinas regiment, Gjadri and Koova air bases took part in the
exercises marking the end of the reorganisation phase of the
military aviation.
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